StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice" discusses that education was a factor that the National Health and Social Life Survey looked at. The results were that the higher the educational attainment the higher number of the homosexual population recorded…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.4% of users find it useful
Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice"

? HOMOSEXUALITY: NATURE AND NURTURE Are Homosexuals Born Gay or is it a Choice? Table of Contents HOMOSEXUALITY: NATURE AND NURTURE Are Homosexuals Born Gay or is it a Choice? I. Background Information One of the most talked about issue in today’s world is the issue about homosexuality. It has been a usual topic for debates not just social ones but also in politics. There have been a lot of noted researches, surveys and experiments about the issue of homosexuality whether it is biological or is an effect of the environment. Homosexuality is defined in many ways and aspects. Byrd and Olsen (n.d.) defined the word homosexual in three traits; behavior, orientation and identity. Homosexual behavior is the overt sexual activity between two people of the same sex. The sexual reaction of someone to a person of his or her same gender is referred to as homosexual orientation and the tagging a person as gay or lesbian is called homosexual identity. (Byrd & Olsen, n.d.) II. Hypothesis This paper’s main objective is to answer the question whether homosexual people are born with it or can they choose to change in time. The answer that people have states that homosexuality can never be inborn or is affected by genes and that it is just an effect of environmental social and emotional precursors. People who are advocates of gay rights support the claim that homosexuality is determined by genes, hormones and prenatal development. III. Methods Salk Institute researcher Dr. Simon LeVay evaluated 35 men in 1991 and noted the difference in the brain structure (Knight, 2000). People of Michigan State University headed by Dr. Marc Breedlove and Dr. Cynthia Jordan researched about the physical signs of a pregnant women exposed to androgen. One of these physical signs is finger length which is known by studying finger length ratio of 720 people both men and women, straight and gay (Liberty Education Forum, 2008). Another significant study that gay advocates support is the study of Bailey and Pillard known as the twin study. The experiment focused on identical and non identical twins and regular siblings. Incidence of homosexuality in one of the twin was noted and correlated it with whether the other twin displayed homosexual tendencies (Knight, 2000). Surveys were conducted to disprove the claim that homosexuality is inborn, there were two main surveys done which were both done by the National Health and Social Life Survey. First was the survey of people from urban areas and the suburbs to prove the fact that urbanization can also affect one’s homosexuality and a survey asking men and women of their educational attainment and related it with their sexual preference (Dailey & Sprigg, 2004). IV. Results and Discussion In Dr. LeVay’s research of 50 men studying their brain specifically their hypothalamus, 19 of whom were homosexual and 16 were heterosexual he found out that the hypothalamus was generally larger in heterosexual males than those of homosexual males. These findings made him conclude that homosexuality has a biologic substrate. Dr. Le Vay then stated as cited by Knight (2000), “It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain. …Since I looked at adult brains, we don’t know if the differences I found were there at birth, or if they appeared later” (Knight, 2000). Dr. Marc Breedlove and Dr. Cynthia Jordan conducted their study in 2000 which showed that prenatal androgen exposure was the main factor in the study since androgen is the hormone responsible for the physical characteristics that differentiate men and women. Finger length was one of the physical signs that the researched focused on. Breedlove and Jordan lead a team that examined the finger lengths of 720 men and women. Women who were homosexual had more masculine finger – length ratio than heterosexual women, which did not differ from heterosexual males. The male results gave more strength to the birth to order effect, which states that male sexual orientation is a result of an event in their fetal stage to prior male births (Liberty Education Forum, 2008). Bailey and Pillard’s Twin Study was conducted and the results were that 52% were homosexual twins while only 22% of the fraternal twins were homosexual. Given the fact that identical twins have identical genes the result about the identical twins being heterosexual supports the idea that homosexuality has a genetic basis. Bailey then conducted another study in 1999 still having twins as the subject of his experiment by giving out questionnaires to the whole Australian twin registry which contained personal and sexuality questions. The results of the study showed a less possible genetic influence on homosexuality compared to his first study, only three pairs of identical male twins were homosexual and at least one was homosexual in 27 identical male twins. The research also had 16 fraternal male twin subjects and none of the pairs were both homosexual. Conducting the same study on lesbian gave out the same result (Knight, 2000). Results of the study conducted by the National Health and Social Life Survey stated that more than 9 percent of gay men live in urban areas while only 3 or 4 percent live in the suburbs and only 1 percent of men living in rural areas claim to be gay. The survey also had the same result for lesbians. Another study that focused on urbanization showed that there is a decrease in homosexual population in men with the decline of urbanization. (Source: Original photo from Dailey & Sprigg, 2004) Figure 1. Percentage self-identifying as homosexual or bisexual by place of residence. Education was also a factor that the National Health and Social Life Survey looked at. The results were that the higher the educational attainment the higher number of homosexual population recorded. Up to this time experiments and researches are done to give the most reliable explanation on how a person come up to be a homosexual. Genetic experimentations that were done in the past had a few good points but a lot of deficiencies which gives the sign that genetic experimentation is still at its infancy. The good points were not solid enough to disprove the claim that homosexuality is a choice and can be changed thru therapy and exposing one’s self to a straight environment. Thus, gives more point to the statement that homosexuality is not inborn but just an effect of one’s social, environmental, and emotional aspects. Deciding whether what claim to support or believe still depends on someone’s perspective, until an absolute proof is presented that would disprove the other claim. References Byrd, A. D., & Olsen, S. (n.d.). HOMOSEXUALITY: Innate or Immutable? REGENT UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW. Utah, USA. Dailey, T. J., & Sprigg, P. (2004). Getting It Straight: What the Research Shows about Homosexuality. Washington, USA: Family Research Council. Knight, R. (2000). Born or Bred? Science Does not Support the Claim that Homosexuality is Genetic. CWA 25SR-004. USA. Liberty Education Forum. (2008). Is it a Choice? The Science of Sexual Orientation. Retrieved June 3, 2012, from www.libertyeducationforum.org: www.libertyeducationforum.org Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Are homosexuals born gay or is it a choice Research Paper”, n.d.)
Are homosexuals born gay or is it a choice Research Paper. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/psychology/1452572-are-homosexuals-born-gay-or-is-it-a-choice
(Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice Research Paper)
Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice Research Paper. https://studentshare.org/psychology/1452572-are-homosexuals-born-gay-or-is-it-a-choice.
“Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/psychology/1452572-are-homosexuals-born-gay-or-is-it-a-choice.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Are Homosexuals Born Gay or Is It a Choice

Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture

Are they born gay or was this particular lifestyle a choice and is this decision making process possibly altered due to psychological abnormalities caused by childhood events?... Homosexuals make a choice to identify with and participate in the gay subculture.... But is homosexuality itself a choice?... “Human beings can not choose to be either gay or straight” (Answers, 2003).... Instructor name Date Whether homosexuality is by chance or by choice is a public, scientific and governmental debate that will not soon be settled....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Homosexual Love and Gay Marriages

This essay "Homosexual Love and gay Marriages" is about how the religious and conservative individuals of society appear to be standing against homosexual love.... gay marriage simply refers to the civil contract between two individuals belonging to the same gender.... Though once viewed as strongly against the religious belief, moral values, and ethics, and had been vehemently criticized by an overwhelming majority of the people at large all over the world, several western countries have allowed the practicing of the same providing both the parties to the contract exercise gay sexual union....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

View of Gays from a Homosexual Perspective in Society

enan's work concentrates upon the protagonist, Maggie MacGowan Williams, an old black woman, and the young white boy named Gabriel, the gay friend of her deceased grandson Edward.... It is, therefore, the antagonist Reverend Hezekiah Barden who would not allow any pardon for a gay relationship at any cost (157).... Moreover, the hypocrite extremist groups of Pakistani society started organizing demonstrations against the first gay get-together held in July 2011 in the Pakistan capital city of Islamabad (The News Tribe), though they never tried to raise the slightest voice against the violation of human rights altogether, which has been in practice for the last two decades in the country at its full swing....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Children raised by Homosexuals

First among which talks about the phenomenon of openly gay or lesbian parents bearing and/or raising children that represents a socio-cultural innovation focusing on the present historical era; as such, it raises question about the impact of non-traditional family forms on child development.... First among which talks about the phenomenon of openly gay or lesbian parents bearing and/or raising children that represents a socio-cultural innovation focusing on the present historical era; as such, it raises question about the impact of non-traditional family forms on child development....
17 Pages (4250 words) Essay

Psychological Effects of Children Being Raised by Homosexuals

Although every country has rules and traditions that accompany the institution of marriage, most countries have no legal recognition of gay or lesbian marriages (Same sex marriages).... The paper "Psychological Effects of Children Being Raised by homosexuals" tells us about relationship between homosexual parents and their offspring....
41 Pages (10250 words) Term Paper

Homosexual Oppression by Society

In the paper 'Homosexual Oppression by Society,' the author focuses on the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage, which is one of the largest and most controversial issues in politics today.... The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the ideas put forth by society, which oppress individuals who happen to be gay.... This paper will seek to examine how individuals of the Christian faith may act in a positive way towards the gay and lesbian community....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Should Homosexuals be Allowed to Marry

A not a long time ago being a gay or a Lesbian was considered to be a taboo in society all over the world.... "Should homosexuals be Allowed to Marry" paper states that the answer to this question equates to a yes and the fact of the matter lies in the fact that they have their own individuality and that should be respected.... homosexuals need to be recognized as people.... homosexuals translate into Lesbians and Gays who consider to bond with the person of the same gender....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Homosexuality Is Good for an Individual and Society

omosexuals argue that homosexuality does not come from choice but arises due to a contest of nature versus fighting nature.... According to them, this form of relationship does not come by choice thus nobody has control over it.... The most common forms of homosexuality include gay among males and lesbianism among females.... Most homosexuals engage in committed same-sex relationships.... These movements champion increased recognition and visibility of homosexual rights in addition to legal rights for homosexuals....
9 Pages (2250 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us