The development of sexual orientation

I mean I've read a news article that claims it's "half biology and half environment" but they fail to explain the later.

my life was completely normal and happy... I hear too many explainations for it and none of them make sense

"it's trauma. it's your mother. it's your father. you mom caudled you. your dad worked overseas. the planets aligned in a certain way. You lived in Minnesota. TV did it". Im being facetious but no one will give me the details and I get angry when people make unfounded claims of any kind.

I don't know what fuckin' factors could have determined it

 

I also wonder how accurate it can be when they do genetic studies. We know there are many guys on this forum who identified as straight - were married, had kids, girlfriends, for decades... just a few years ago, even on an anonymous survey, I would have checked 'straight'- I just couldn't face myself...

So short of literally knowing what goes on in people's heads, it's hard to get a true idea, I think.

 

the shit pisses me off, fr

 

I just want to know what environmental factors affect genetics/ brain development.

 

I definitely had all these.....

 

I think that when we look at environmental factors, we look at “triggers” that might stimulate something in our genes that cause a reaction. For homosexuality, this was likely in utero...or shortly after.

We may want to consider that the genetics and the potential reaction to external stimuli is a good thing. That humans have evolved because some of us have this biological drive to be attracted to our same sex. Not every intimate relationship needs to be based on the ultimate goal of reproducing. This might have advantages to the survival of a group of humans.

What is puzzling to me is not how we evolved to the point that having a homosexual population is important. What is puzzling to me is how so many developed prejudices against homosexuals. It's almost like evolution has left those folks behind.

 

This is what the study of epigenetics is, how environmental factor switch on or off certain genes.

Thank you monotheism #sarcasm

 

@Bastion

I couldn't get my link to post. But, from an article in the NY times about a Kinsey Study from the early eighties...

The researchers concluded that ''homosexuality is as deeply ingrained as heterosexuality'' and that behavioral and social differences between prehomosexual and preheterosexual boys and girls ''reflect or express, rather than cause,'' their eventual sexual preference.

This study concluded that there often is homosexual behavior by the young. But, that behavior, or experience, does not cause a greater incidence of homosexuality.

 

I didn't experience any of those until later in life... they're basically saying that we are damaged? That people don't become gay unless they've experienced adversity early in life? Because that is not my story.

These sorts of claims offend me. Even if they're true for some people, they're not for me.
So, if a child's early life was absolutely perfect then they wouldnt be gay? That doesn't make sense.
That's not my story. My life was great up until I was about 11 years old.

I find it highly offensive. I don't believe this to be true.

 

I've mentioned before that my life was pretty decent in early childhood. I loved my parents, they loved me. I had a stable home life. I was well fed. I was actually quite happy for many years and somehow I was still gay *[as much as a young child could know, without knowing sex]*

My problems began happening when my childhood friend and I were caught being intimate and somewhat sexual. That was when my traumas started. When other people found out about him and I was when I started getting beat by my peers and their families

So I don't believe these environmental factors are really true. I'm like the "control" in this case and to me it seems off. It doesn't make sense.

Does anyone else have this same experience? How is homosexuality influenced by "trauma and neglect" if I wasn't abused or neglected? How was a happy child, such as myself, gay?

I don't mean to rant but this shit is unfair. I was not "Broken" or "Influenced".. I'm just gay, dude. I've always been this way, so I don't understand...

 

I'm not mad at any of you but I hear these claims and I get angry. These things are not the case for me.

 

I've been trying to fight this misinformation my entire life. Since I was very small I've fought and battled and fought more against these sorts of claims. It's very upsetting that this is being posted as "Science". I can't seem to win.

I was eventually traumatized and abused once people found out that my best friend and I were together, gay with one another... that was when the adversity began. I'm fighting hard for my honor and to tell my story but it seems to be a losing battle. Now people are posting these things as "science" but they've never heard my story... and i'm not the only one. I know that I'm not the only one with this same experience.

@out2019 perhaps your sexuality was shaped by trauma and abuse/neglect... fine. I accept that. It's your story. You know yourself better than any of us here but I have been fighting nearly my entire life against these sorts of claims.

Up until I had my first boyfriend when I was a young child I lived a pretty happy, healthy life. Only once my peers found out about him and I did the war begin. The hell on earth started. I seem to be fighting a losing battle. I want people to know that homosexuality is not influenced by childhood adversity, trauma or neglect, or at least not in all cases.

I"ve always known what I was. I was happy with what I was. It was pure. It was justified and it was completely logical to me. I don't want people to keep thinking that people "turn" gay because their mom was crazy, or because their dad beat them... because they were starved as a child or left alone while mom and dad when out and smoked crack. This is not true.

I've already heard about other people's stories similar to mine. Their families loved and took care of them. Life was good for them and they were still gay. Same goes for transgenderism. There's plenty of cases that prove this. I don't want this misinformation to be approved as "science" and if it does become a norm throughout the "psychology community" then I've lost... I've lost this lifelong battle. All of the kids at school, the sunday school teacher, my music teacher, the church... they were right. I refuse to concede to this. I'll say it again: My life was beautiful. I had a happy, healthy life since I was born and yet I still turned out gay. I found my first boyfriend when I was 11 years old and only then did the trauma ensue. These claims of "environmental factors" are false. I am the "control subject".

 

This has me highly upset. However I feel a good bit better now that I've gotten that off that chest. I must make my testament. This is my honor, my pride and my heart. My sexual orientation is not a "product of my environment". I feel the need to preach this, because I did, indeed experience a lot of trauma in my childhood/ teenage years.

Perhaps if I had not experienced those things then I could just walk away and not get upset about it... I could perhaps just "rest easy" with my truth and simply find solace in that but over my entire lifetime I've been in this war of the heart. I got picked on for being gay in the first grade. It didn't really bother me... it made me sad, but it wasn't traumatizing for me. I actually stood up for myself back then, as well..

I don't know. I just feel compelled to testify. I cannot stand by while people teach these sort of things as fact. I am walking proof that it's not true and I know exactly why I'm so upset about this, but that's for me. I feel a lot better now. Thank you guys for putting up with my ranting and raving.

I'm sorry if I'm spamming but this had me very upset for a while, there. I'm feeling a lot better now.

 

@Shadowsettler

I think you misunderstood @Chip 's post. He was mentioning how environmental stimuli affect development. Not sexual orientation. I will leave it to him to explain that.

The science is not certain. But, from what the studies have shown, we are born with our sexual orientation. Something might trigger it in utero or, very shortly after birth. But, our orientation is not a bi product of how we were raised.

I'm sorry that this discussion has upset you. But, I think what we are seeing is that none of us is "at fault" for our sexual orientation. And, we might need to step back from the idea, imposed by many, that being homosexual is a bad thing. So, we aren't responsible for who we are (which may, in fact, be a good thing for a society that doesn't have to be so freakin stupid about so many things...we are just who we are and that is just biology.

I hope this helps. If not, feel free to ask anything.