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Do the sons of gay men end up being homosexuals?

Discussion in 'Sexual Orientation' started by Johnny Gee, Jan 11, 2018.

  1. Johnny Gee

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    Has there ever been research on this?
     
  2. Niagara

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    I'm not sure if there is research, but that's not really how it works... that's like saying the sons of straight people are always straight. Clearly not, otherwise there would be no gay people at all.
     
  3. jam93

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    I'm pretty sure there is evidence that Homosexuality does run in families. Not in a gay people make gay kids kind if way though. I think it's more along the lines of having a gay uncle slightly increases the chance your kids will be gay. Kind of makes me wonder about my family honestly, since I'm the only queer one, that I know of...
     
    #3 jam93, Jan 11, 2018
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  4. Chip

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    There appear to be trends toward homosexuality in families. However, if you are asking if sons of gay fathers are more likely to turn out gay, the studies I've seen say no.

    Often these children are adopted and so the genetic impact is removed, leaving he environmental factors.

    Interestingly, the same study (don't have the cite handy, read it a few years ago but could probably dig it up) also showed that children of gay parents were slightly more likely to be socially well adjusted and successful than children raised by birth families.

    This may reflect the fact that gay coupled have hurdles to overcome and therefore are highly motivated to be involved parents.
     
  5. Jackie Ray

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    I'm not sure if gay men's sons are more likely to be gay or just more likely to come out, knowing that their parent won't scold them. How many are in the closet to straight parents vs gay parents.
     
    #5 Jackie Ray, Jan 12, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2018
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  6. PatrickUK

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    The only people who really believe this to be true are people who (for whatever reason) hate the LGBT community. They want to believe it, but when you look at their reasoning it doesn't stack up at all. To put it bluntly, they are talking out of their arse.
     
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  7. Jackie Ray

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    There is also the common misconception that many homosexuals are also pedophiles; and that most homosexual men were touched as boys, thus becoming homosexuals and pedophiles. I've had people ask me if I "turned" as a result of childhood abuse. So it's no wonder that ignorant people think gay parents make gay children.
     
  8. AriKari

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    being around lgbt people doesn't make you lgbt.

    being around lgbt folks can open up a new conversation for some people and bring context to their life, allowing them to question hetero/cis-normative narratives.
     
  9. looking for me

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  10. Lipstick Leuger

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    I know lots of gay men who have sons and only one is gay. So that is BS for sure. Kids in gay families are more likely to try out the spectrum of the rainbow before deciding how to identify. Also I have noticed my kids are more likely to keep an open mind about who they will love and my son who is straight, stated that if he ran into a guy that he felt that way for he would not worry about dating him, either.
     
  11. AriKari

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    its important to note that sexuality is naturally fluid to begin with. bisexuals are a perfect example of this.
     
  12. Chip

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    Well... let's be careful. Sexuality isn't fluid from most of what we currently know, in that sexual orientation is generally pretty fixed; if you're gay, you're gay... if you're straight, you're straight... if you're bi, you're bi. We want to be careful with the idea of fluidity because that starts to make it sound like a choice, and like it is possible to change sexual orientation, neither of which is true.

    What is true is that it is a spectrum, and most people fall somewhere on the spectrum, generally clustered toward one end or the other. But within that spectrum, most people stay pretty close to wherever they start out.
     
  13. AriKari

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    Of course it isn't a choice. If it seemed like I was implying that, I assure you that wasn't my intention. Although, how cool would it be to wake up and be whatever sexuality you want that day.
     
  14. Jackie Ray

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    I think that for every person that knows they are gay, there is a person that had repressed it, being around other gay people can bring out their true feelings. To a person seeing this out of context, it appears that somebody was "turned queer".
     
    #14 Jackie Ray, Jan 14, 2018
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  15. Leanest

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    I feel like it's more like increasing the chances of someone being openly gay, or having more sexuality-awareness (as other's have pointed out).
     
  16. Joe2001

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    All of my family are straight, and I am gay. I also know no openly gay people that really feature in my life, so I am not sure how that argument works.
     
    #16 Joe2001, Jan 14, 2018
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  17. OGS

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    I only know of one gay person who has a gay parent. It was sort of funny how I found out. We were out for brunch and noticed a friend at another table in the restaurant. We were going to go over and say hi until we realized that he seemed pretty intent on the attractive older gentleman he was dining with. The guy definitely pinged the gaydar and so we assumed he was on a date and decided to let them have their privacy. A week or two later I ran into him out and about and teased/inquired about the mature hottie we saw him with. I could see him sort of mentally cataloguing his social interactions for the last couple of weeks and coming up blank, so I mentioned the restaurant and he initially looked confused and then he sputtered: "OMG that was my Dad!"

    Oops.
     
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  18. Chip

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    There seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence for a familial trait, though I don't know how well it's actually been studied. In the anecdotal department, you often see situations where there are gay aunts/uncles/cousins/nephews. One friend I know, there are two children in the family, and both are gay. In my own family, there are two LGBT siblings in my father's sister's family, me, and several others in more extended family.
     
  19. Thedude3

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    Why would gay fathers having gay sons be convenient for people who hate homosexuals? Would that not be an argument that it's genetic if it were true?

    I'm not "gay" but I'm not strait as an arrow either, and my father was a trans woman.
    I also know a gay man who has two biological sons, one of which became "trans".

    Obviously these are just two examples, not enough to draw any conclusions.
     
    #19 Thedude3, Jan 26, 2018
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  20. JaimeGaye

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    I believe some preliminary research has been done but being that homosexuality has run hand in hand with heterosexuality it seems likely that homosexual men having heterosexual sex that produces offspring pretty well clinches the probability that gay men and lesbian women engaging in offspring producing straight sex will on occasion produce children who are homosexual by nature, genetics, and birth.

    Will EVERY child of a homosexual be homosexual?
    Doubtful considering the parent or parents engaged in heterosexual sex in order to produce the offspring.
    There is not enough information on In Vitro Fertilization produced offspring to offer any meaningful data on these birth types.
    Do you see what I am getting at here?

    There is some credible scientific research that indicates the levels of estrogen and testosterone produced in the mothers womb during first and second trimesters will enhance a child's proclivity towards a homosexual or lesbian identity it does not guarantee a child will act or become homosexual by nature as the level of acceptance or rejection of a person's true nature is generally and greatly influence by the level of nurture and acceptance the individual receives during their formative years.

    In other words, PARENTS, listen to what your kids are trying to tell you and accept them for who they are and NOT who you want or expect them to be.