But there it is. There you have it. Is homosexual behavior "natural?" I can't see how it is. Not objectively. .
It could be a genetic trait activated by environment. Like Alcoholism in American Indians - and that is simply a genetic characteristic that was induced by many generations of breeding without access to alcohol - and not for survival. Every man has the genetics to make a womb, but our bodies don't use those parts of the code. The point is, not everything in a person's genetic code is a survival trait. There are mistakes, dead ends, and inactive bits of code, and a proclivity to be gay could be one of them-simply not harmful enough to be weeded out, or is still in the process of being weeded out or it may also have a survival characteristic - if its a genetic behavior activated by over-crowding.
There are many reports of other species (mammal, reptiles etc) engaging in such behavior. Why? Because some critter figured out it felt good, and they aren't bound by any sort of moral or ethical laws. It would be a more effective control in females than in males of course, since a mammalian population is limited by the number of females, since one male can impregnate them all. However, a genetic trait to produce homosexual offspring could be preserved just because rape is pretty much how things are done in an uncivilized world. There is also evidence that the more male offspring a woman has the greater chance that each newborn will become gay because the hormonal mix its exposed to changes.. so it may be this hormonal mix that is being passed down, more than the behavior itself. Lesbians seem to become so because they have have a gene that regulates their exposure to such hormones. ( which isn't to say that Gay men don't also have a similar process at work, only that it appears to not be dominant) So female homosexuality and male homosexuality would seem to follow entirely different processes. There is very probably a genetic component at work- almost certainly in females, in the mother ( regulating fetal hormone exposure) and possibly within the males themselves. There are some who have suggested that the hormonal changes could also be attributed to a virus or some other outside factor.
There have been studies done on identical twins, where one is a homosexual and one is not.
Identical twins are genetically exactly that: identical. These studies have shown absolutely zero genetic, chemical, or physiological reason that one twin's a fag and the other isn't
As IDP points out, is it obviously not entirely genetic, as I personally knew identical female twins, one of whom was straight ( tested and confirmed) , the other gay. However, that does not mean there is no genetic component.. the fact that many studies show Homosexuality running in certain family lines suggest there must be some sort of genetic component.
Others have observed similar things. It is very likely a combination of genetic proclivity, exposure in the womb, environment and personality that leads to the behavior and "natural" is probably an accurate word to describe the behavior. "Normal" is not such a word, since at most 1 in 10 engage in it, and its more likely closer to 2-4 in 100. However, the environment required may involve being molested as a child, as its startling how many Homosexuals I have met have such a tale and
there are studies that suggest homosexuals have a higher incidence. Of course since Gay is a good voting block for Democrats, Democrats encourage and protect those who molest children and of course support school programs that promote early sexualization, ether because they want to use the shock of it to brainwash or merely want to achieve that 1 in 10 number for voting purposes.
So if such victimization of a child plays a role, is being gay still a choice? Can a woman choose to be unraped? If being Gay is a direct psychological cause of sexual abuse at a young age, with a certain personality, and a certain genome, did a person so afflicted choose it? Yes, you can seek help- but that help is in suppressing your natural desires ( something which all civilized people must do) and its not going to make you "straight" - merely to avoid the sin of homosexuality.
There is probably also a whole segment of copy-cats who simply want to be or feel unique or special - who want to have something that sets them apart and lets them engage in all sorts of depraved behavior in a social group that will at the very least not disapprove. I suspect most "bi-sexual" people are this way - and its more about being free from social convention than its about sexual orientation. And for this group, yes, its a choice.
update: I must wonder to Soup's point below, how many predators are in each group - the self-selected choosers, vs the "made by abuse" kind. I suspect the abused are more likely to abuse- as a form of getting control over their abuser- by becoming them. Any thoughts? ( I was approached only once, at age 22, in Italy. He was much older, but very polite, speaking in broken English, and not aggressive in any way, and he took my rejection without a problem, so I have no experience with this )
In conclusion, gayness is like being an asshole (jerk, sh*thead, pick your term) . In general its undesirable because it makes relationships with others in the society difficult, because your behavior places additional and abnormal ( 1 in 10 or less) burdens on others. . The people you meet who are assholes are that way for multiple reasons and across a spectrum - by choice, because they were abused, or because they were just born that way.
I've always wondered, if homosexuals are born that way, then why do so many of them have sex change operations? Seems, they were not born the way they wanted to be, so it must be a choice
They have sex change operations because they want to be "normal" or at least seen that way. If I am a Man attracted to men, and I want to be truly socially accepted ( not accepted because others are held at govt gunpoint and forced to say so) then I seek to horribly mutilate by body so my "natural" attraction to males is seen as "normal" attraction. No they weren't born the way they wanted to be.. To traps point, choosing to be gay is a pretty damn stupid choice - like choosing to be an asshole. Yes, some people chose it. Still others can't or don't know how to help it, so they choose mutilation in an attempt to fit in and be "normal" - And others simply choose to embrace the way that God made them- either because they are people with a peculiar extra helping of sin God thinks they need to overcome, or because God really don't care one way or the other. I don't know God's mind, only what men wrote in a book a long time ago. Those men wrote it was a sin. They wrote that Jesus instructed us to have love and have compassion for the sinner. I simply thank God he didn't throw such a burden on me, and I know its beyond my understanding or right to judge. . I simply do my best to overcome my gut revulsion at the very idea and treat them fairly as fellow sinners. What they do is between them and God, just as ultimately my actions are between me and God. I feel no need to make their time on this earth worse than it has to be, unless they start demanding that I, at gunpoint, laud their "lifestyle" as good and normal. I won't.
Conversations That Never Happened...guy walks into a psychiatrist's office in a panic and says, "Doc, you gotta help me! I think I might be straight!"
Wait for it..
