Nature vs. Nurture: Homosexuals Essay
Statistics show that about 9 million Americans identify as gay. Are homosexual individuals born or made? Nature versus nurture helps identify and analyze both sides.
Nature refers to people’s genes. Nurture is learned behavior. Homosexuality is one of the most controversial, debated, and misunderstood topics. The American Psychological Association (APA) categorized homosexuality as a mental disorder but it was removed from the list of diagnoses and disorders because of the vast research in the topic (Johnson, “Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture”).Researchers have found that people interpret homosexuality differently depending on whether a person is gay because of nature or because of nurture. Nature states people are born homosexual because of genetics. This means that it’s clear a person is homosexual since their day of birth. The way it’s seen is if a little boy is attracted to barbies instead of cars or a little girl prefers to play sports rather than help her mother bake or cook.
The nurture aspect of homosexuality refers to the way people are influenced by the environment.It’s also said “A nurtured gay person is one that is ‘made’ gay” (Johnson, “Nature vs Nurture”). A child can become homosexual if they were raised by a homosexual couple of woman or men. To those children it becomes normal to be attracted to the same sex because that’s the way they were raised. Another way someone could become homosexual is at the time their hormones change. Some teens start to realize it’s the same sex they’re attracted to.
During the adolescent years, teens start to have sexual urges and become sexually active and that has a lot of effect on the sexual orientation one prefers.Scientists have also found out that that the brain changes over time. Researchers have tried to figure out in various ways whether a homosexual is born or made. One of the really famous studies was the case of Patrick and Thomas. They’re identical twins who where treated exactly the same from the moment they came out their mothers womb. A little before either of them was able to talk the parents realized that one of them showed feminine traits. It is why it became interesting to researchers, those kids were born and taken care of the same. Why is it that one comes off with homosexual ttributes? “In recent years, researchers who suspect that homosexuality is inborn – whether because of genetics or events happening in the womb – have looked everywhere for clues: Prenatal hormones.
Birth order. Finger length. Fingerprints. Stress. Sweat. Eye blinks. Spatial relations.
Hearing. Handedness. Even ‘gay’ sheep” (Swidey, “What Makes People Gay? ”). When a twin turns out to be gay there is actually a 50% chance that the other twin will also turn out gay. With fraternal twins it’s not too likely. All these things have been researched, yet nothing sure comes of it.
Nature versus nurture also has to do with the social acceptance of a homosexual individual. People find it easier to accept a person who has been gay since the day they were born. “Proving people are born gay would give them wider social acceptance and better protection against discrimination, many gay rights advocates argue. ” (Swidey, “What Makes People Gay? ”) There isn’t a crystal clear study that shows a person is biologically gay. Research has been made but homosexuals take it offensive. Gays don’t want a valid genetic explanation because then it’ll be categorized as a disorder all over again.
In the case of nurture, it’s hard for people to accept someone became gay out of the blue. Discrimination against homosexuals will happen regardless, but the nature aspect of it seems a lot more plausible and understandable to society. “Or, is it possible that being gay is a combination of both nature and nurture? Imagine a person that is born gay, but their same gender feelings are either perpetuated or (not perpetuated) by their environment. If this were indeed the case, homosexuality would only be an issue of if or when one comes out of the closet” (Johnson, “Nature vs Nurture”).It seems possible that every single homosexual is born gay. Being homosexual can be all about nature, meaning that’s the way one is born.
The environment and the way a homosexual is nurtured can make it really hard for a gay person to come out of the closet. On the other hand the environment can also make it really easy for an individual to come out of the closet. It all depends on how comfortable or uncomfortable the surroundings makes a gay person feel. That is how without nature there is no nurture and vice versa.
A persons sexual orientation is something that is talked about and debated every single day.To me homosexuals are born that way. Anyone who claims to be homosexual along the way is either barely coming out of the closet or is just a curious teenager. Often times individuals go through a phase where they want all the attention and want to have all eyes on them. One of the ways that can be done is by “coming out of the closet”. I feel that the main influence must be the biological component. I highly believe there’s no nurture in homosexuality.
Nature versus nurture has a lot of topics that can be talked about but homosexuality seems like one of the most crucial topics there is.
