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To: jimbergin

I'm not sure why your post was directed to me, as I really have no opinion on the subject, other than to say if there is a genetic tendancy (as there is with alcoholism), then it could be overcome.

That said, I do see a flaw in the study you mention, in that it assumes that a "gay gene" would be the dominant factor every time (i.e., the twin would always be gay, too).

If there is a gay gene (if!), I suspect it would work more like the "alcoholic tendancy" gene --- which is present in most every Native American --- in that it gives a person a greater % chance than the overall population at being gay.

For example, if the chances of a non-gene-carrying person being gay was 3%, then the chances of the gene-carrying person being gay would be 5% or somesuch (to use arbitrary figures).

Hence, you would need a study of thousands of twin sets to see if there was a like, ala the studies done on breast cancer in families, etc.

I just doubt the sample size of twins is big enough to get a viable study. (Plus there is the polluting factor of how they were brought up, which could junk the study, too.)

That said, I don't disagree with you that there is not good evidence of a "gay gene." I just don't think the study you cite is reliable.


48 posted on 02/16/2005 4:09:09 PM PST by MeanWestTexan
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To: MeanWestTexan

being of scientific mind and a Christian, it always puzzled me that if this is a choice, does it occur in the wild because of choice? Long before this penguin thing, I learned in Animal Pyschology that geese for instance have exhibited homosexual behavior for as long as they have been studied....now I learned this back the late 1970's as an undergrad and there was no real bias at the time towards that idea nor where I went to school was there any widespread liberal bias......just curious as to why this occurs in nature.......


52 posted on 02/16/2005 4:20:46 PM PST by NorCalRepub
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To: MeanWestTexan

I agree the study is quite small as are most of the other twin studies. This is also true for alcoholism. Although alcoholism tends to run in families, none of the studies have shown convincing evidence that it is "genetic' rather than "environmental". For example there are studies of identical and fraternal twins in England that show no difference in tendency toward alcoholism between the two groups.


53 posted on 02/16/2005 4:29:43 PM PST by jimbergin
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