NATURE VS. NURTURE: HOMOSEXUALITY

They Are Not the Problem; We Are

It is difficult for someone to accept oneself completely; yet, it is more difficult for homosexuals to accept themselves due to society’s intolerance and criticism. I never thought that gays were born gays; I always thought they were MADE gays due to the influence of the environment. This week in psychology class I saw a video that revealed the biological basis of homosexuality.

To my surprise, homosexuality is more nature than nurture. The video showed a case of Childhood Gender Nonconformity: two twin brothers were utterly different. One of the twins was masculine; his room was filled with cars and soldiers. The other twin, however, was more feminine. He was using nail polish, his room was pink, and he played with Barbies.

The twins’ mother said that at 18 months old, the feminine twin had asked for a Barbie. I am glad that his mother accepts him the ways he is. Although kids could bully him in school, his mother lets him be who he is because hiding yourself from your family is worse than getting bullied. She said, “If I change him into a macho boy, he will only change from the outside and not from the inside.”

Although we do learn how to behave in a masculine or feminine way, scientists believe that homosexuality is genetic. What I found interesting is that even though twins have the same genetic makeup, one twin can be straight and one can be gay. What does this mean? Does it prove that gay behavior also comes from the environment?

Scientists have found a biological explanation for homosexuality, known as the “Older Brother Theory.” Studies have shown that the more older brothers a man has, the more likely he will become gay. The more older brothers a man has, the more antibodies his mother’s body creates, producing more FEMALE hormones. I found this discovery to be incredibly fascinating. In addition, statistics reveal that in most cases, left-handed boys are exempted from this theory. Why is this so?

At the end of the day, this is still a very divisive topic. Is homosexuality genetic? Is it influenced by the environment? Or does it depend on both? Additionally, what about lesbians? Are they born or made that way?

The answers to these questions should not determine how society treats homosexuals. Nowadays, homosexuality is terribly discriminated. Why? Maybe they are not the problem, maybe we are. People should not live to please others, they should live to please themselves. If not, what’s the point in living if you’re not happy?   

Picture:

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