Nature or Nurture: The Roots of Homosexuality

"Was I born like this?" This question is inevitably asked by homosexuals (also referred to as gays) worldwide. Homosexuality is often defined as the preference of or the attraction to people of the same sex. According to a study performed by Indiana University, roughly 8% of men and 7% of women identify as gay (Reece). However, there is no widely-accepted study concerning whether or not people are born gay, or if homosexuality is developed postnatally. Those who advocate the former assume that genes and prenatal hormones cause homosexuality. However, childhood factors and the fact that there is barely any biological correlation to homosexuality support that it is acquired during childhood and due to environment. Homosexuality is most likely

There is no significantly successful study that proves that homosexuality is acquired prenatally. According to Albert Dean Byrd, former president of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality, "the scientific attempts to demonstrate that homosexual attraction is biologically determined [prenatally] have failed"(Byrd). This means that no matter how deeply someone believes that some people are born gay, there isn 't any actual scientific evidence that will prove their belief. Even though it can 't be affected in the womb, homosexuality can be biologically affected in early childhood. It correlates closely with the brain and the hormones the brain calls for, and development occurs the most during the first three years of childhood ("Brain"). So, homosexuality can be biologically obtained during early childhood, and as previously mentioned, early childhood is affected by environmental factors. Being gay is not genetically hereditary, contrary to the belief of many homosexual activists. In his book My Genes Made Me Do It!, Neil Whitehead writes, "From an understanding of gene structure and function there are not plausible means by which genes could inescapably force SSA [same-sex attraction] or other behaviors in a person. Genes create proteins not preferences"(Whitehead). Traits, such as eye color or skin color, are classified as hereditary since it is only acquired through their parents. If homosexuality was passed down from generation to generation, then the population of homosexuals would have died off, since a gay couple cannot reproduce. Similarly, it cannot be a genetic mutation due to how large the homosexual population is. Homosexuality is an acquired behavioral trait, not a genetic