# Will tolerance towards gays reduce their numbers in the long term? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 26, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927 "2004-07-26T13:47:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927/21 "2004-07-26T22:55:06Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > “Actually, most researchers are now assuming multiple causal factors, in this order of viability: prenatal wash (congenital), genetic, environmental. Genetics alone has been ruled out - google the twin studies.” > … > “Studies have already linked androgen and testosterone levels in utero to sexual preference variations in both genders. Research is impeded by the pesky fact that experimentation on live human fetuses is a bad thing to do. So nothing conclusive… > Interestingly, the in utero environment is also altered by birth order and/or gender of prior births:” > " You mention that the “prenatal wash” plays an important factor and that this is partly determined by birth order and/or gender of prior births. However, what other factors determine the composition of the prenatal wash? Could it be the genes of the mother? Also, how does the prenatal wash theory explain the quote I mentioned above, namely: > [@](#): > > He found that the incidence of homosexual preference in these family members was strikingly higher (13.5 percent) than the rate of homosexuality among the whole sample (2 percent). Maybe the prenatal wash in this family resulted in a higher percent of gays, but why? If we don’t know all the causes of differences in the prenatal wash, we have just pushed the problem of why someone is born gay to why the prenatal wash was such that it resulted in a gay person. This is a little bit of progress, but more needs to be known to dismiss genetic influence on the composition of the prenatal wash. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927/22 "2004-07-26T22:59:43Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > While I find it an interesting enough thought experiment, I’m not sure what difference it makes. To me, a world with 50% of the population being homosexual is no better or worse than a world with .000005% of the population being homosexual. Agreed. I just thought that it would be quite ironic if the acceptance of gays (something they have fought hard for) would ultimately lead to their demise. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927/23 "2004-07-27T08:29:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Is this an attempt at sarcasm **SentientMeat**? No, it was a sincere commendation - I was merely wondering whether you had read it somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927/24 "2004-07-27T14:55:18Z")
> [@PussyCow](#): > > If I understand what you’re implying, **Evil One** , you think lesbians may be lesbians due to an elevated amount of male hormones? Like testosterone? And males that are gay have more female hormones, like estrogen? Yes, that’s where I was going. I chose my words very carefully, because I don’t wish to offend anyone. I do think the answer is physiological, because the percentage of gays within the population remains fairly constant. The question I was asking is whether hormones or brain enzymes or other such factors impact behavior. Again, the following is based on personal observation…no offense is intended to anyone. I am very much what many would consider to be a stereotypical male. I hate to shop. As long as my environment is functional, I don’t care what color the chairs are. This would seem to indicate my lack of interest in classic nesting behavior. Now…classic nesting behavior is associated with most women and the stereotypical gay male. Are the same behavioral imperatives that drives those individuals to behave in an opposite manner to myself the result of brain chemistry or conditioning? The question can be broken down thusly to it’s most basic form. If an attractive man and woman walk by me, what is it within me that drives me to look at her behind instead of his? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-tolerance-towards-gays-reduce-their-numbers-in-the-long-term/256927.md?page=1)