1. Sexual abuse during childhood is presented in most and I mean most of these conversations. “typically” long-term abuse by the other sex.

2. Emotional absent father, present in the household, but emotionally unavailable.

3. Brothers or Uncles showed inappropriate “sexual-love acts to male child and also to female children

4. Emotionally neglected by mother. Taught right and wrong but child not shown a healthy love.

5. Verbally or physically domineering mother.

6. Sexual abuse by a stepfather, father or boyfriends this can happen in teen years. (male children)

7. “Some instances” of alcoholic and drug addicted parents or parent.

In spite of all these things I’ve spoke with over hundreds of gay people, I still hear (from the same gay/bi people that it’s biological, and of course these things that happened during childhood are of no influence to being gay,

One of my dear friends may he rest in peace said to me, I would never touch a women, because all they did was physically and sexually abuse me.

It was this comment by my friend that led me to start thinking that homosexuality might have some serious correlation to early and young childhood traumas.

I do believe some people are attracted to the same sex biologically, ex. women who have full grown moustaches and beards naturally. Or who might have more muscular body types naturally. Or men who have some form of breasts not due to being overweight.

It seems to me what’s missed is in order for there to be attraction to the same sex we need some more of or less of “estrogen or testosterone” hormones.

Childrens sexual hormones don’t activate “so to speak” usually until puberty, that’s how girls “realize” there attracted to boys and vice a versa.

And there are actual physical changes that take place during this process, I think until there’s a study done of all gay/bi people checking hormonal levels, from childhood on. (in closet or out of the closet).

I do believe there is a higher gay/bi population than realized, but i think there’s quite a bit of dysfunctional families “talk show tv” the gazillion self help books, rates of addiction and dependencies prove this.

This in turn lends to some “knowledgeable” as in you know this is gay experimenting (in early childhood/teens) with same sex.

It seems to me majority of people continue in the gay/bi lifestyle whether “out” or closeted.

However I don’t believe the majority of gay/bi people are out, I believe there in the closet.

And this masks the real problem, there is a smaller population of “out” gay than there is closeted.

In turn so much justification and convulted theories have come up to justify being “gay/bi”. And also to help protect people from unwanted needless persecution. Quite typically from closeted gay/bi especially the gay/bi married to someone straight.

Thank you for your post and being open minded and respectful. I will have to disagree in that I believe homosexuality and heterosexuality is something that is preprogrammed in an individual. The vast majority of gays would still be gay, no matter what family they were raised in or what evironmental factors they were exposed to. I know myself, it would not have made in difference in my case what I was exposed to or not exposed to.

They have brothers and sisters that were raised in identical situations and came out straight. My brother and I were raised exactly the same. Exposed to the same conditions and no one was favored above the other or treated differently. My brother is straight as an arrow, and I was different from my earlies memories.

Homosexulity also seems to run in families, researches have noticed this and gay people have known this too. It is common to have gay brothers, sisters, and cousins, uncles. But it is not always the case.

I have a couple of gay first cousins…..all on my mothers side.

I’m sure you have seen in person or on TV a very feminine gay man, well this is a prime example of the biology of sexuality that is very apparent. This is not an act, this is the way he was born, hormones during pregnancy have a profound effect on a developing fetus’s brain. This is what hard wires the brain for sexual characteristics, which in turn will affect behavior. Not every gay man is feminine, but many are sensitive, creative, and artistic, this too is shaped by biology and influenced the brain development. Being gay is just a normal biological variation that has always existed in our species. Some researchers now theorize that evolutionary factors in our species may explain why a percentage of our population is born gay.

The biological research IS very important. Many people do not feel gay people should have the same rights as straight people because this is a lifestyle we chose. They feel that no existing laws should be changed and we should live with the reprocussion of our choice………………nothing is further from the truth. There is NO choice involved, regardless of what the Christian Right constantly preaches. They are the ones who are misinformed. They are relying on their religion to guide them which is , should I say, full of errors. Proving it is not a choice is very important.

I have actually highlighted other polls that “determine” science previously, I believe it was with global warming.

I appreciate that you have an open mind, and willing to listen, and possibly reconsider your position.

I will grant you that if a child were perhaps molested, this could confuse his sexuality somehow while his brain was still developing. However many of these children still grow up to be straight.

However being gay is an inborn trait. Many straight people somehow think, being gay is like an addiction, people being kinky or bored with straight sex. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Gay people are brought up, ablsolutely immersed, every waking day since birth in “straight culture” books, tv, movies, your parents, relatives, your church. EVERYTHING in your life is straight. This has no affect on the sexual identity of a gay child or teen. It is in fact what tortures them emotionally, they are being who they are, how they were born, and society is sending the message that they are wrong. It is like saying your are wrong for having “red hair”, or I don’t agree with you being “black”, it makes no sense, but people do not understand that.

My story reflects identically with my gay friends and millions of other gay men and women. Gay people are raised in many different family dynamics but most have familes like everone else. We are part of YOUR families, we have straight brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.

Most gay people know since they were small children, I’ve known since I was 7. I didn’t know what gay was, never heard of it. (early 70′s). I didn’t know what sex was. I grew up in a conservative, christian home, nothing fanatical, but churchgoing mom and dad. They were great parents, they always made an effort to treat me and my brother the same. My mom was not domineering, and my father absent or vice versa, just hardworking, involved parents.

I had a crush on a boy in my class in 2nd grade. It felt completely normal but somehow a part of me wondered about this, but didn’t give it much thought. I was in love and infatuated. I always knew I was different even before that. Most gay men or women will tell you this, it is hard to explain.

During grammer school, I had numerous crushes on the boys in my classes, girls never entered my head. It didn’t even seem natural to like girls like that. They were friends only. I still had no idea what gay was, never heard of it. I thought I was the only one in the whole world like this.

When puberty hit, forget it, I was boy crazy, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world and the scariest and lonliest. All my friends were noticing the girls and I had no interest in girls at all. NONE, In fact the thought was repulsive and unnatural. I had to pretend, in high school, live a double life. I tried to date girls, so no one would suspect but I had to end them after a short time, I had no desire for them, and dreaded the thought of even kissing them, let alone have sex with them.

I finally learned what gay was when I was about 13, while watching TV, It was a well known woman in the late 70′s and early 80′s protesting gays. She was saying the most horrible things about gays, while her group were holding signs with terrible slogans like “protect our children”. That was the beginning of a deep depression for me, suicide in my high school years and drug use. Being gay was something that was never discussed in school or my home. My parents would not understand……..so I was alone and isolated.

This is the story of many gays, especially in years past, now it is getting better but there is still a long way to go. Some men in years found the pressure so great, they married, but the marriages did not last. You are denying an important part of yourself and it was not fair to women. There is much less pressure now to marry for gay kids growing up so that will happen less in the future.

Sorry for going on so long, but if it can educate, and change one heart and mind it was worth it. Many straight people have no idea what it’s like growing up gay, they have a TOTAL misconception of what it is.

Thanks and God bless.

There is nothing perverted about being gay. We are part of your families, we are your children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, relatives and sometimes your parents. We are in EVERY walk of life, we are your doctors, policemen, lawyers, chefs, stylists, designers, construction workers…..etc.

We were born this way, it is a natural, normal part of a person like fingerprints and hair color. It is a hard life, ONLY because of society, but it is a gift from God and something to be proud of just like being straight. We are part of the human family and are good decent people.

Gay people are fighting for the human and civil rights, their relationships are just as good, profound, and real as any straight relationship. We have to keep this in the public eye, we don’t have a choice. We are fighting for future generations. If your child turned out to be gay, wouldn’t you want him or her to have every right as you and to live their lives with dignity, respect, and acceptance? I think so.

I agree with the Kinsey scale and do not in any way deny the existence of bisexuality. I also do not think, however, that a person’s sexuality is determined by genetics. If this were the case, the child of a homosexual parent would have a greater liklihood of also being homosexual. I don’t think that’s true (unless there is a study about this I haven’t read). I do recognize that there are other biological factors that probably make a certain sexuality more likely, but it’s hard for me to think that environmental factors don’t play SOME role in the formation of our sexuality.

Perhaps “preference” was not the right word (or concept) to illustrate my point. I suppose you dont “prefer” fiction over non-fiction if you would rather not read at all than read non-fiction.

Thanks for the post, it made me think.

” I believe that the idea of homosexuality is greatly misunderstood by most Americans. We like to label things and categorize them in a definite sense. This is not necessarily how things work in reality. The question about sexuality has little to do with choice. It has much more to do with preference and behavior. Categorizing someone as “gay” because they prefer those of the same sex is about as relevant as categorizing me based on whether I prefer reading non-fiction literature over fiction. Preference might not change over the course of one’s lifetime, but that does not suggest that it is genetic or inherent. Like most human characteristics, it is more likely that it is a combination of both biological and environmental factors.

With all due respect, being gay is not a “preference”. People do not “prefer” to be
gay. It is a natural and biological, inborn trait. When you are gay, there is NO
attraction to the opposite sex and there never was. The brain is not wired this way,
and can not be changed. It would be unnatural and repulsive to have opposite sex
relations.

The same goes for straight people (for same gender relations).

THe Kinsey scale is very correct. If you are a 1(heterosexual) you are completely
straight, if you are a 6 (homosexual) you are completely gay. BUT many people
can fall ANY where on this scale. By the way I study this for a living, and I am also a
gay man. I’ve known many men who are equally attracted to both genders, Some
men who prefered women but also liked men to a lesser degree, and Men who
preferred other men but liked women also but to a lesser degree. (this goes
for women as well)

This can be hard to understand for a gay person or a straight person but it
exists and is normal for many people. This is normal human sexuality as in the
animal kingdom. These men mentioned above are NOT gay, they are “bisexual”,
some may not like the term but that is what they are.

This is completely different than being gay. Being gay is decided at birth. It is
not an “alternative” lifestyle because there is no other alternative.

Science and Education is the key to combat ignorance.

The desire to fit in with mainstream society and their family is so great, they desire
to change, but it is impossible. The biology is not there to change. They were born
to be gay and should be proud of it the way God and nature intended.

Gay people usually know they are gay since they were small children, it may be
hormonal during pregnancy, genetic, or a combination of both, or different
biological causes in different people.

Environment and upbringing have absolutely no connection to being gay. That is
a complete myth, it is conservative and religious propaganda. It is
something you are born with. Gay people have always known this but now Science
is finally catching up to us.

What is confusing many straight people is that a large percentage of people,
are naturally bisexual. They can go back and forth, just as stated in the Kinsey scale
they have varying degrees of attraction to the same gender. 50/50, 70/30, 60/40…
etc. This is normal and natural for our species. It is normal sexual behaviour for our
species. IT is normal and natural in the animal kingdom as well.

A percentage of humans have always been born gay and always will be. It is normal,
natural, and a gift from God, just like a straight persons sexuality.

P.S. to a previous poster: What is wrong with liberalism? They stand for everything
good and right, they are the hope of the world. It is an educated and an enlightened
ideology. It is the direction that all mature and evolving soceities go. It is for the
betterment of mankind.

Another poster: Science is the language of God. Studying Science is learning to
understand God.