Causes for sexual orientation?

I despise Richard Dawkins, first of all. But as one very much interested in Biology, I value his contribution to the field (just like with the Swedish national hero, Carl Linnaeus, regardless of his contributions to scientific racism, but also botany and other fields).

This video illlustrates how much in the dark we are on this subject, at least in science, but that we are, at least, thinking about it scientifically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHDCAllQgS0

Philosophically, I'm not sure... if one takes a peek at the Taijitu (Yin and Yang symbol), there is Yang in Yin and Yin in Yang. Yin and Yang are opposites, opposites attract each other. But on the same side are also the little dots inside, meaning they will attract the opposite side and be homo.
ps. I don't mean to be heteronormative, just reflecting the prevalence of how many are straight and gay etc.

Interesting topic

 

It's hard for me to form an opinion, because I think sexuality is both socially constructed and biological to some extent. To form an example...

Our experiences can shape what we like. I think straight men would be more open to being with other men if our society didn't shame it so much and label everything "gay". I also know that some people develop other preferences unrelated to gender (like white people and thin people) due to their environment, what they normally see, and what society tells them they should like.

But even when things are fully 100% socially constructed, people still have innate preferences. I for example, dislike movies. Movies are socially constructed. I was not born to dislike movies, my environment didn't shape me to dislike them (since everyone around me loves them and keeps getting me to watch them), and many cultures never had them at all. But I still dislike them, and that has more to do with how my brain psychology works more than anything else.

So I believe that nothing can ever be 100% in one direction.

 

I have no idea. I think the environment and upbringing do have some factor in it, e.g. I've met a number of gay guys who have had a "distant father" and that may cause them to identify with their mother more, but there are of course plenty of straight people in that situation too. There are also, unfortunately, a number of gay people who were sexually abused at a young age, and I think that kind of thing can shape a person's sexuality as well. Additionally, it's very common for gay people to have acted like the opposite gender as a young child: lesbians who rejected traditional girls' toys and clothes, gay guys who played with dolls and loved the color pink...these kinds of things are not uncommon and apply to me, actually. So does that mean I was pre-disposed to it or born that way? I don't know.

 

Science hasn't come up with"the one" explanation yet and i think that's a good thing.Besides everyone has really a unique sexuality if you think about it so looking and speculating about causes becomes almost impossible.

 

Epigenetics is really the main cause for it. Every person is able to give birth to an LGBT person, so "genetics" is really only a misnomer. I hear it works in a similar way as left-handedness, which would make sense. Brain scans actually show that LGBT people have slightly different brains and use parts of the brain that opposite sex is supposed to use. Similar to how left handed people use the other side of the brain.

There also are differences in hormone levels.

As for how it's caused, one way which I've seen to be pretty consistent would be having more older brothers. This only applies to males, but having more older brothers increases the chances of being gay. The womb sees the Y chromosome as a foreign substance, so it creates anti bodies to try to get rid of it. The anti-bodies feminize the brain, thus creating a more effeminate male. The more males being born, the more the chances of being gay increase. Many gay men I know have at least 1 older brother (I have 2 older brothers). One of the leaders of my last years GSA had 4 older brothers (he was also super-gay)


As for the poll, definitely environmental before birth.

 

I think it happens in the womb because I always found guys hot and my dad has always been in my life and I've never been molested or raped by anyone so I don't thinks it's upbringing and I don't think it's genetics because I don't know any of my ancestors to be gay. Lots of womanizers though. So I'm going to say before birth.

 

After years of saying it's completely genetic/epigenetic/ingrained within you from a very early age (and I still believe this), I don't think it's productive anymore to try to argue with people that think it's a choice one makes in their life. In many cases, they're far too lost, and really just need to be pushed into the 21st century by society at large.

 

I think that even if it is something related to genetics there is no way to prove if the fenotipical characteristics have some kind of chance to be expressed. I mean, maybe some straight guy has the "Gay Gene", but for some unknown reason he is still straight. This is also true for people who have 6 fingers, they may have the gene but the chance of them actually having the 6th finger is bellow 50%, that's why the characteristic is not common xD (Just speculating here though)

 

Part genetic but requiring chemical stimulation/activation.
The idea that has grown to prominence in the scientific community is that it is a partly chemical thing (like pretty much everything to do with who we are), in-born because of what chemicals you were exposed to in the womb (among other pre-birth factors). It isn't something that can be changed, as Dr Christian Jessen (along with many other people, especially those not in entertainment) has shown when he went through conversion therapies for a TV investigative programme.
Genetics - partly. It is becoming increasingly clear that a lot of genes do very little or nothing relating to who we actually are, and no gene has been found that would solely cause someone to be gay. It's likely that several genes that might code for different amounts or concentrations of chemicals are activated somehow pre-birth (potentially because of what the mother does during pregnancy; certain activities are known to activate genes that might usually code for just one thing to fulfil a different role) and this can cause sexual attraction to the opposite sex.
Ultimately, nobody's certain of what causes you to be gay but you definitely can't change it.

 

I don't believe it's the same for everyone, I also don't believe that there's a specific "gay gene" either. Simply because there is a MILLION different kinds of gays out there. You have women who are gay that have been interested in women their entire lives, some get tired of dating men and become lesbians, some date men half of their lives and wake up one day realizing that they like women. Same with gay males.

The way I see it, people are attracted to different things and what you're attracted to and what you find attractive, is a unique thing. There's no specific gene in my body that ensures I like chocolate ice cream more than vanilla, I just do. Just as there's no gene in my body that ensures I like women more than men, I just do. It's all a combination of your unique DNA makeup, who you surround yourself with and various environmental factors.

 

I agree with this entirely. It is a genetic/environmental combo. Just because someone doesn't think they have had gay ancestors doesn't mean they haaven't somewhere down the line. On mom's side-2 female cousins are bi and one is a lesbian. On dad's side: my uncle is gay, my male cousin is bi-curious(I hate the word, but it fits him), then there is me. I tend to take after my dad in height, beard color, and temperament at times. My metabolism is slower like my dad has.

To add: There are certain hormones in a woman's body before her child is born.

My mom lost a baby girl right before I was conceived. I always wonder if that makes a difference.

 

I think it's part environment, part genetic. Neither is ever completely separate from the other.

 

I definitely think different things are operative for different people.

I certainly think in utero influences can be in play for many. While I rule out a "gay gene", I don't rule out that certain genetic traits could bias us toward homosexuality. If nothing else, biologically it's certainly a bit of a species-wide defense against overpopulation (although societally, we've found ways to defeat that purpose, *laughs at biology*).

Although I would like to rule out childhood/teen environmental causes, I can't help but note that I've heard a number of people *claim* that they feel that their sexuality was caused by incidents in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. I definitely don't think that's the most common "cause", though.

In my own case, I tend to think of my bisexuality as being a by-product of open-mindedness, or being experimentally-natured. I feel a need to be careful there...I'm not suggesting that bisexuals are more open-minded as people, or are superior to gay/straight people, and certainly *not* that gay/straight people cannot be open-minded or are any less so. But as I experience it, my openness to both sexes feels related to my openness to new ideas; also to my openness to food and drink from all cultures, and my willingness to try (and enjoy) anything to which I'm not morally opposed (e.g., I would be loathe to try dolphin or monkey brains, not because I don't think I'd enjoy the taste, but because I think it's wrong to kill dolphins and monkeys...but virtually anything else is on the table...um, so to speak ). Similarly for love and sex...I'd be morally opposed to sex with a child, for instance, or anything involving non-consent with anyone...but most other things are *cough* on the table (increasingly bad choice of words).

I guess it comes down to: I am generally experimental + I am generally sexual/prone to intimacy. Either or both of those could be genetically determined. So if my bisexuality arises from those, then my bisexuality is genetically influenced. But it's not like society would have any interest in shutting down either of those genes. Well, actually, I believe society is pretty anti-sexual, and would shut down intimacy-proneness, if they could...but I strongly suspect that shutting down a person's openness to intimacy would have all kinds of other undesirable side-effects...not that I put it past our society to be sufficiently anti-sexual as to deem it a worthwhile tradeoff. *sigh*

 

Hot folks out there.

Our orientation is their fault.

 

I have no clue. My sister and I were brought up the same; she's straight as a ruler and I'm a Lesbian, so who knows? Our parents treated us the same and neither of us was ever abused or traumatized by some other experience.

 

While I think genetics play a big part in it, I will say that the environment may have some impact on your preferences, both of what you like to do and who you like to... Granted, I think you can't turn somebody completely straight if they like the same gender, or completely gay if they like the opposite... but over time orientation can change, though usually it's a pretty slight change... For example, a man might have thought he was straight his whole life, but suddenly he feels physically attracted to another man. He may still like women, but I do think to some degree it's possible- however it is pretty much impossible to change somebody's orientation by force, as it is not a choice.

 

Satan.

 

I think it can be either biological/genetic, environmental, or a combination of both. I don't know for sure. I do know that we don't just pick our orientations.

*floored*

Damn it, Kaiser! Why do you make me laugh so much?!

 

My impression is that a lot of people are born with the ability to feel some attraction to the opposite sex, it might be romantic or also sexual, or it might arise after you get to know each other really well. Bromances between two apparently straight males are extremely common to the point of insanity, the problem is that very few consciously move beyond the point of when it's no longer a game. I think that might be caused by sociological factors, after all being gay even today is still frowned upon.

I'm not sure about those who are one hundred percent gay, the cause might be purely genetic or environmental. I'd like to know the truth, but I don't want to speculate.