Homosexuality Genetics versus Environment

Introduction By definition, a homosexual is a man or a woman whose feelings of sexual attraction are for a person of the same sex The question that has been debated for decades is whether the cause of homosexuality is genetics or a choice that is impacted by their environment

Nature Studies have shown that when one identical twin is gay, the chance of the other twin being gay is 50% but when one fraternal twin is gay, the other twin only has a 16% chance of being gay This is because identical twins share the same egg and genes Another study has shown that there might be evidence of an unidentified gene on the X-chromosome that is passed from mother’s to their son causing them to be gay The increase in male hormone testosterone causes females to have sexual attraction to the same sex When males have a decrease in testosterone, they become sexually attracted to the same sex

Nurture Studies done by Michael Bailey and Richard Pillard show that when adopted children are brought into the same family, if one child is gay the other child only has a 9% chance of being gay

Therefore... It is still debatable, but through the studies that have been done so far, it is safe to say that both influence a persons sexual preference. Genetics play an important role because studies have indeed shown it is not a choice. Whether a person decides to admit to their sexual preference will rely mainly on the environment they grew up in.

In History Homosexuality has not been accepted in society very long This acceptance into society was because of the landmark study done by Evelyn Hooker in 1957 comparing adult homosexuals to adult heterosexuals This study proved that it was not a choice Due to these studies, it is illegal to discriminate against a person’s sexual preference (The same that it is illegal to discriminate race or gender)

History Continued... By 1996, most provinces had passed laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual preference and the Government of Canada added sexual orientation to the Human Rights of Legislation Same-sex marriages became legal in Canada in 2005 Other countries include the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Spain

How Does Homosexuality Pertain to Science in the 21st Century? Due to scientific studies, this has provided society with information of why people are homosexual therefore making it easy for society to accept it Also, when people realized they were born with the genes that decided a person’s sexual preference, society realized it was not fair to discriminate against something people cannot control

In Canada today, homosexuals can live together, adopt children, raise foster children, and even get married Without the science that has been done on this topic, homosexuals may still not be accepted in our society today