Thoughts? Its that simple. (If you need more of a catalyst you can discuss subjects such as whether or not sexuality is something that is fluid or static, whether children should or should not be raised by same sex couples, or your personal opinions on it in general.) I'll start with a question: do you believe sexuality to be something one is born with, or is developed over time? Also, understanding its a somewhat delicate topic as it quickly turns to debates, lets keep it clean and respectful.
I don't believe people are born gay. I think there are a lot of outside influences that can change a person's sexuality. Things like sexual abuse as a child or bad relationships with the opposite sex could very likely shape a person's preference. From a scientific standpoint, it seems counterproductive as a species to be born homosexual.
As I understand it (and correct me if I'm wrong because this isn't my area of expertise), if it isn't solely a genetic trait whether or not it's good for the species doesn't necessarily come into it. If there is a single overriding factor it hasn't been found yet in any case, but for what it's worth most scientists seem to think it comes down to a variety of mainly biological and anatomical factors, and to me that seems to make as much sense as anything.
This is basically how I see it. I think you can't be "born gay" or "choose" to be gay. I think we're all born with basically a clean slate with no preference, essentially asexual. As we come to an age of sexual maturity and start recognizing people as attractive, depending on any number of influences that are pretty much random chance variables through life they may be of a different sex, the same sex, or both. There's really nowhere you can pinpoint it to and that's just how it is.
I don't really get what you're trying to say. If you're born homosexual it goes against a species' sole purpose, which is to reproduce.
I don't really get the labeling of reproduction as "purpose". That's a man-made decision about a natural, abstract concept. Yeah, it's definitely in a species' best interest to keep itself going, but that doesn't make it its "purpose". Especially not in the case of man kind, in which case it's not only unnecessary but likely detrimental to continue to reproduce at the rate we do, even with variables such as homosexuality.
But it is its main purpose. That's all any species is made to do. That's how evolution works. Species evolve into ways that make it easier for them to survive and reproduce, not into ways to live a more meaningful life. I'm not saying a consciously aware species (humans) are only out to get some tail, but it is hardwired into our brains. If we weren't intelligent beings, we'd be making babies as often as we could.
Homosexual Males exhibit, Anatomically, Similar parts of the Female brain. Such as a larger Anterior Commissure ( The Brain has a left/right Hemisphere, connected by a Corpus Callosum and a Anterior Commissure ) Females and Homosexual males possess similar size (Larger than Straight males.) Not only that, but also the Amygdala as well. There isn't conclusive evidence to say "Yeah, they've got this gene, therefore, they're going to be homosexual." I don't know enough about the genetics of it though. But a sexual orientation is dependent on Biological (Genes/Predisposition), Psychological (Life experiences/Parenting), and Social ( Interactions ) influences throughout a life-time (...Err...well, up til a point where the person will decide) The reason why I think Straight Male Brains and Homosexual Male Brains can change is due to Brain Plasticity. (Thus, enabling them to be anatomically different/similar to females). I'll take a guess that for Homosexual Females, It would be kinda Similar to a Straight Males Brain. !! TL;DR !! So yeah. I'm with Travz21. / Dean
It's counterproductive as a species to be born with any other number of things...disability, mental retardation, sterility, etc, but people are. I don't believe anyone chooses to be gay. Why would anyone choose to be a part of the most discriminated against minority in the US and other countries? It's something they're born with.
I think, to some degree anyone and everyone has the potential for either heterosexuality or homosexuality. Some are just more heavily (biologically and socially) influenced one way or the other. After all, sexual pleasure is sexual pleasure. (I say that as a straight male though )
What Todd said, I guess. It doesn't necessarily matter because there are plenty of other things you can say the same about, but that doesn't mean they don't happen, and a lot of them come down to things that can happen before birth.
There have been studies proven in mice that when a certain gene was removed they had homosexual tendencies. That, to me, makes it sound like homosexuality (anything apart from being heterosexual, really) is something that is, for the most part, genetically brought on. I do, however, believe that environmental factors can play a role in someone's sexuality. Certain circumstances can change the way one looks at people in terms of sexual attraction. However, I do not believe that people in this world make the conscious decision to be gay or lesbian or bi or tran or anything. It's something that happens. Now the question of its development over time is a tricky one, but I really do believe that it's something determined very early on, it's just that that person may not realize it until later in their life, when they truly become aware of who they are attracted to. I had a recent encounter with this because I was actually pursuing this girl and I asked her on a date, and then she confessed to me that she was a lesbian, and she sort of explained to me how it happened over time and how at first she couldn't really believe it but she has come to accept it and knows it is a part of her and who she is. Sexuality is such a complicated issue particularly because of how everyone looks at it, but I think it's fair to say that it's something people can't help. Whether the majority of its existence in a person has to do with genetics or environment or whatever, I insist that it's not conscious decision. I could never decide that for a day or a year or for the rest of my life that I am going to be gay, because I could never deny to myself that I am not attracted to males and that I am attracted to females. And even the fact that I separate homosexuality as something existing in people is wrong and I shouldn't say that. Some people are gay, some people are not, and some people are bi and transexual, and that's all there is to it. Everyone is a person no matter what their sexual orientation, and it should not define their personality nor should it alter anyone's view of them. That's all I've gotta say.
I don't think it's a conscious choice, obviously, which doesn't really make it a choice at all. It just happens. And there's nothing wrong with being gay. Just because they are discriminated against doesn't mean it's worse to be them.
the answers in this thread really surprise me. people still think other people choose to be homosexual? this really just blows my mind. and that's all i'm going to say on this subject.