Is being gay genetic or choice

In the U. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual behavior to be an anomalous choice. As with other complex behaviors, it is not possible to predict sexuality by gazing into a DNA sequence as if it were a crystal ball. Sexual behavior is widely diverse and governed by sophisticated mechanisms throughout the animal kingdom.

Is a person born

The debate over whether homosexuality is inborn or a choice is a complex and contentious issue. The simplest answer is to look at the definition of the word "gay." The term gay is a synonym for homosexual, which is defined as, 1,2 "Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex.".

Males with a genetic condition called can develop female genitalia and are usually brought up as girls, despite being genetically male – with an X and Y chromosome – and they are attracted to men. When the gene was deleted in female mice, they were attracted to female odors and preferred to mount females rather than males.

This article. Similarly, girls who have a genetic condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia are exposed to unusually high levels of male hormones like testosterone while in the womb, which may masculinize their brain and increase the odds of lesbianism.

As the ease and affordability of genome sequencing increased, additional gene candidates have emerged with potential links to homosexual behavior. Human sexuality is a diverse and intricate aspect of individual identity, not understood through simplistic explanations.

Is Being Gay Genetic

So-called genome-wide association studies identified a gene called SLITRK6which is active in a brain region called the diencephalon that differs in size between people who are homosexual or heterosexual. Male mice lacking TRPC2 no longer display male-male aggression, and they initiate sexual behaviors toward both males and females.

Males with a genetic condition called androgen insensitivity syndrome can develop female genitalia and are usually brought up as girls, despite being genetically male — with an X and Y chromosome — and they are attracted to men. No matter why those genes are still around, we do know that being gay is partly genetic and partly determined before a baby is even born.

Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain how homosexuality can be beneficial in perpetuating familial genes. Expressed in the brain, TRPC2 functions in the recognition of pheromones, chemicals that are released by one member of a species to elicit a response in another.

I am a molecular biologist and am interested in this new study as it further illuminates the genetic contribution to human behavior. Such behaviors emerge from constellations of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of genes, and how they are regulated by the environment.

Bill Sullivan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By analyzing the DNA of nearly half a million people from the U.

Numerous studies have established that sex is not just male or female. The question of whether being gay is genetic has long fascinated scientists and the public, prompting research into sexual orientation’s origins. The new finding is consistent with multiple earlier studies of twins that indicated same-sex attraction is a heritable trait.

However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than speciesarguing that same-sex behavior is not an unnatural choice, and may in fact play a vital role within populations. A study linked sexual preference to a gene called fucose mutarotase.

In rats, manipulation of hormones during pregnancy produces offspring that exhibit homosexual behavior. This tells us that sexual orientation isn’t a learned behavior or a choice. Scientific inquiry explores various biological and environmental factors contributing to its development.

This idea is further supported by the new studywhich identified five new genetic loci fixed positions on chromosomes correlating with same-sex activity: two that appeared in men and women, two only in men, and one only in women. While some argue that sexual orientation is determined by genetics and biology, others believe that it is a conscious decision or influenced by environmental factors.

Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversionand leads to discrimination and persecution. Are they gay by choice or is being gay genetic? In a issue of Science magazinegeneticist Andrea Ganna at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues, described the largest survey to date for genes associated with same-sex behavior.

Other studies have shown that disruption of a gene called TRPC2 can cause female mice to act like males. Genetic studies in mice have uncovered additional gene candidates that could influence sexual preference.