Is there a gay gene?
Genes are the building blocks of all humans. Researches are coming closer and closer to finding a “gay gene”. If that gene will be found, what will be the consequences for society?
Genes are the instruction booklets in each human cell that direct the makeup and behavior of cells. Variations in their coding or strength influence the look, personality and health of any organism, including human beings.
Homosexuality has a biological correlate even if the particular genes have not yet been confirmed, University of Illinois at Chicago psychiatry professor Brian Mustanski said in his lecture, "Is there a gay gene?"
The search for the Gay Gene
Just determining a person’s sexuality can be difficult. Mustanski and other researchers use the Kinsey Scale , which factors in attraction, fantasy, behavior and self-identification on scales of one to six. Earlier studies showed most men are primarily heterosexual or primarily homosexual, but data for women was scattered across the Kinsey scale; homosexuality is probably a very different thing in women than it is in men.
Mustanski’s study was recently published in the biomedical journal Human Genetics. The article was "the first to involve a genome-wide scan of male sexual orientation" and found three new chromosomal regions that correlate with homosexuality.
Dr. Alan Sanders, a Northwestern University professor of Genetics, also started a research to find any gay genes. For this he needs to study great quantities of DNA. The genetics researcher wants to collect DNA samples from 1,000 pairs of gay men and their gay brothers for a government-funded study that could identify a biological basis for homosexuality.
Gay by choice or by nature?
A lot of people in the gay community are supportive of Sanders’ research since it doesn’t fall under the silly notion that sexual orientation is a choice. A good question for people who believe in “gay choice” is: ‘Do you remember that moment you said: Hey, I think I’ll be straight?’" Probably not and the same question is valid for gay men and women.
Psychiatry and the rest of medicine have not considered homosexuality to be an illness for decades. Sanders and many others, inspired by family studies, think that heredity influences why most people are heterosexual but some are not.
If Mutanski, Sanders or any talented researcher finds a correlation between the human genome and homosexuality, this will have interesting consequences for many religious doctrines.
Conclusive research will create more acceptance
After all, how can you qualify homosexuality as “sinful” or “bad” when it was imprinted (by our maker) in our genes?
After a likely lengthy period of denial, religious doctrines and attitudes will have to change in a positive way towards homosexuality. Hopefully, this will result in a more welcoming attitude and with less desire to change or “unlearn” homosexuality in many religious denominations. Time, only time will tell.
Liked it
On November 17, 2008 at 8:38 pm
interesting artical. Had some good points and asks some hard questions.
On November 19, 2008 at 11:25 am
“After all, how can you qualify homosexuality as “sinful” or “bad” when it was imprinted (by our maker) in our genes? “
thats assuming there is a god that made creation
the difference between that staement and the truth is,
if there is actually a gay gene, it has to do with what man knocked up what woman and what genes they’d pass down, and has nothing to do with a maker
i still dont believe in a “gay” gene
On January 3, 2009 at 10:32 am
Good article. I have my doubts as well as to whether or not there actually is a “gay gene”. The studies mentioned for determining sexuality sound very limited in its’ approach. If you take a study that factors in only four characteristics and is given to a controlled group of people from the 21st century who already have certain assumptions about the nature of homosexuality, then it sounds like the conclusions one might come to from such a study would be based on little understanding of homosexuality, and would be based more on the stereotypes of homosexuality.
On August 23, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Duhh, do you think this article has an agenda from the author. What a bunch of psychobabble.
On February 11, 2010 at 5:17 pm
if ‘our Lord Jesus’ were around today, there is
nothing at all to suggest that he would be remotely interested in
talking about ‘equality’ or ‘gay rights at all.The Jews were under the boot of the Romans, more important then gay genes or social justice, He would be preaching the
gospel, in season and out, and calling on people to repent of their
sin and prepare for the coming of the Kingdom.
On March 5, 2010 at 11:51 am
In past centuries, the Romans, Vitorians, Ancient Greeks etc didn’t care about being gay, they weren’t bothered alot of people were gay at that time. I still don’t understand what the big deal is with gay people, it wasn’t so much as a choice but for myself it felt natural to be gay. No straight person I know ‘chose’ to be straight it just felt natural for them. If the society we live in was more accepting of different sexualities as we are of different cultures and say disabilities, then no-one would need to look for a ‘gay gene’ as there would be nothing to prove as nothing was wrong, and as you can probably tell, no-one’s looking for a straight gene.
On March 5, 2010 at 2:15 pm
It takes a male and a female to make a baby. All your DNA comes from Heterosexuals- since they are not gay they cant carry a gay gene. How can they be carrying a gay gene? If your parents are male and female then they are carrying “genes” of heterosexual and if you are the product of them you wont have the gay gene, bc they don’t have it. If its genetic you are coming from their makeup (DNA, genes) Also if being gay was part of nature- if animals such as cows were to be gay they would be extinct. BC no one can reproduce from a same sex. Its biological that to reproduce you need male and female.
On March 12, 2010 at 12:27 am
The article is interesting to the point where I have always believed genes had a major part to do with a persons sexuality. Growing up I always noticed that in families where there were older homosexuals the next generation seemed to double the figures within the family (ex: 1 gay of generation X = 2 to 3 in generation Y) most people dismissed my observation and opinion but this article in a sense confirms my observation.
As far as our creator I pretty much don’t believe it is a flaw on the design but we as a species tend to destroy and therefore probably created the flaw ourselves: immunizations, vitamins for pregnant women, pesticides which have been consumed in small quantity over decades, medication, and do you get the point….
lets not forget tube babies…. is that to the creators flaw in the grand design? Religion change “NO” Scriptures change “NO” but we should accept all regardless of our differences just because “WE SHOULD LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AND RESPECT THY NEIGHBOR”
On July 6, 2011 at 6:40 am
“Silly notion that sexual orientation is a choice” did he really write that as unscientifically and dismissively as I read it? Last I heard there is no gay gene. Just stating a fact as we know it now.