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Thu 9 Jun, 2005 09:49 pm
So a buddy and me were sitting around talking about hot button issues like abortion, gay marriage and such, when he goes off on this uncharacteristic southern rant about how gay people are "sick" and through counseling and treatment they can be cured. I was shocked to hear such things. He brought up the point that if you were to put 4 children in a controlled environment(2 female 2 male) that the kids would naturally be attracted to the opposite sex. So are homos born gay? Or is homosexuality a product of upbringing and such?
its a combination of the two, genes and development of course. psychology isn't advanced enough to "cure" gay people so if emotion development is a factor there isn't anything we can do about it anyway...
I think they've found genes associated with homosexuality, so it would seem that it's biologically determined, and maybe triggered by environmental factors. It depends how you interpret it, but evidence for a biological basis suggests to me that homosexuality is perfectly natural, and that it probably can't be helped, so therefore a homosexual person is not responsible for his sexuality. Being gay seems to be okay.
It seems to me that if homosexuality was a product of upbringing, then most boys brought up in a female dominated household or girls brought up in a male dominated household would tend to act like the gender that they are brought up with. This is not the case.
Some people are born to be tall, short, skinny, fat, red hair, blonde hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, good looking, not so good looking, strong, weak, brilliant, average. Some are born in a male body, but with female traits or vice versa.
Why should we judge or try to change a person that is homosexual any more than we would for a heterosexual? I say we should leave them alone and let them live their lives as they see fit.
Maybe short people should be encouraged to become tall.
I reckon wether gay or not, its all about curiosity in touching another person.
Its more about open mindedness than actually being gay.
Your friend is silly.How can he say gay people can be cured with counselling and treatment??Is it the same the other way round.Straight people can be made gay?
geneticists have shown that all embryos begin development as a female (yes guys you were all women once). when the time comes, testosterone kicks in and causes a change in the development cycle during the first trimester-and you get a boy - if no testosterone kicks in you get the "default" a girl. it is theorized, yet not proven, that gay men have less testosterone than heterosexual men, hence they are more like the "default" - women. PET scans have shown that homosexual men's brain activity mimicks that of women - again theorized because they have lower testoterone levels.
i would personally argue for genetics causing someone to be homosexual or heterosexual.
I think that homosexuality is a portion of the spectrum that sexuality is - and thus can be more of a nature thing.
However, I do believe there is a portion of society who are social homosexuals. I think this same thing for alcoholics. I do not mean that if you are born a nature hetrosexual you can simply will yourself to be gay - vice versa for homosexuals being 'reprogrammed'.
I think that your friend is a lot more homosexual than he likes and is making up for what he is scared of.
TF
material girl wrote:
Your friend is silly.How can he say gay people can be cured with counselling and treatment??Is it the same the other way round.Straight people can be made gay?
When you say it that way it really makes "curing gay people" sound silly...
What do the gay curers out there have to say to that? Can straight people be made gay??
I believe, that just like a tendency towards obesity, Type II diabetes, even cancer, each person, due to his genetic makeup, has a tendency towards either homosexuality, or heterosexuality. In addition, if the genetic markers are not strong in one area, environmental factors will come into play.
For instance, let's say that there is a genetic predisposition towards Type II diabetes in a family, with many family members affected. A person in that family, knowing this, keeps his weight down, and stays on a low sugar diet. He will probably not contract the disease, UNLESS the predisposition is SO strong that nothing that he will do environmentally will make any difference.
IMO, it is the same thing with homosexuality. A number of genetic factors have been posited on this thread. But ultimately, the issue is a balancing act between genetics and envirinment.
The gay fraternity may just post a thread about us being born the way we are, and totally uncurable !
It is a species showing his/her true self. The body is merely a manner of transporting the actual you.
In ignorance, people made the lives of a gay worse than Danti's inferno. I have met several male gay's in my lifetime, it is not really an issue. We are not discussing buck teeth are we? Well really it's as important as that. I have two daughter's, I had no fear of having had a son, who may well have been gay. In my younger years it would have been an unacceptable suggestion, perhaps I would have harmed him for being gay? Having stood with my back to the wall for a reasonable few years, hypothetically speaking of course. Views and opinions change dramatically. Most people, regardless of gender, are wonderful specimen's.
Re: Born Gay?
Child of the Light wrote: He brought up the point that if you were to put 4 children in a controlled environment(2 female 2 male) that the kids would naturally be attracted to the opposite sex.
Did Buddy provide any scientific evidence for his "point"?
Whether or not people are born gay doesn't seem to change the issue. The real question is..
...Do we have the right to tell people who they should love?
What if it were illegal to be heterosexual? Births could all be done with artificial insemination. It is easy to see an alternate universe where this could be the case. Ask yourself: Why is it not ok to outlaw heterosexuality?
The answer could be very illuminating.
Phoenix32890 wrote:I believe, that just like a tendency towards obesity, Type II diabetes, even cancer, each person, due to his genetic makeup, has a tendency towards either homosexuality, or heterosexuality. In addition, if the genetic markers are not strong in one area, environmental factors will come into play.
For instance, let's say that there is a genetic predisposition towards Type II diabetes in a family, with many family members affected. A person in that family, knowing this, keeps his weight down, and stays on a low sugar diet. He will probably not contract the disease, UNLESS the predisposition is SO strong that nothing that he will do environmentally will make any difference.
IMO, it is the same thing with homosexuality. A number of genetic factors have been posited on this thread. But ultimately, the issue is a balancing act between genetics and envirinment.
Pretty much all of the major diseases are a combination of genetics and environment, so you have something there.
The question is, should we find out?
There have been studies to try to link homosexuality to genetics and studies to link it to this and that. What is the purpose? Just to know? Is it to figure out a "cure" or to prevent homosexuality from happening? Should research continue? Should it stop? Should it be policed?
Personally, I don't think it matters. It's not like they're hurting anyone. Hey, I like to pick my nose. Some people think that's disgusting, but I'm not hurting anyone so it doesn't really matter what they think.
I think it's either genetic or else intra-uterine environment during pregnancy, but it's definitely physical.
Why do people want to cure something that isn't a disease?
People are weird.
Cure something that needs curing - cystic fibrosis, Parkinson's disease ... lots of worthwhile targets for medical research.
As mrs. hamburger often says, "Move on."
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