Posted on 03/28/2013 8:33:24 AM PDT by Maelstorm
Why are some people gay? Most researchers who study sexual orientation think that both genetic and environmental factors play a role, but the relative contributions of each remain unclear. A new study of Swedish twins reinforces earlier findings that environmental influences--including the environment in the womb--may play a greater role than genes.
Scientists studying complex human behaviors often turn to twin studies. Researchers look at both identical and fraternal twins to see how often they share a trait--a parameter called concordance. The greater the concordance among genetically identical twins compared with fraternal twins--who share only half of their genes--the more likely that genetic factors are involved.
Earlier twin studies of sexual orientation have suggested varying degrees of genetic and environmental influences. But they have suffered from the limitations typical of all twin studies. These include small sample sizes and assumptions that identical and fraternal twins both have the same family environments; if identical twins are treated more similarly by their parents than fraternal twins, for example, this could be mistaken for a genetic influence. Recruitment biases are also an issue: Some studies have enlisted participants who openly identify themselves as gay, who may not be typical of the entire homosexual population.
To try to get around these problems, a team led by Niklas Langström, a psychiatrist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, recruited subjects from the Swedish Twin Registry, the world's largest. All 43,808 twins born in Sweden between 1959 and 1985 were invited to participate in a Web-based survey that comprised a wide range of questions about personal behaviors and experiences. The team ended up with a sample of 3826 twin pairs, of which 2320 were identical and 1506 fraternal. Of that sample, roughly 5% of men and 8% of women reported sexual activity with a member of the same sex at least once during their lifetimes. Then they plugged the survey responses into a standard mathematical model for comparing identical and fraternal twins.
The results, published online this month in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, confirm earlier findings that identical twins are more concordant for same-sex behaviors than fraternal twins are but only modestly so: In men, genetic effects appeared to explain 34% to 39% of the differences between the two twin groups, whereas in women, genetics accounted for only about 18% to 19% of the difference--a finding consistent with other research showing that sexual orientation in women is not as rigidly determined as it is in men.
As for what environmental factors might be at play, the authors point out that these might not be entirely social but could also be biological. For example, some studies have suggested that exposure to prenatal hormones or even the mother's immune system could influence the sexual development of a fetus.
J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, who led earlier twin studies of sexual orientation, calls the new study "good, important, and one unlikely to be bettered in the near future." But Jonathan Beckwith, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, says that the new work fails to overcome a number of problems faced by previous twin studies. He notes that the final sample included only 12% of the males in the Swedish registry, leaving open the possibility of recruitment bias. And Beckwith says that the failure to control for family environment could inflate estimates of genetic influence.
Some people are born with a propensity to kill. We call them sociopaths.
Predisposition is something we fight with Civilization.
Whether we think civilization can accept or must reject homosexuality (much less the “marriage” of gays) is a crap-shoot.
But let’s not suppose that just because someone is born with a predisposition it makes it incumbent upon Governments to validate their predisposition as a right.
I have a predisposition to molest most attractive women I see. I don’t get to. Tough luck! And, even if they were willing, I oughtn’t. And I shouldn’t be allowed by government to marry 8 of them, even if they all agreed.
I know one thing: G-d WILL sort this out. You place your bets and you takes your chances.
I have noticed that many gays were molested or horribly abused in their young or teenage years. Also have noticed that many that lost their mother, either died or left, when young turned queer. IMHO, about 99% enviromental.
Which means that it IS treatable.
I’ve noticed the same thing, there always seems to be something deep and dark in their past. Or, some were drama queens to begin with, so some things became even more significant in their eyes, leading to their lifestyle choice.
HERE :
If they are not born with these desires then how do their (un-natural) desires acquired in their life become their new (legitimate) constitutional rights that redefine centuries old traditional marriage regardless of voters opposition?
This is an argument I pose at young people,
I dont tell them its Biblical sinning because they will naturally just blow that off. For most of them Obama's word trumps the Bible's word.
A friend of my husbands is a twin. He is ‘gay’ and his brother is heterosexual.
The gay twin grew up as a heterosexual, married, had children. Then decided at some point he was not happy and was gay, divorced, moved to San Jose with a homosexual other, and now lives a totally liberal lifestyle. Claims his being married has not hurt anyone, forgetting what he did to his wife and two little girls. He still sees them, they are of course expected to accept his new lifestyle. He feels he is a good father.
Is there such a thing as a “gay gene”?
If so, isn’t it a genetic defect?
NO
During pride week in Chicago I’ve seen some of the woman. Some of these chicks are brutes. Big shoulders, necks, thick backs.....combine that with men’s clothing, facial hair and homade tattoos. Something..I don’t know is really off.
“Most researchers who study sexual orientation think that both genetic..”
The same folks that defend evolution with all of their might, seem to believe that a “gene” that CAN NOT procreate has somehow survived their millions of years of evolving.
First of all, God made them.
Let’s assume for a minute that gays are indeed “Born that way.”
God knows the cause, whether it is genetic or environmental, and He still said “Do not practice homosexuality.” In God’s eyes the cause is irrelevant. The Sodom and Gomorrah narrative strongly suggests peer pressure was involved.
BTW my oldest daughter is gay and the only “trauma” in her life is that her father and I divorced when she was four because he abused me.
ACTUALLY:
'Gay' Is ALL In The Jeans
It is all about the sexual activity -that IS the only differentiator.
“may play a greater role than genes”
Most certainly, because genes don’t play a role.
The gay twin grew up as a heterosexual, married, had children. Then decided at some point he was not happy and was gay, divorced, moved to San Jose with a homosexual other, and now lives a totally liberal lifestyle. Claims his being married has not hurt anyone, forgetting what he did to his wife and two little girls. He still sees them, they are of course expected to accept his new lifestyle. He feels he is a good father.
Your anecdote sums up the fact that some people think that a fulfilling sex life is actually a right. It is a mark of immaturity and irresponsibility IMO when people behave in the way you described. Throughout our lives, we are faced with temptations and choices. Many people (both homo and hetero) make the wrong decisions based on what "makes them happy". For instance, a man may leave his wife of many years and marry his cute secretary. He doesn't "need" to do this. But he yields to his baser instincts and does it anyway.
In college, I was a theater major and was around a lot of homosexuals. A more sex-obsessed bunch you will never see. Of course we heterosexual guys were trying to score with cute the cute girls as well. We had to jump through all the hoops most guys do - take them out, buy them presents, etc. The gays just seemed to meet and immediately decide to have sex. A young and inexperienced guy could get sexual experience really fast by joining the gay clique. I saw several young fellows get snapped up by the gays almost on arrival on campus. I only know of one of those young fellows that left the gay lifestyle. He ended up marrying one of the more attractive girls and having kids.
The explosion of acceptance of homosexuality grows to a great extent out of the idea that a person has the right to be sexually satisfied all the days of his/her life.
A gene that doesn’t propagate the species?
I wonder how THAT ONE evolved!
um... that’s pretty tramatic.
Actually, I think it grew out of the de facto "ad campaign" we've been subjected to for decades by the "arts crowd's" ugly sister (i.e. mainstream media).
I believe I read this article in 1977 when my younger brother came out as gay to the family.
So in 35 years will hundreds of millions spent on 1% of our society - we appear to have learned nothing.
“I’ve seen some of the woman. Some of these chicks are brutes.”
Right, and I think many of them, just because they aren’t very attractive to men, gravitate towards lesbianism. They don’t look manly because they have a gay gene; they became gay because they look manly and couldn’t attract a man.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.