# "Homosexuality is caused by overcrowding." **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 3, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069 "2006-10-03T02:42:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/61 "2006-10-04T05:20:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Sure, we generally agree now that gay people are born that way- but what causes them to be born that way? Well, I’m not sure that we generally do agree about that. I have read a great deal of the research over time, and although sometimes a trend is identified, there’s still no god answer to the question of how gay people got that way. Since we see a rate of about 10% same-sex-directed mating behaviors in most (all?) chordates, it appears that there is a biological component in at least some cases. I suspect that some people have more of a predisposition for biological reasons and others form meaningful attachments early in life that dispose them psychologically, or both. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/62 "2006-10-04T05:49:04Z")
Is this the same study (or 30 year old TV show) the showed female rats eating their young? If so, your co-worker doesn’t need to worry about the crowding making him gay until folks are barbequeing suspicious things on the sidewalk. And it wouldn’t be the gay that I’d worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/63 "2006-10-04T14:34:31Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Sure, we generally agree now that gay people are born that way- but \*what causes them to be born that way? [/QUOTE] Gay marriage. No, wait. Atheism! ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/64 "2006-10-04T14:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Also my post #41. I’ll point out something you all seem to be missing. [/quote] Not all of us. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure, we generally agree now that gay people are born that way- but \*what causes them to be born that way? \*Can anyone here say for sure it is 100% random? Perhaps (and I am not saying it’s so) that when the Mother is stressed due to overcrowding her body changes the way it “selects” the fetus-to-be. > > This isn’t crazy (although it is unlikely). The sex of various species at birth sometimes seems to be sometimes regulated by environmental factors and more than just the normal “50-50”. > > I have many doubts, but it could be an interesting study. Interesting yes, but not one I believe we’re going to see anytime soon. There’s way to much social/cultural/religious noise surrounding the topic to allow for a valid academic approach. Studying animal behavior will only take us so far down that path. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/65 "2006-10-04T15:08:15Z")
:smack: I swear I hit preview… I was also going to say that the environmental factors need not be limited to the mother’s womb. There are multiple biological precedents for organisms changing sex mid-life, various species of fish for example. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/66 "2006-10-04T15:14:19Z")
[QUOTE=ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies] :smack: I swear I hit preview… I was also going to say that the environmental factors need not be limited to the mother’s womb. There are multiple biological precedents for organisms changing sex mid-life, various species of fish for example. [/QUOTE] True, the Sheepshead fish, for example. > **[California sheephead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_sheephead)** > > The California sheephead (Bodianus pulcher, (formerly Semicossyphus pulcher) is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its range is from Monterey Bay, California, to the Gulf of California, Mexico. It can live for over 50 years and can reach a size of up to 91 cm (3 ft) and a weight of 16 kg (35 lb). It is carnivorous, living in rocky reef and kelp bed habitats, feeding primarily on sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans. All California sheephead are hatched female and morph i... _All sheepheads are born as females, and eventually change sex to males. The age of the transition depends on environmental clues such as food supply.[3]_ ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/67 "2006-10-04T15:18:24Z")
Doesn’t the latest research indicate that [homsexuality is cause by alcohol](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7836792&postcount=302)? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/68 "2006-10-04T15:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] Doesn’t the latest research indicate that [homsexuality is cause by alcohol](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7836792&postcount=302)? [/QUOTE] Well after a few too many, everyone looks sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/69 "2006-10-04T19:00:19Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] I’m heterosexual, but not left handed. I am, however, left-penised. When I get to know you guys better I’ll tell you the difference between my left & right dicks. [/QUOTE] Are your left and right penises located below your enlongated central ballsack? If so, I have some horrible news to break to you concerning any and all anatomy teachers you may have had… ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/70 "2006-10-04T19:52:23Z")
**DrDeth,** I’m sure you studied the behaviour of the mice in a lab, approved by an ethics committee, with funding from your faculty, and that you wrote an erudite and well-received paper on it. So… why do I picture you in your bedroom, laughing maniacally, surrounded by cannabalistic, homosexual rodents… ---
**Author:** ![Schroedinger\_s\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Schroedinger\_s\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schroedinger_s_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/71 "2006-10-04T20:37:32Z")
[QUOTE=irishgirl] **DrDeth,** […]So… why do I picture you in your bedroom, laughing maniacally, surrounded by cannabalistic, homosexual rodents… [/QUOTE] It’s the user name. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/72 "2006-10-04T21:28:30Z")
[QUOTE=irishgirl] **DrDeth,** I’m sure you studied the behaviour of the mice in a lab, approved by an ethics committee, with funding from your faculty, and that you wrote an erudite and well-received paper on it. So… why do I picture you in your bedroom, laughing maniacally, surrounded by cannabalistic, homosexual rodents… [/QUOTE] Well, it was at a College, yes, but I paid for everything out of my pocket except “Purina Lab Chow” which they already had in bulk. There was no ethics commitee exept my Prof. He did like the experiment, which took two semesters over two classes. As to the “cannabalistic, homosexual rodents”, it was a little manic, I’d have to agree. 😛 Not to mention smelly. I will cheerfully concede **Schroedinger’s Dog** point- my user name would make a great super-villian name. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/73 "2006-10-04T22:04:54Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] I’ll ask my son. [/QUOTE] It’s tempting to respond to this by asking, “oh, is he gay then?” But I note that you’re living in North Wales, and I know my relatives from there wouldn’t be amused, so I won’t type it. It would have been funny if I did, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/74 "2006-10-04T22:19:43Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] It’s tempting to respond to this by asking, “oh, is he gay then?” But I note that you’re living in North Wales, and I know my relatives from there wouldn’t be amused, so I won’t type it. It would have been funny if I did, though. 😉 [/QUOTE] He is 6, a bit early to tell yet. I couldn’t come up with a snappy comeback at the time. I was expecting some humorous response to it though. Cerowyn, nice Japanese name. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/75 "2006-10-05T01:15:42Z")
So, it gayness the fault of Catholics and their big famlies? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/76 "2006-10-05T01:38:04Z")
I blame it on class size at state universities. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/77 "2006-10-05T01:55:30Z")
I have also read that the incidence of male homosexuality increases with the increasing number of older male siblings. This could possibly be related to the overcrowding theory. Futhermore the survival of the species really requires a lot less breeder males than females. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/78 "2006-10-05T02:07:43Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] So, it gayness the fault of Catholics and their big famlies? [/QUOTE] > [@The Flying Dutchman](#): > > I have also read that the incidence of male homosexuality increases with the increasing number of older male siblings. This could possibly be related to the overcrowding theory. Futhermore the survival of the species really requires a lot less breeder males than females. Look, I am Catholic and I have an older brother. I AM NOT HOMOSEXUAL. Can everybody stop picking on me now, please. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/79 "2006-10-05T08:52:49Z")
[QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman] I have also read that the incidence of male homosexuality increases with the increasing number of older male siblings. This could possibly be related to the overcrowding theory. Futhermore the survival of the species really requires a lot less breeder males than females. [/QUOTE] Oscar: single son. Santi: first son, has a younger male brother. Rober: single son. OK, it’s not much of a sample, but that’s the three gay people whose family “situations” I can remember without having to ask… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069/80 "2006-10-05T10:57:54Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] Look, I am Catholic and I have an older brother. I AM NOT HOMOSEXUAL. [/QUOTE] Denial! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homosexuality-is-caused-by-overcrowding/375069.md?page=5)