3 Arguments Made in Support of 'Gay Gene'

Highly disputed in today’s political arena is whether or not LGBT rights are human rights, and thus a function of biology that is beyond conscious human control, or, as the Texas GOP says, an “alternative lifestyle.”

Vote Now: Should Gay Marriage Be Legal in All 50 States?

Genetics play a role in everything from eye color to aspects of personality; so many scientists think it makes sense to study their role in sexual orientation.

The existence of a “gay gene” would imply that homosexuality is a natural occurrence, and would thus provide evidence against corrective therapies and the belief that identifying as LGBT is a choice. Modern science seems to suggest that there is no single ‘gay gene’, but that a variety of natural factors contribute to homosexuality. Below are 5 arguments that support the idea that homosexuality is genetic:

1. Sexual Orientation Impacted Maternal Genes
Numerous studies have been performed to seek out the “gay gene.” Though they vary in results, several findings have provided evidence for a link between homosexuality and maternal genes. The most well-known of these studies is Hamer et al, which was published in 1993 by sciencemag.org and concluded that sexual orientation may be associated with a stretch on the X-chromosome, which is passed down the maternal line. Other studies later replicated the experiment with similar findings.

Tell Us: Should the States or the Federal Government Decide the Legality of Gay Marriage?

2. Lifestyle Doesn’t Cause Homosexuality
“My parents raised me to be many things, but being gay wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t nurture that made me the way I am. It was in my nature,” Paul Burston, homosexual journalist and author, told the Guardian in 2012.  Reports of homosexuality date back to Ancient Greece, leading people to believe that its consistent presence implies natural causes. According to the American Psychological Association, “most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

3. Homosexuality is a Function of Brain Structure
Several postmortem studies have been performed that compares the brains of homosexual men with those of heterosexuals. A 1990 Netherlands Institute for Brain Research study found that homosexual men had a larger volume of cells in their suprachiasmatic nucleus, an area of the brain that controls sleep cycles and possibly elements of sexual orientation, than heterosexual men. Simon LeVay, neuroscientist and author, had similar findings in his 1991 study, according to LGBT Science.

Vote Now: Was the Supreme Court Right to Strike Down the Defense of Marriage Act?

Related Stories:

• Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement’s Origins: How Group Came Into Being
  
• 11 Christian Organizations With Most Liberal Stance on Gay, Lesbian Community