Homosexuality: Is it genetic?
By Jennifer Ciotta
'Homosexuality was not some sort of exotic sin or rare deviation from the norm, but a fairly common part of human sexual behavior in the 1940s and early 1950s,' says Susan and Daniel Cohen, the co-authors of When Someone You Know Is Gay.
Alfred C. Kinsey was a biologist in this time period who undertook the study of sexual practices in American society. The American public was shocked to find out that '13% of adult males and 7% of adult females are exclusively or predominately homosexual for significant periods of their lives.' According to Kinsey's study, these percentiles were '10% of the total adult population.'
In the 1940s and 1950s and even today, the American society denied and still continue to deny these facts according to the Cohens. However, Kinsey was a noted scientist who always 'applied the scientific method to all of his sexual behavior studies.' So where does this leave the American public of today? Do we believe a noted scientist of the past or look into the 1990s for an answer?
In 1991, another scientist named Simon LeVay announced his finding that his research comparing the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men showed a structural difference in the region thought to influence male sexuality. This neurobiologist discovered that a segment of the brain in homosexual men, the hypothalamus, is only a quarter to half the size of those in heterosexual men. LeVay conducted his study by examining the corpses of 19 gay men, 16 heterosexual men, and six heterosexual women. All of the homosexual men died from complications of AIDS. Because of AIDS, people in the medical field had to learn to identify the sexual orientation of men. LeVay's findings shocked the nation, just as in the 1940s and 1950s when Kinsey announced his conclusions.
Dr. Karen Harbeck, the editor of Coming Out of the Classroom Closet: Gay and Lesbian Students, Teachers and Curricula, discusses the most recent study of homosexuality linked to genetics. According to Harbeck, the National Institute of Mental Health has recent research done on Mormons because they know their geneologies. If a male has a genetic pattern at xq28 gene loci, then he has a 70% chance of being gay, and a 30% chance of not being gay. If this configuration (xq28) is not there, there is a 100% chance of being heterosexual. This is not a 'gay gene,' but a strong tendency towards the idea of homosexuality being a genetic attribute. However, Harbeck notes that since xq28 loci exists in males, it is passed on through the maternal genetic line. Therefore, he has not been able to replicate research on women yet.
So this leaves the question: Is being gay genetic? Cynthia Evangelou, advisor of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Concerns office for the University, says: 'There have been numerous scientific studies done, but findings have been inconclusive. My feeling is what difference does it make? We are all people and in the atmosphere of humanity it shouldn't make a difference what sexual orientation we are. We should treat people with kindness and respect regardless of our differences.'
