Being a hetrosexual, I know of few homosexuals. But those that I do know, and those famous homosexuals (Rock Hudson, Ellen Degeneres) have no children.
While nature occasionally causes deviation from our parents, it stands to reason that the children of hetrosexuals tend to be hetrosexuals. So, what causes the homosexual gene to be created as frequently as it does?
Are any other species known to have homosexual traits?
I think the answer to your question is:
a) no one is 100% either way.
b) dolphins.
You seem to be assuming the existence of a “homosexual gene”. I suspect that things are not that simple. Last I heard, the genetic component of homosexuality was an unsettled question among geneticists. Did the human genome project identify one?
Also, your assumption that homosexuals don’t have children is simply not correct. Melissa Etheridge, for example, is a lesbian and a mother.
I beg to differ with you.
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCE is another woman’s body of ANY interest to me AT ALL. I’m ENVIOUS of the women with dynamite bodies; but that’s it.
A CLASS, # 1, male crotch watcher here. I LOVE seeing DENNIS FARINA on a big screen. LOL.
Well friend, i hate to go a pickin at this, but i’ve got some time on my hands here.
Well, i’m straight and i know several gay folks, along the same lines i’m white but i know blacks and dispite the shocking handycap of being a man, i even know some women (go figure on that last one)
i’ve defiantly got to argue this one, what reason does this stand to? Aside from the fact that some homosexuals who might otherwise choose to come out might not do so because of socal pressure from their parents i can’t see how a child born of hetero parents is more or less likely to be homosexual, one is what one is. By this logic then there must be a large portion of the Gay community who dont have parents
As for the “Homosexual Gene”, assuming it exists, it’s being passed on the exact same way all the other genes are being passed on, by that god damn stork.
Other species do exibit homosexual tendancies, including our closest cousins the Chimps, Monkeys and Cartman’s dog on South Park
In addition to Dolphins: Penguins, Bonobos and Grizzly Bears
The OP may as well read: "Considering the behaviors of Catholic church clerics, how is the celibacy gene maintained?
Survey says “Nature + nurture”
exchicagoan wrote:
ok, how about… most of our species is not 100% either way.
And, assuming there is a gene that causes homosexuality, it doesn’t mean that the trait will neccesarily die out. For example, Tay-Sachs disease is genetic, and people who have Tay-Sachs have no chance at all of reproducing (They usually die by age 3), but it still exists. Some possiblities:
exchicagoan say’s;
Saw a movie once, named “Hot Babes in Prison” I think it was. 
Never say never, exshy, 
Peace,
mangeorge
Re the evolution aspect of the OP, environment aside (for the moment), the biological interplay of hormones, genes, etc. etc. that produces a predominately heterosexual human is extremely complex and given that more or less exclusively homosexual individuals are represented in approximately 3%-6% +/- of the total population there is really no danger that humans are going to go extinct anytime soon because of the lack of heterosexual activity.
In terms of means/end evolution it’s something that human evolution (and other species where it is expressed as well) can “afford” without real damage. With respect to the “frequency” issue as a WAG I would suspect the biological underpinnings of what may cause a man or woman to tend to have gay offspring is probably correlated with some positive benefit that enhances genetic fitness such as intelligence, appearance, sexual attractiveness, physical stength, overall fabulousness or whatever, and the two traits march hand in hand.
Why would a gene cause homosexuality? That makes no scientific sense & still doesn’t.
Lots of animals are homosexuals. Lots of prisoners have sex with each other but that doesn’t make them homosexuals.
Homosexuality is not black & white, its sort of gray with tonal ranges from 1 to 6.
Forget about dolphins and bonobos… There’s actually a species of lizard in the American southwest which is 100% lesbian. They reproduce parthenogenically, so they don’t need to mate at all, but their fertility is apparently greatly incresed by two females going through the motions, as it were.
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Isn’t the Aphid born pregnant? What does that make it (aside from a good thing to think about when waiting for a bus)? Doesnt actually seem to have any sexual motions or anything, it’s just a weirld little thing to ponder.
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LOL—being a “woman of a CERTAIN age”—if the one who would “change my mind” has’t come along yet—she ain’t gonna! PERIOD.
PAX
Exchi, have you ever heard of the Kinsey scale? It assumes that there is a sexual tangent, like handy says, where 1 is exclusively heterosexual, and six is exclusively homosexual. Most people fall between 2 and 5, but there are certainly people, and you could be one of them, who fall at the extreme ends of the scale.
As for it being genetic, I’m queer, my dad is queer, his cousin is queer, their uncle is queer, and we’re already speculating about the upcoming generation! (just kidding, not really!)
This reflects my original question. I have never heard of Tay-Sachs. I assume that Tay-Sachs only occurs in very rare cases because it is not a trait that is passed down from one’s parent(s). Judging from the responses so far, I assume that homosexuality occurs in 2%-3% of the population. Yes, I realise that an occasion homosexual does reproduce, but the instances are not that common. Why, then, is homosexuality so prevalent?
Last question first: Yes, other species do have homosexual individuals. There have been documented cases in seagulls and other birds, rodents, and so forth. Bonobos will apparently have sex with anything of their own species and dolphins apparently aren’t even that choosey.
Moving backward through your OP - I seriously doubt homosexuality is caused by just one gene. I think there’s an interaction between genes and environment here. Which is not to say you can “cure” or “convert” a homosexual to heterosexuality. Early (and we may be talking pre-natal) environmental effects can have permanent results.
As far as frequency goes - it’s like asking why are there so many left-handed people? There are and have been many societies where lefthandedness is a serious social handicap. Such societies have a much smaller rate of lefties than ours does, probably because any lefty that can possibly live as a righty does so. The visibility of gays and dykes is increasing in our culture because there is an increased tolerance, but I seriously doubt there has been any real increase.
Although gays and dykes are less like to have biological children, some do. There children are no more likely to be gay than than the children of heteros. In other words, most children of gays and dykes are heteros just like their straight grandparents.
From an evolution standpoint, a low rate of homosexuality may, in some cases, actually be a good thing in human society. Since gays seldom have bio children of their own, it’s not uncommon to find them taking on a secondary parental role towards their neices and nephews. So a het child with a “funny uncle” or “strange aunty” may have acess to a few more resources than a het child with solely het relatives.
As far as reproduction goes - although the preferred sexual activities of gays and dykes does not lead to children, that doesn’t mean they can’t have bio-kids. There are lots of cases of gays and dykes trying to live straight, getted married in the traditional het manner, and then “coming out” after kids have been produced. In many societies everyone is compelled to marry and most homosexuals can forces themselves to go through the motions if they really really have to (like Rock Hudson did, with a sham marriage or two. Elton John also was in a traditional marriage at one time). There is also, as has been mentioned, a spectrum of het-to-homo. Some folks are at one extreme or the other, but most fall somewhere in between so while most of their sexuality is in one camp or the other under the right circumstances they can display the behavior of the other side.
Right now, in the United States, someone like Ellen Degeneres doesn’t have to marry the opposite sex. I’m sure there’s still lots of prejudice against the openly gay or dyke individual, but it is possible to live as such. In a different society, Ellen might have been compelled to marry a man and bear his children whatever her personal feelings might have been. The men didn’t have it much better. A man might have the option of remaining single, but lots of societies viewed gay activities as felonies (sometimes even warranting death). Royalty might be compelled to father an heir or two, even if the prince found dukes preferable to duchesses. The result was a lot of homosexuals living as heterosexuals and either not expressing their true urges or doing so in secret.
bizerta, this board is about fighting ignorance, but it’s not a substitute for a formal education. I never had any science beyond Intro Bio my first year in college, and even I have heard of Tay-Sachs and am familiar with the concept of recessive genes. Even if someone here did have the answer to your question (and letme assure you that no one does, because science has yet to discover it), how could you expect to understand it without a stronger background in biology?
I’m sorry if I seem a bit testy, but I have seen this same question come up again and again. It always seems to be posed by people who couldn’t draw a Punnett Square if their lives depended on it. I think if people are that obsessed with the origins of homosexuality they could at least put a little effort into learning about genetics.
Actually, , bizerta, you probably know more homosexuals than you realize. It’s not like they wear a badge or anything.
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*Originally posted by bizerta *
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Well, again, I think your perception of the homosexual world is a little off. As has been pointed out earlier, there really is a range of hetro/homosexuality. That, plus the enormous social pressures to be “normal” results in many gay men and women marrying and having kids.
[rant] Cripes! I am so tired of the homosexual community trying to convince the world that they are afflicted with some type of mutant gene. A mutant gene that compels them to live their lives in such a deviant manner. This is entirely BS. And even if it were true, how come noone is demanding a cure? I don’t think someone should be allowed to bitch and gripe about their so called affliction without making an effort to rid themselves of the affliction. You want to live like this? Go ahead, you have the right. (Although, anal sex is still illegal in some states.) But, if you want some type of special treatment from me or the community at large, forget it! I save my sympathy for those that truly deserve it.
If you think I am saying “Stop being homosexual”, you are wrong. I will defend your right to choose your own course in life, to the death even. I want you to have these choices available because I have choices of my own that I want to protect. (I want the choice to decide if I want to use or abuse drugs, or not. Or to wear my seatbelt. Or to wear a helmet.) But, to elevate your lifestyle choice to a level higher than mine by saying that it is somehow genetic and therefore protected, doesn’t sem fair.[/rant}