One topic that still has a huge debate over nature vs. nurture is homosexuality. Thankfully most people no longer considered a disorder, with the exception of Michele Bachmann's home district and other religious extremist like some of the people there. Being gay is not a choice, it's not a lifestyle, it's something that doesn't change about a person over time. I recently read this article http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/one-towns-war-on-gay-teens-20120202 about gay teens in Anoka Minnesota being bullied while their school teachers and officials cannot do anything about it because of ridiculous policies put in place by the school board. To me, this was disgusting. In my mind, most of my generation would consider being gay a non-issue. It shouldn't be something up for debate. Which is why in the debate of nature vs. Nurture, I would assume being gay is more nature than nurture. When it comes to nurture, even if you're raised a certain way it doesn't mean you will turn out exactly like the people who raised you. Two very kind people can raise a child who turns out rebellious and problematic while a child raised by bad parents could grow up to resent how his parents acted and dedicate their life to being better than that. With nurture, there is always still a choice to be made by the individual. That concept does not apply when it comes to being gay though. This article http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html discusses the topic of nature vs. nurture in homosexuality and gives some interesting arguments about it.
Can you tell someones sexuality by looking in their genes?
I found this a very interesting article. It is amazing that only in the mid 90s did the APA make a statement that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. The research on the brain & size within parts of the brain was very interesting, but lead me to wonder about lesbian brains. It seemed most research was done on men, and then compared to heterosexual women's brains. Does this hold true for lesbians? Does the reverse hold true-- are lesbian brains the same as heterosexual men?
Tell us what are some of the arguments for or against nature and nurture in homosexuality. Give us a summary of the article you post. Also, try using the picture icon to insert your picture directly into the post.
This is very interesting. I would have to agree with you that homosexuality is not a choice. Last semester I was enrolled in a biology and the professor talked about how being gay can actually be drawn to some areas of a genes, and are seen as heritable traits. There is still a lot of research that is lacking from this topic in science, but the basis is there. On does not choose their sexual orientation, but the way they act upon could be up for debate, and even be seen as a result of nurture.
This is definitely no longer a debate of nature vs nurture. I definitely that homosexuality is not completely stand-alone choice. The people I've encountered that are homosexual often came from nurture situations that go completely and totally against such a sexuality 'choice'. I really wish that there would be more research done so people can stop arguing this as an "immoral and incorrect choice" however, would such research be dangerous? As great of a proof as this could be (if it is indeed in the genes) this could open up a whole new can of worms. Would homophobic people encourage the modification of these genes? Would there be genetic testing and possible terminations of lives if homosexuality was found to be in the genes?
I think I probably will get a lot of heat for saying this, but I think homosexuality is genetic, but not a choice. Personally, I don't see how I as a straight male will ever find penis and anus attractive. Why are you not turned on by cats when you see them? Because your brain is not programed to respond to the image of a cat in a sexual way. I think the same could apply to homosexuals. But by choice, it might be possible for love to exist in same sex without having the gene that make you have sexual attraction to same gender.
I agree with your stance that homosexuality has more to do with nature rather than nurture. I believe that people don’t just “become” gay because of the environment they’re raised in. It’s shocking that people still think there is something wrong with being gay, like it’s a contagious disease.
I read the article and, like others before me, found the portion on the sizing of certain portions of the brain extremely interesting. I too believe that homosexuality is not something that one chooses, but rather something that someone is born with, whether it "run in their family" or just be how someone is wired. I think articles like this, and the information it holds, need to be read by more people, so it can open their minds, if not change them completely.
I also read the piece in rolling stone about the policy of neutrality on school bullying, and it was very sad indeed. The statistic about children of parents who do not accept their sexuality being 8 times more likely to commit suicide is something that is really going to hit the parents of these kids many years down the road if they ever realize that sexual attraction is not a choice and even if it was, it wouldn't be hurting anyone. They might have great difficulty coming to terms with the fact that things could have turned out very different for their children.