Genetics and Homosexuality: Argumentative Essay

Introduction

Homesexuality generally refers to sexual and/or emotional attraction to members of the same sex. Homesexuality is considered to be a sexual orientation along with heterosexuality, or attraction to members of the opposite sex, and bisexuality, or the potential for attraction to members of both sexes (Suggs & Miracle, pp. 89-99). In addition to attraction, sexual orientation may also refer to the practice of sexual relations with members of the desired sex.

Discussion

The term homesexuality is a relatively recent Western creation. It was initially used by European scientists who considered sexual relations among members of the same sex to be abnormal. Western views of homesexuality have had an impact on the ways in which anthropologists and other scientists have studied the topic. Suggs & Miracle (pp. 89-99) mention changing societal attitudes in the past century have allowed for more in-depth research on homesexuality. This research, in turn, has influenced social changes. This paper discusses genetics and homesexuality and argues that homesexuality is not necessarily determined by one's genetic code but by early physical development and some other reason.

In words of Suggs & Miracle (pp. 89-99) cross-culturally, there are diverse ways in which people perceive their attraction to members of the same sex or engage in sexual relations with them. In many cases, same-sex relations exist in addition to opposite-sex relations. They are sometimes limited to particular contexts, such as rites of passage, certain periods of life, or specific age-based relationships (Suggs & Miracle, pp. 89-99). In other cases, same-sex behavior is connected with gender variance, where an individual takes on the social role of the opposite sex. There are also cases where same-sex acts that would be labeled as “sex” by many Westerners do not qualify as “sex” to the local participants.

Although it exists in human societies around the world, as well as in some other animal species, homesexuality is often an issue of great contention. Its existence is considered natural or tolerable in some cultural areas, and in some cases, unions between members of the same sex are legally or socially recognized. In other locations, this is considered unnatural and is prohibited, sometimes to the extent that individuals thought to have transgressed this taboo are severely punished by imprisonment or death (Hyde, pp. 9-20).

This study puts cold water on any concerns that we are looking for a single 'gay gene' or a single environmental variable which could be used to 'select out' homesexuality - the factors which influence sexual orientation are complex. And we are not simply talking about homesexuality here - heterosexual behaviour is also influenced by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors.

The team led by Dr Niklas Långström at Karolinska Institutet conducted the first truly population-based survey of all adult (20-47 years old) twins in Sweden. Studies of identical twins and non-identical, or fraternal, twins are often used to untangle the genetic and environmental factors responsible for a trait. While identical twins share all of their genes and their entire environment, fraternal twins ...