Gay nature or nurture

There have been numerous studies designed to determine whether or not homosexuality has a genetic cause. Boston University is a leading private research institution with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the world. Sexual orientation is a component of identity that includes sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction.

Considering that, how much of a role does genetics (“nature”) play? Nature refers to the innate characteristics we are born with; for example, eye color. Some gay people who are raised in anti-gay religious households will deny their feelings and maybe even date/marry a person of the opposite sex to maintain a facade.

The first psychological test undertaken to determine whether there was a biological explanation for homosexuality was in With a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health , Karen Hooker studied the relationship between homosexuality and psychological development and illness. Pillard is quick to point out that much about how sexual orientation is determined remains a mystery.

Among the most notable were a series of studies Pillard and J. Michael Bailey, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, conducted in the early s that found that homosexuality is largely biologically determined, not environmentally influenced. New research confirms that a mix of prenatal factors and genetic differences could explain human sexual orientation.

Pillard: I think so. What ultimately determines whether a child identifies as straight or gay? “The nature versus nurture argument about the origins of sexual orientation has been an integral part of the gay rights debate over the years, and it is clear why. Some gay people who are raised in anti-gay religious households will deny their feelings and maybe even date/marry a person of the opposite sex to maintain a facade.

This report documents the range of abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in secondary school. Sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes. Scientists have learned the answer begins with an understanding of the two core elements involved: biological sex (the parts we’re born with) and attraction (who we’re drawn to, romantically and physically).

At the time, the American Psychological Association still listed homosexuality as a disorder and psychologists and psychiatrists were trained on ways to treat it. These articles offer a peek into some of the research exploring the biology of sexual orientation. BU Today : Has your research found that sexual orientation is biologically determined? And the theory is if a particular trait is genetic, the identical twins would be more alike than the fraternal twins.

The amount of nurture determines how soon the person is able to acknowledge/accept their sexual orientation. What we did was to recruit groups of twins, identical and fraternal twins. Most historians agree that there is evidence of homosexual activity and same-sex love, whether such relationships were accepted or persecuted, in every documented culture. Nature Versus Nurture The nature versus nurture debate has been around for centuries, and it is still one of the most controversial topics in medicine.

Homosexuality was considered a mental illness when Richard Pillard was in medical school. . It was the s and the School of Medicine professor of psychiatry was at the University of Rochester. They found that if one identical twin was gay, 52 percent of the time the other was also; the figure was 22 percent for fraternal twins, and only 5 percent for nonrelated adopted brothers.

Hooker found no major differences in the answers given by the two groups. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Half of Americans in Gallup's Values and Beliefs poll say that being gay or lesbian is a trait from birth, easily eclipsing the 30% who believe it is a product of. Because of the similar scores, she concluded that sexuality is not based on environmental factors.

Parent-child relationships (“nurture”) significantly impact how children develop and identify themselves (Mills-Koonce et al., ). The amount of nurture determines how soon the person is able to acknowledge/accept their sexual orientation. Is it nature or nurture? What determines sexual orientation? Hungary deepened its repression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people on March 18 as the parliament passed a draconian law that will outlaw Pride .

I’m here to help you explore a fundamental question: What determines sexual orientation — nature or nurture? Homosexuality has been a constant throughout human evolution and civilization, and yet, science has been slow to look at the causes of sexual preferences. The results were that they were more alike.

It details widespread bullying and . Hooker studied both homosexuals and heterosexuals—matched for age, intelligence, and education level. And the answer is: not a lot. What ultimately determines whether a child identifies as straight or gay?. Pillard and Bailey examined identical and fraternal twin brothers—as well as nonrelated brothers who had been adopted—in an effort to see if there was a genetic explanation for homosexuality.

The identical twins were far more similar than the fraternal twins. But nobody knows for sure what causes a person to be either gay or straight.