Why are people gay?

I recently read an article with the following quote: "Tellingly two founders of a ministry established to 'heal' homosexuals later described their program as 'ineffective ... not one person was healed'."








Before you answer this question, please give it some deep thought. I am asking this question for a college survey assignment.





Check out this article, if you can:


http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazin...





Question: Why are some people gay? Do you believe that 80% of people (including heterosexuals) have had an attraction to their same gender at some point in their life? Do you believe being gay is a phase? Or do you believe people are born gay? What makes people gay? Is it genetics? Why do you think so? Or is it a choice? In a society that makes it very difficult to be gay, why do you think people would make that choice? Do you think people's upbringing and lifetime circumstances affect people and cause them to become gay?

Why are people gay?
OK, I'll answer your questions 1 by 1...





Why are some people gay?


They are born that way.





Do you believe that 80% of people (including heterosexuals) have had an attraction to their same gender at some point in their life?


It wouldn't surprise me if that attraction wasn't strong enough to act upon.





Do you believe being gay is a phase?


No. The only phase part I know of being gay is being in the closet.





Or do you believe people are born gay?


Yes.





What makes people gay?


Is it genetics?


Why do you think so?


Scientific studies have shown a difference in the hypothalamus of the brain between homosexual and heterosexual people. At first there was a debate if the brain started out the same and changed over time due to sexual attraction or if it started out differently. Recent studies have shown chromosomal differences and it is widely believed that as gene mapping continues the precise gene will be found. (I included some sources if you are interested).





Or is it a choice?


The only choice is to deny your sexual attraction and attempt to lead a straight life (which unfortunately for those involved usually turns out quite poorly) or to accept your sexual attraction and attempt to live happily.





In a society that makes it very difficult to be gay, why do you think people would make that choice?


Due to society making very difficult to be gay, I think that shows that people do not choose homosexuality. In Islamic countries it is punishable by death, yet there is still homosexuality in those countries.





Do you think people's upbringing and lifetime circumstances affect people and cause them to become gay?


I do not think their upbringing causes them to be gay, but is likely a factor if they accept their homosexuality or not. Among teenagers who identify as gay, the suicide rate is unfortunately high and societal views on homosexuality is the most likely factor.
Reply:PEOPLE ARE GAY BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO BE THAT WAY, THEY AIN'T BORN LIKE DAT. I THINK THAT IS JUST NASTY. AND MOST OF THE BOYS WHO LOOK GOOD DEY BE GAY LIKE DAMN WHA GOIN ON? Report It

Reply:The reason you might not be getting too many constructive or detailed answers is that we in the GLBT section are asked this same question several times a day, and have simply got a bit tired of answering it. You could try using the 'search for questions' feature to get previous answers, which will probably give you all the information you need.





For me, in brief: born gay, realised before puberty, pretty sure it can't be a choice, don't know enough about genetics to explain how it happens, and doubtful that upbringing or circumstances could affect anyone's born sexuality.





I know your question was well-meant, definitely more so than a lot of the times it's asked, but it is hard for us to keep repeating ourselves over and over. I hope you understand. Good luck with your assignment.
Reply:I think that it is ridiculous to claim that people choose to be gay.





In Cultural Diversity class we read a quote:





"I'm black and I'm a woman, I've got it pretty hard. Do you think I woke up one day and said to myself 'You know what, I think I'll try being gay too'? Hell no!"
Reply:Q: "Why are some people gay?"





A: Although some people purport that homosexuality is a choice, and others just as strongly purport that it is an inborn trait, no one really knows for sure. Most human behaviors arise from a complex interplay of biological and environmental influences. (To put it another way, "biology loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.")





Same-sex attraction has been observed in over 1,500 species, and it seems unlikely that these animals experienced alleged "environmental causes" of homosexuality such as a cold or distant father, an overinvolved mother, or sexual molestation at a young age. Rather, biological factors are the most probable cause. For instance, the brains of rams who are sexually attracted to other rams exhibit certain characteristics that distinguish them from the brains of "straight" rams.





Similarly, the brains of gay men seem to share certain anatomical characteristics that distinguish them from the brains of heterosexual men. They also tend to function somewhat differently, in that they tend to excel at verbal rather than spatial tasks (which is more often found among females). Polygenetic and hormonal differences have also been put forth as contributors to a homosexual orientation. Although not all scientists agree - and they never will - the overwhelming consensus and results of state-of-the-art research suggest that there is a robust biological component to same-sex attraction.





So, it seems that people do not have control over which sex they find attractive. What people have more control over is how this attraction is expressed - whether they run and hide from it in shame, or whether they act on it, embrace it, and "come out" as gay. It's obviously a very powerful attraction, as evidenced by the recent fall of Rev. Ted Haggard, who had everything to lose by having sex with men but did so anyway. I'm not at all surprised that "ex-gay" programs are unsuccessful; in fact, they may cause serious psychological harm.





Q: "Do you believe that 80% of people (including heterosexuals) have had an attraction to their same gender at some point in their life?"





A: It's hard to say when people are rarely honest with themselves (let alone others) about their homoerotic feelings. Alfred Kinsey predicted that sexual orientation can be placed along a continuum, so I wouldn't be surprised that many people who identify as "straight" have had sexual feelings toward members of their own gender. Because such urges continue to be heavily stigmatized, it should come as no surprise that people often erect psychological defenses to keep them out of conscious awareness. But surely there's a reason why football players pat each other on the behind. :)





Indeed, it often seems that those who speak the loudest against homosexuality (e.g., Rev. Haggard) are also the most threatened by their own latent homosexual tendencies.





Q: "Do you believe being gay is a phase?"





A: No. I believe that sometimes people question whether they are straight or gay, and may experiment in an attempt to resolve this question for themselves. I think people who claim to have had a "gay phase" would be more appropriately described as bisexual.





Q: "Do you think people's upbringing and lifetime circumstances affect people and cause them to become gay?"





A: I don't think same-sex attraction per se is a function of one's upbringing or environment. However, I do think that people who were raised by authoritarian homophobic parents, or instilled with homophic religious dogmatism, may have a great deal of difficulty coming to terms with their own same-sex attractions. Conversely, I expect it is easier for people with same-sex attractions to accept this aspect of themselves if their families and churches modeled unconditional love.





Hope you found this helpful.
Reply:Question: Why are some people gay?





Do you believe that 80% of people (including heterosexuals) have had an attraction to their same gender at some point in their life? Yes, absolutley. Although many people are ashamed to admit it, even to themselves.





Do you believe being gay is a phase? No.





Or do you believe people are born gay? Yes and no. I believe that some people are genetically prone to being gay, while others chose to be.





What makes people gay? Genetics, environment, childhood history, preferences





Is it genetics? yes





Why do you think so? Hasn't that been been proven?





Or is it a choice? That too





In a society that makes it very difficult to be gay, why do you think people would make that choice? Forbidden fruit





Do you think people's upbringing and lifetime circumstances affect people and cause them to become gay? yes
Reply:I have wondered why some people are gay. I can only come to the conclusion that people are either born gay, or that they are gay as a result of very early influences in their lives. As you pointed out, it seems to be very difficult in the present-day world to be gay; it therefore seems unlikely to me that many people would choose to be gay if they had the option to be something else. In the days when it was treated as a psychological abnormality, it didn't seem to stop people from being gay - it seemed only to serve to make them ashamed of what they were, so it seems to me, once again, that if they could have changed, they would; therefore, it must not be a choice.
Reply:bECAUSE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE.
Reply:I have many gay friends and they all say it's all they've ever known. A couple of them tried to play the hetero game for a while, to avoid the stigmatism of being "different", but they owned up to it in the end (unlike Tom Cruise).





I'd say it's genetic for the most part.
Reply:The truth of the matter is that almost every man (and probably every woman too) has an inherent sexual need for someone of their own sex, and had it not been for social hostility, same-sex unions would be the primary sexuality of people, especially men, as has been seen in almost all pre-christian/ tribalistic societies.





Even today, where ever the hostility towards same-sex bonds are low, men tend to prefer it over such unions with women.





Sexual attraction between men is quite different from 'gay' though. This is something westerners will have a hard time understanding.





'Gay' originally (and since the ancient times) refers to people who are half-men and half-women (later known as neither men, nor women).





E.g. even in the time of Alexander, when almost everyone had sexual bonds with another male, there were some males who were just different. They were males but still looked and behaved like females, and even their sexual desires were feminine. These were known as Catamites.





In India and Pakistan you have Hijras, who are catamites as well as eunuchs. They are an extremely denigrated and despised group.





In the west, post heterosexualisation of society, they came to be known as 'homosexuals'. Only, this time they said any attraction for another man makes one 'homosexual', irrespective of whether or not that person or his desires were feminine.





This is the single most reason that keeps most straight men from owning up their same sex needs. For the fear of being labelled 'homosexual' (i.e. neither male nor female). It would take away their prized manhood from them.





But gays, women and one class of men (who have little sexual need for men) do not understand this. They assume that people's sexual preferences are what they show it to be.





ABOUT THE HYPOTHALAMUS/ CHOROMOSONAL STUDIES





As I mentioned before, the gay community primarily consists of 'third sex' or half-man, half-woman males. A gay to man desire is not really same-sex. Same sex would be man to man. That is how it is in non-western cultures all over the world. A relationship between a gay man and a (straight) man falls within the purview of 'opposite sex', and justifiably so.





The above studies are just a hogwash. The difference in chromosomes/ hypothalamus, et all is because they are 'third sex'/ transgendered/ feminine, and not because they like men. A normal man who likes men will not have any such difference from other men.





And of course, a deficiency in male hormones or chromosomes or a large hypothalamus may as well make you a 'heterosexual'. In fact according to available data almost 90% of transgendered males (half-men, half-women) are heterosexual males.





The masculine gendered men (as is evident from all non-western societies) are mostly either bisexual or (some) exclusively into men.
Reply:Sexuality is most likely caused by a balance of environmental and hereditary cause. Freud hypothesized that it started developing at about seven months of age, then again he was just a tad bit out there.





No one knows what the "exact" cause is, or even if there even if one. I don't think people can change though, once a sexuality is fully developed you are stuck with it for life.
Reply:my answer is just that people dont like the same gender as some other people. It's my opinion but..i think its your choice if u want to be gay, lesbian, and straight!!! so I guess it just depends on wat u believe.
Reply:Nothing about the nature of a particular group of similar humans is either all from one cause or all from another. Get over that assumption and you might be better able to answer your own question with your own research.





And if this is a "survey", why is deep thought required? Most people use "deep thought" in this context mainly to justify the opinion they were going to give regardless.





Anyway, something about your approach makes me want to say you should print out your question, roll it up in the form of a dildo and apply it to yourself accordingly.
Reply:Its natural. Its like saying, why are you not gay?
Reply:I believe without a doubt that I was born gay. I have also been to a psychiatrist to figure this out for real. I am not opposed to people who view it as a choice cuz that is what they will let their mind tell them. My upbringing was your normal disfunctional family setting. I have a younger sister and an older brother. Nothing I can remember has supposedly changed my mind about the opposite sex. I just got to know myself better as I grew up and evolved. I happened to be emotionally, physically, and mentally attracted to someone who happens to have a p.ussy between their legs. I have great relationships with the opposite sex. I just cannot foresee a future of fullfilled love with them. I have been in love twice. It's heartbreaking but I have learned a lot. I can't make myself feel these feelings for men. I have tried and knew that it wasn't meant for me. I have a very supportive and understanding family. Not all people do, regardless of whether they are straight or gay.
Reply:why do people need an analysis on why a person is gay? in all honesty it has zero effect on your life, so who cares, love is love, let it be!
Reply:I believe the answer is quite obvious - when did heterosexuals make that conscious choice to be heterosexual? Date, time, location? I seriously doubt that any one of them can answer that question. You are what you are, whether by design or destiny. To use it as an excuse to persecute any group is pure cowardice.
Reply:I think I was born gay. I don't think 80% of people had same-gender attraction--some people move back and forth, but most people are straight all the way, some people are gay all the way, and a very few people are in between. I do think it's genetic, because as long as I can remember, I've felt sexual attraction to other boys, even before I knew what "gay" was. Why would people choose to be gay? They wouldn't...more proof that it isn't a choice. I don't think upbringing has anything to do with it.
Reply:Yes I believe that 80% of the people are attracted to the same gender. Yes I beleive that people are born with it. It can be a choice when you have had enough of being messed around with the other sex, but the other sex will always be their as option when you are done with your phase.





The last question I will have to say no to the upbringing and yes to the lifetime circumstances.





Genetics and going through crappy stuff in life will make you attracted to the same sex.
Reply:They are born that way. The Y chromosome is not immediately present at conception and sometimes it goes awry. So people are born with male genitalia but a female mindset or vice versa. It happens more often than people realize.


There is some evidence that sexual abuse in early childhood may also affect one's sexual identity.


One cannot change their sexual identity but can decide to simply abstain from sexual activity.
Reply:There was an article a few months back in Scientific American Mind which was very enlightening. It said that sexuality is a spectrum, not just a matter of homosexuality or heterosexuality. It's like a reverse Bell curve. Most people fall more toward one end or the other, but there are a lot of people who fall somewhere in between, either at different times in their lives or throughout their lives.





They don't have the entire article online (well, they do, but you have to pay $5 for it) but you can probably find that particular issue in your local library.





Here is a link:


http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?%26amp;ar...
Reply:It's not a choice. They are born that way. Their hypothalamus is larger than heterosexuals. It's biological. If a heterosexual can be born that way, why is it so hard to believe that a homosexual is not?
Reply:I am a lesbian. I was born a lesbian. I like being a lesbian. People are basically bisexual to one degree or another. Some of us are on the ends of the spectrum because we have either same sex attraction or opposite sex attraction, but the vast majority fall somewhere in between. This basic biological, genetic fact of our existence needs to just be accepted. We must stop all of this hyperventilating over sex. Give civil rights to all citizens, allowing them to marry for legal and economic reasons. Promote fidelity, safe homes for kids, and a return to caring neighborhoods for all. Stop allowing people to "bash" anyone with violence or sick humor. Start paying attention to the real problems that we all face, no matter what our sexuality may be.
Reply:Why are you stupid?
Reply:because they either got thier heart broken or dont have the body parts to fit thier body or just want to be gay
Reply:Why are you so stupid!
Reply:I say it's a hormone imbalace....
Reply:Because they can't love the other sex and theyre stuck lovin their own sex.
Reply:people are homosexuals because thats what they choose to be and i dont think that anyone should look down on that because they're normal people just like everyone else but theyre just attracted to the same sex
Reply:because they chose to be
Reply:I don't believe it is genetic, I think that it can stem from certain life experiances, I think it might be possible to be born gay but how would you know what baby is attracted to anything other than their mother. I don't think it is really a choice eather, mabey it is a choice for that person to embrace it.


Oh and I am not attracted to other men, I can tell when some men are good looking but I am not attracted to them.