Startling Study Says People May Be Born Gay

HealthDayNews ^ | October 6, 2003 | Amanda Gardner

[AntiGuv]

MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDayNews) -- The origins of sexual orientation may be evident in the blink of an eye.

In what is the first study to show an apparent link between a non-learned trait and sexual orientation, British researchers have discovered the way peoples' eyes respond to sudden loud noises may signal differences between heterosexual and homosexual men and women that were developed before birth.

The authors, whose study appears in the October issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, say about 4 percent of men and 3 percent of women are gay. Scientists have long sought to determine whether sexuality is learned or biological.

"We have several decades of research which suggests rather strongly that human sexual orientation is to some degree biologically determined," says study author Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of East London. "The problem with those types of studies is that we can't disentangle the effects of learning."

The question then became, "What kind of task could be used that is not influenced by learning or socialization?" The answer came in human startle responses, which are involuntary and instinctual.

Specifically, Rahman and his colleagues decided to use pre-pulse inhibition (PPI). When humans hear a sudden noise, they respond by blinking. If that loud noise is preceded by a quieter noise (the pre-pulse), the response to the second, loud noise is weaker. In other words, it is inhibited.

The researchers compared responses to a loud noise both alone and after a quieter noise to see what the degree of inhibition was. Participants were 59 gay and straight men and women.

In the heterosexual women, the PPI averaged 13 percent and, in heterosexual men, 40 percent.

Lesbians, however, had a PPI of 33 percent, closer to the straight-man end of the spectrum, while gay men averaged 32 percent, slightly lower than that of straight men but not statistically significant.

The findings are consistent with other studies, which have found that certain traits in lesbians are highly "masculinized," while the same traits in gay men are almost the same as in straight men.

While it's difficult to make generalizations about gay behavior on the basis of these findings (for example, "all gay male thinking is like that of women"), it is possible to build a case for the origins of sexuality, the authors say.

"On the basis of these results and in conjunction with the bulk of the literature in the last three decades or so, the evidence points to some prenatal factor or factors [in determining sexual preference]," Rahman says.

The findings could have implications for a number of social issues.

"Actual sexual orientation and sex-related research is now being accepted as a legitimate national investment in terms of research," Rahman says. "We have problems with STDs [sexually transmitted diseases]. Understanding sexual behavior is clearly important to that."

The findings may also help illuminate sex differences in mental health issues. "Although homosexuality per se is not related to psychiatric problems, on those occasions that gays and lesbians do present with psychiatric problems, they often show disorders that are typical of the opposite sex," Rahman says. Gay men, for example, may be more likely to suffer depression, anxiety and eating disorders than their straight counterparts, while lesbians may be more vulnerable to substance abuse than heterosexual women.

"Maybe having an understanding of brain basis of sexual orientation in healthy individuals may give us some clues in what is going wrong in the brain circuitry underlying certain psychiatric problems," Rahman says. "In the future, we may be able to tailor treatments more specifically."

It's important not to draw too many generalizations. "It's not that the gay brain is like the heterosexual brain of the opposite sex. It seems to be a mosaic of male and female typical traits," Rahman says. "Because we're looking at humans, thing are always more complicated that you would expect."

[scripter]

oops...forgot the sarcasm off tag.

It happens to me as well... Still, the point (4) I posted may be helpful for some folks out there.

[GraniteStateConservative]

It can be "unnatural" or abnormal and be genetic.

[GraniteStateConservative]

John Paulk and Michael Johnston had trouble, though.

[only1percent]

The left will easily deal with this problem, in the same way the deal with workplace discrimination. Contracts aside, it is entirely legal to fire someone for NO REASON AT ALL. It is completely illegal to fire someone for being black, or being a woman. They could enact law saying that it is legal to have an abortion for no reason ("I just want one"), but a felony to have an abortion because the baby is likely to be gay. In other words, once you have the sex orientation test and get results showing gay, and you'd previously had prenatal care or otherwise evinced an intention to keep the baby, BOOM, you've broken the law.

[steve-b]

a normative supermajority of heterosexual women who may under certain circumstances engage in homoerotic behavior

e.g. when the fame clock is at 14 minutes and 57 seconds

[ampat]

And hitler, mussolini, stalin, amin, and hussein were all born as murderous dictators.

[asformeandformyhouse]

Bravo Sierra. Although no one is born gay, it could be said that it was hereditary. You get it from your 'Uncle'. :)

[only1percent]

Two answers to this:

(1) many human traits reduce the likelihood that an individual will survive to reproduction, and increase the likelihood that one who has reproduced will die during his children's childhood, making them vulnerable to not reproducing themselves. Courage, audacity, risk-taking, all have the tendency to lead to early death. However, these traits have great COMMUNAL benefit, and advance the reproduction of the "tribe" (the closely related pool of genes), and hence are evolutionarily selected. Perhaps homosexuality, or, rather, the other traits that accompany it in a genetic package, have some tribal benefit.

(2) homosexuality is in some instances congenital, not (or not entirely) genetic -- i.e., caused by accidents or conditions in fetal development, not inheritance from parents. One strong piece of evidence of intrauterine causation is the correllation between birth order of sons and homosexuality. First sons of one mother are less likely to be gay, second sons of one mother are slightly more likely, and by the time you get to fifth and sixth sons of the same mother, some studies show extraordinarily high rates of homosexuality (into the 30%-40% range). The supposition is that each male carried to term changes the "starting point" balance of testerone, estrogen, and androgen.

[Maelstrom]

Nonsense, I'm sure there are some homosexuals who don't match the profile.

However, the truth of the matter is my generalizations are accurate.

The conversation would not otherwise draw my attention. If "most" aren't bothering me, then "most" don't even count because the homosexual movement and agenda is directed at me and more specifically at my children.

You cannot deny the similarities that tie homosexuals together. The first is they share a sexual dysfunction. This dysfunction implies a number of things which I've discussed. Moreover, this dysfunction also entails the cessation of the activity because homosexuals cannot have children amongst themselves, they absolutely MUST take children from others. "Most" might not do this, however, those that do supply human toys for the rest and as they age, they propogate the dysfunction.

Your analogy for heterosexuals is also severely flawed. Heterosexuals who make it everyone's business who they're sleeping with are NOT seeking special dispensations, they are NOT seeking activities that break up families, they are NOT, typically, going after children, nor do they have a multitude of organizations forcing acceptance of their perversion and training children to it in public schools.

[Maelstrom]

"I am not blaming the victim any more than to point out that some are more appealing targets of opportunity to chickenhawks...that is simple common sense."

I agree, but those more appealing targets of opportunity should not be viewed any differently than the same targets of opportunity for recognized criminal behavior: pedophilia, rape, serial murder, mugging, etc.

Read the books, don't get caught up too much in the label. Don't look for yourself. I have looked for myself. The books cannot communicate the horror of what is homosexuality and the character of the homosexual community.

[petercooper]

it's hip to be gay now.

I say it's 25% genteic. 75% environmental.

[Maelstrom]

As I said initially, I'm fairly certain participation has physiological effects.

I do not know if the physiological effects of participation are linked to duration or intensity.

However, I'm conviced: The same way a regular dose of cocain will turn a regular person into an addict most of the time...even if it's against his will...so too will regular participation in homosexuality turn a regular person into a homosexual...even if it's against his will.

[bmwcyle]

OK I was born that way but I grew up and learn about women.

[cookcounty]

Evenif true, so what? Like virtually all males I am oriented toward multiple relations with thousands of women. But, that does not mean it is right to act on that orientation.

[biblewonk]

This article is so gay.

[wardaddy]

I agree.....I actually saw a cakeboy on the Ted Nugent thing the other night on VH-1 declare esentially on national TV that he lamented being queer.

man, I bet the ACT-UP crowd shivered when they saw that...

[wardaddy]

Do you have any links on all that?

I'm not sure I agree that children whose dads die while they are still young are much less likely to reproduce themselves....particularly in post hunter-gatherer societies.

[MEGoody]

"One of my friends who is a lesbian has bodily features that are so obviously male that she alone constitutes a very strong proof of genetic disposition."

It's more likely that she is so ugly that she's had negative reactions from men most of her life, so she subconsciously turned to women for acceptance and, ultimately, sex.

[MEGoody]

While there may be a genetic 'tendency' to be a homo, as there is for an alcoholic to be an alcoholic, the nuturing received from parents and the choices that individual makes in life determine whether they become an alcoholic (or a homo) or not.

The vast majority of gays have either been molested or had poor family relationships (either of which is coupled with their own poor coping skills).

The idea of homosexuality being purely biological is simply hooey. If it were purely biological, then in all cases, identical twins would either be both hetero or both homo. That's not the case.