# Homosexuality and science **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581 "2003-08-25T19:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/1 "2003-08-25T19:52:55Z")
On another message board I am arguing with a poster who views homosexuality as a perversion. I have cited the Kinsey scale to demonstrate that human sexuality is a broad spectrum and cannot be simply broken down into Straight, Gay and Bi. The other poster has called into question the methodology of Kinsey’s study which is admittedly a little shaky. I figured it would be a piece of cake to find reports written by other scientists who support and validate the Kinsey scale and use it in their research but I was actually very wrong. As far as I am aware the Kinsey study has not been validated or referenced by any research currently on the internet. However, there is hope for I am undoubtedly a Google moron. I try and I try but posters like **DuckDuckGoose** (speaking of which, has anyone seen her around lately?) can find in 30 seconds what it takes me 3 hours to find. I’m hoping that some google wizard out there or preferably someone connected with this field of study will be able to put my mind to rest by providing proof that the Kinsey scale is widely accepted in the field of sexuality study. [Click here to find out about the Kinsey Scale](http://www.lgbtcampus.org/resources/training/kinsey_scale.html) Please note that links to your sources are essential. Please also note that anyone good enough to help me with this ignorance fighting will receive copious amounts of free beer should we ever meet at a dopefest and I plan on coming to a few 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/2 "2003-08-25T20:47:08Z")
“37% of all men experienced orgasm in a sexual activity with another man at some time in their life.” Wow… that is quite a lot ! ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/3 "2003-08-25T21:13:21Z")
Yeah, but is it supported in other studies, that’s the question. In that page it says > [@](#): > > Research was conducted primarily with white college educated, volunteer subjects and with prisoners. This research did not clearly parcel out behaviors which did not persit from adolesence into adult life. Which calls those numbers into question a little. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/4 "2003-08-25T21:16:31Z")
I gotta’ remark that when I was in college almost all of my professors who ever mentioned Kinsey seemed to mention that his methodology was at least partially flawed. Then again, it’s hard to be the _FIRST_ in your field and do stuff right. I wish I had an answer to your actual question, but I don’t know if the Kinsey scale is that widely used in other research. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/5 "2003-08-25T22:42:19Z")
You can’t argue that something isn’t perverse if a person truly believes that it is. It’s an opinion. I think putting anchovies on pizza is perverse, no matter how many studues you show me that say millions of people do it. Is there anything else to his argument aside from his personal opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/6 "2003-08-25T23:03:32Z")
As far as I’m aware it’s all personal prejudice. The thing is he believes homosexuality is perverse because he sees it as different from the norm. He defines the norm as Straight with gays as their polar opposite with nothing inbetween. By introducing the Kinsey scale into the discussion I was trying to pull the rug from under him by showing that one cannot impose norms on something as varied as human sexuality. Naively I assumed the Kinsey scale was used as the standard but I’ve been searching for other researchers to back it up and I’ve come up blank. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/7 "2003-08-26T13:19:28Z")
Don’t know if this will help, but [this site](http://www.superdrewby.com/column/sexuality.shtml) mentions something called the “Klein Sexuality Continuum” … however, Googling on this phrase only brings up the same site! Julie ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/8 "2003-08-26T14:11:13Z")
Ben Hicks writes: \> The thing is he believes homosexuality is perverse because he \> sees it as different from the norm. So continue the logic. Is he left-handed? Then he’s a pervert. Is he much taller or shorter than average? Then he’s a pervert. Is he much thinner or heavier than average? Then he’s a pervert. Is he much smarter or stupider than average? Can he wiggle his ears? Can he fold his tongue in the middle more than once? Is his time running the mile much greater or less than average? Does he have a dimple in his chin? Then in all these ways he’s a pervert. If being a pervert means nothing except being different than the average by some given amount, then the things I’ve listed (and many other things) would mean that someone is a pervert. If perversion means something more than being different than average, ask this person to explain what the difference is. It’s his job to define perversion precisely, not yours. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/9 "2003-08-26T15:20:09Z")
Don’t forget, masturbation is a perversion of the natural order. So, who _isn’t_ a pervert? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-and-science/197581/10 "2003-08-27T01:26:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\*Don’t forget, masturbation is a perversion of the natural order. So, who _isn’t_ a pervert? \*\* It’s hard for me to “forget” something that I don’t even know. I’d say masturbation is very much a part of the natural order.