Is Being Gay Genetic? - Dr. Christopher Yuan

You’re in a conversation and someone says, “People can’t help being gay. It’s part of their genetic makeup.”

What would you say?

Today, the search has shifted to whether or not there is any genetic component to one’s sexual orientation, and if there is, what kind of role does it play in determining who we are sexually attracted to? Still, people will often assume that there must be a genetic source for sexual orientation and will talk about it as if it is settled science. But it’s not. So, the next time you’re in a conversation and someone says being gay is genetic, here are three things to remember:

First, genetics only play a small role in determining sexual orientation.
Second, genetics cannot predict whether a person is gay or straight.
Third, sexuality is not WHO you are, it’s HOW you are.

Comment Policy: We encourage civil discussions. Please keep bad language, personal attacks, off-topic comments, and general bad behavior off our site.

Sources and further reading:

Yuan, Christopher. Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2018.

[lunarmist]

As a bisexual, I just want to say that genetics aren't the cause of being gay or straight or anything else. However, it seems to be something in the brain. I didn't choose to be this way, and the way anyone acts doesn't determine how they are. Also, the one part of the video that said something like "Being gay isn't a choice, but acting on it is" and "Just because you desire it doesn't mean you should act on it" really made me angry. The person who made this either didn't think before he said or he is homophobic. Thanks for reading this far, I just had to say some things.

[yazzydrazzy]

I hope this video isn't trying to "prove" that being gay is a choice.

[jeseniagamez]

oh yes being gay is a choice and i choose to be oppressed and harassed for the gender i love ugh makes so much sense

[randomchild]

Being gay isn’t genetic but that doesn’t mean it’s a choice either.

[chocopeach]

WHY DID YOU USE A DR OF THEOLOGY FOR A VIDEO ABOUT GENETICS- :/

[miloslavmasar]

It's not a choice, if it was a choice I would choose to be straight and have an easier life

[bruceweatherly]

I have to say I'm really impressed with this comment section. I have read about 50 of the top ones and there is a nice blend of progressive and conservative people here. It's so cool to see so many deserve opinions on here. Most of these videos are an echo chamber for whoever supports this viewpoint.

[opheliarosewood]

Ah yes, because I chose to live lifestyle that is constantly under attack of discrimination and hate. That makes sense.

[zoekrueger]

As someone who is bisexual, I just want to say that it is not a choice. I struggled with my attraction to women for a long time and it made me extremely depressed. I was rejected by my family, who denied my identity and some of whom are homophobic. I prayed for God to make me Straight. I had always liked women I just didn’t really understand my feelings because I didn’t have the language to describe it. It is hard to be told by the ones closest to you that they don’t believe you or that they don’t support you. I pleaded for God to make me straight but I still like women. Being straight would make things a lot easier, who would choose to be discriminated against, hated, and persecuted? We just want to be happy and to experience love, whoever that may come from

[bergen]

Why can’t I just watch a scientific video without getting religion involved

[joprad]

How is sexual attraction not essential to our existence? That is literally the only way to pass on your genes and survive as a species.

[xoackxo]

There are a lot of people saying that being gay is a choice. I have said this once and I will say it again. If you are not gay you have no right to say whether it is or is not a choice. You have not gone through the experience of being gay. You do not understand the struggles of it. You are not gay, and therefore cannot state something that only a gay person would know.

[icecoolguita]

Youve done the research and bring up good points.
I think the majority of people will just see the title and express their view without even watching the video objectively.

[genesismontero]

People aren't slaves to predispositions. How you are doesn't dictate who you are. Sexuality isn't essential to ontology. Great points.

[jandredippenaar]

"Experiencing same-sex sexual attraction is not a choice; but acting on it is."
This summarizes the video for me.

[nightskystars]

Being gay is not affecting anybody so better mind your own business even if it's a choice( which btw is not)

[ppwytbj]

spoiler: any trait is *both* nature and nurture

phenotype is resultant a genotype interacting w/ environment and subsequent feedback

[gregorydesleskine]

I'm a gay man now in my sixties and as a young man, I had an intense interest in why I was gay. First I tried having sex with a woman but honestly didn't enjoy it. Over the years I met numerous other gay men and I made a point of asking them about other gay members in their families. It came to light that there was invariably more than one gay person in almost every single family, sometimes it was a sibling and at other times it was a nearly distant relative. I've come across several cases where twin brothers are both gay, two cases where a twin brother was gay and his twin sister was lesbian. The most dramatic case I came across with a gay friend was mindboggling, he had five gay brothers which I met at his birthday party, some were quite effeminate and two were perhaps more masculine, yet they were all openly gay. I currently have a close friend much younger than myself who is gay but due to his religious convictions doesn't indulge in any sex, he too has a female cousin who is a lesbian and another cousin who is gay. I'm now thoroughly convinced that being gay is genetic. It has nothing to do with an absent father or a mother who had a traumatic experience while pregnant.

[PIXL-uhvg]

I want him to be like “remember these three things” and go on the explanation again and get stuck in a loop

[dturk]

This is the first I have heard that genetics had anything to do with being gay. I can only speak of my life. I have been attracted to the same sex since I was a young child, not later in life. I grew up in church, my father was a pastor. Most of you will disagree, based on the comments I have read today. To my knowledge, no one in my family's lineage was gay. I have never queried about it. Again, I can only speak for myself. Gay as a choice? I did what I was taught and what society expected every young man to do and married a woman and have an adult child whom I love and adore. I have now been married to my husband 4 years and we've been together for 20 years. Conversations about this can go on forever, but I can only speak about my life of 63 years and counting.