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Is the Gay Gene a myth? Scientists say homosexuality impossible to determine by DNA
Christian News ^ | 07/23/2014 | Garrett Haley

Posted on 06/26/2014 7:09:25 PM PDT by NetAddicted

CHICAGO – The results of a comprehensive scientific study released earlier this year suggest that homosexuality cannot be directly traced to a ‘gay gene,’ but is instead dependent on a variety of factors, including environmental and social influences.

Pro-homosexual activists have long claimed that homosexuality and abnormal “sexual orientations” are primarily caused by genetic factors. They argue that individuals with a hereditary “gay gene” are predisposed toward same-sex attractions and thus unable to appreciate traditional marriages.

However, scientific findings released earlier this year during the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago call this premise into question. During the meeting, Michael Bailey of Northwestern University unveiled comprehensive research results which suggest that genetics alone do not determine “sexual orientation.”

In his research, Bailey and other scientists examined the DNA of 400 men who described themselves as homosexual. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that homosexuality cannot be traced to specific genes.

“The genes were neither sufficient, nor necessary, to make any of the men gay,” wrote Ian Sample, science correspondent for The Guardian.

The findings show that it is impossible to accurately predict a person’s sexual behavior by solely examining DNA.

“The flawed thinking behind a genetic test for sexual orientation is clear from studies of twins, which show that the identical twin of a gay man, who carries an exact replica of his brother’s DNA, is more likely to be straight than gay,” The Guardian article continues. “That means even a perfect genetic test that picked up every gene linked to sexual orientation would still be less effective than flipping a coin.”

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Alan Sanders, a Northwestern University professor who led the recent study, confirmed that the “gay gene” theory is largely unfounded.

“We don’t think genetics is the whole story,” Sanders stated, according to The Telegraph. “It’s not.”

Though the scientists maintained that genetics do at least partly influence sexual orientation, these recent findings undermine the belief that homosexuality is predetermined. Environmental factors, such as the absence of a father or an unhealthy domestic upbringing, might play significant roles.

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association says the scientific findings show that homosexual behavior is ultimately an individual choice.

“Without a genetic causation, sexual preference in behavior is clearly a choice, a choice which no one is compelled to make,” Fischer wrote in a column last week. “And that choice can be evaluated in any number of ways, including whether or not it is good for human health and whether or not same-sex households are sub-optimal nurturing environments for vulnerable young children.”

“If homosexual conduct is ultimately a matter of choice,” Fischer continued, “then the homosexual lobby has nothing, because homosexual conduct is clearly harmful to human beings in any number of ways, not the least of which is serving as the leading cause of HIV/AIDS, which can leave young men disease-ridden and destined for an early grave.”

“I am not persuaded that genes are even a contributing factor,” he added. “But even if they are, the great news is that if individuals are not biologically predetermined to pursue the homosexual lifestyle, then change is possible as a matter of scientific fact. This leads to one simple, salient truth: there is hope for the homosexual.”


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: genetics; homosexualagenda; homosexuality; scientists
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1 posted on 06/26/2014 7:09:25 PM PDT by NetAddicted
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To: NetAddicted

It was obvious that this idea was bs from the get go.


2 posted on 06/26/2014 7:11:00 PM PDT by dila813
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To: NetAddicted

I believe homosexuality is 99% nurture and 1% nature with the nature part of the equation being a tendency that can be overcome.


3 posted on 06/26/2014 7:11:58 PM PDT by frogjerk (We are conservatives. Not libertarians, not "fiscal conservatives", not moderates)
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To: NetAddicted

Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: homosexuality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?


4 posted on 06/26/2014 7:13:08 PM PDT by Misterioso
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To: NetAddicted
Damn, we can't have this sort of honest research going on. We might come into conflict with the ideologies of Progressives.

On another thread, there is a discussion about homsexuals being more likely to have mental disorders than heterosexuals. The pet explanation is that homosexuals are still not accepted and hence feel badly. But what happens when this excuse wears thin? Society is increasingly accepting of homosexual behavior. So shouldn't the incidence of psychological problems be decreasing?

Heck, after this sort of research, maybe someone will actually look at real temperature data instead of AGW models.

5 posted on 06/26/2014 7:15:04 PM PDT by Lysandru
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To: Misterioso

No, G-d said we were likely to sin, & He made sure He told us that homosexual acts are a sin. A HUGE sin. Now that we know, it’s up to us.


6 posted on 06/26/2014 7:16:25 PM PDT by NetAddicted (Just looking)
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To: frogjerk

Tendency, not gene.


7 posted on 06/26/2014 7:18:46 PM PDT by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
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To: Misterioso
"Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: homosexuality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?"

So raping little boys and performing fellatio on an anonymous set of wedding tackle in a public restroom is part of God's Plan?

8 posted on 06/26/2014 7:20:19 PM PDT by jonascord (Laeti vescimur nos subacturis)
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To: Misterioso
Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: homosexuality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?>

by this stretch of logic any activity can be considered part of "God's plan".

However, sin, which, homosexuality is, is not part of God's plan. Why? Because sin is not part of His plan.

9 posted on 06/26/2014 7:23:03 PM PDT by ealgeone (obama, borderof)
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To: NetAddicted

It’s a choice like wearing a leather jacket OR a feather boa.. so is being a pedophile perv..

They prefer perversion even if they don’t know it’s perverted..
maybe even a form of parasitism.. They are societal parasites..


10 posted on 06/26/2014 7:24:29 PM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole..)
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To: Misterioso

Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: homosexuality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?

Cancer is also a part of God's plan, but man is not capable of understanding God's plan.

Why can't liberals accept the obvious: homosexuality is not normal? It's simply not normal for a member of any species to behave in such a manner that would cause the entire species to go extinct if the practice was widespread.

Christians love their fellow man and want to help those afflicted with homosexuality as much as they want to help those with cancer.

11 posted on 06/26/2014 7:24:38 PM PDT by libertylover (The problem with Obama is not that his skin is too black, it's that his ideas are too RED.)
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To: Misterioso

Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: bestiality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?

Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: necrophilia is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?

SIN EXISTS.


12 posted on 06/26/2014 7:27:19 PM PDT by Mr Rogers
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To: Misterioso
Why can’t Christians accept the obvious: homosexuality is part of God’s plan. If it isn’t, why does it exist?

This is saying that sin is a part of God's plan — if sin is a part of God's plan [that is His will] then James is wrong when he says:

(James 1:13)
No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.

13 posted on 06/26/2014 7:27:29 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: Misterioso

Like pedophilia?


14 posted on 06/26/2014 7:27:59 PM PDT by ansel12 (( Rand Paul---What a tragedy if America wouldn't have gotten to see Barack Obama as a leader.)
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To: frogjerk

Homosexuals are not born that way, they just get sucked into it.


15 posted on 06/26/2014 7:30:28 PM PDT by Bubba_Leroy (The Obamanation Continues)
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To: NetAddicted

There is no gay gene. If there were, then both identical twins in a set would be either hetero or homo. No mix and match allowed in an identical set.


16 posted on 06/26/2014 7:32:58 PM PDT by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: NetAddicted

Come on. How would a “gene” for homosexuality be adaptive to the point where it would perpetuate itself? I once read of a pundit who said that a shark could smell a “molecule of blood.” To which another pundit replied by pointing out that blood doesn’t come in molecules. Neither does homosexuality come in genes.


17 posted on 06/26/2014 7:33:30 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: NetAddicted
It's natural for males and females to be attracted to each other. The need for this in nature/evolution is quite obvious.

If someone is attracted to the same sex, then obviously that's a defect. Whether it's genetic or not, it doesn't matter... it's still a defect.

18 posted on 06/26/2014 7:35:54 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Misterioso

Romans 1:24
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.


19 posted on 06/26/2014 7:37:17 PM PDT by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: NetAddicted

but isn’t sin satan’s plan? we are given agency.it is our choice to sin or not sin.


20 posted on 06/26/2014 7:37:20 PM PDT by dalebert
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