Is sexual orientation genetic—or just a choice?

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A viewer wrote to criticize my argument that sexual orientation isn't a choice, asking how a "gay gene" could get passed on. Here's my response.

For more about the choice question, check out my book "Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate." There's also a free downloadable study guide on my website.

For a deeper dive into the science of sexual orientation, check out Simon LeVay's "Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation."

More on sexual orientation and gender identity on my blog:

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Image credits: Zephyris, Yikrazuul via Wikipedia

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I am straight and did not make that choice, so I can believe the same idea can be true for others.

donj

I'm a bisexual man with a sexual preference for men and I certainly don't remember choosing to be this way.

bobby

My grandfather was gay, as we later discovered. He was married with 4 kids

Fat-Horrible-Man

My whole family is Straight and I’m Bisexual...

katrealz

bro why would I even want to choose to be gay?

laravioliiii

I hope they never do find out the why, because if they found why someone will come along and try to "fix" us.

pilgrim

I can't tell you if it's genetic or not, but I can tell you it's not a choice.

sortingoutmyclothes

Gurl i *wish* it was a choice
I don't wanna be gay nah NAW *NAH* 😭

Mr.happy

I’m really struggling with this and feel like no one around me understands. I’ve always known I’m attracted to the same-sex, my earliest memory was when I was 5 years old, and I didn’t know what it was named or what it meant until I was 14. I’ve suffered too because of lack of understanding about my sexuality and ignorance. I can’t change it, and just like me, all other gay people I’ve talked to say the same thing. There’s so much more I can write, but it’s tiresome to always have to explain from the begging of your life, and tell every single detail. Heterosexual people don’t have to do that, and it’s not something I chose or that I can change. And for the people who believes in evolution, look at homosexuality in the animal kingdom. And no one would choose to make their life harder than it has to be, it’s just how the brain is and genes and sexuality. But It looks like, even science doesn’t understand this yet.

heytherenordic

I don't think it's a choice nor do I believe it's genetic. I think that when people have children the children get a mix of different inherent traits that sometimes manifests as same sex attraction. In other cases it may be a mix of other types of traits like with talents that pass down or in other type of personality trait. It's just how our parents genes mix together not that any one gene is responsible.

allenmorgan

Has "Richard" ever heard of recessive genes? DNA sequences? Phenotypes? The punnet square?

Cleaning_Hero

The individuals who ran the "ex-gay" groups I belonged to for nearly 20 years said that it is a lifelong condition that can be managed. Most of their followers (including me) finally concluded that it is a human identity and what kind of God would condemn people for that?

joepugh

Very good and short too! Hadn't heard the recessive gene possibility but sickle cell anemia would be a great example. Ross

rlunger

At the end of the day, the prenatal hormones that influence brain development is also determined by genes, reason why it influences some people differently than others.

Rio-kdxy

My moms side of the family, they’re all 5 brothers and sisters and each one has a gay son. Also, their Blood cousins also have gay kids. I do believe it’s genetic. If you ask my uncle, it’s a chained curse that was passed down onto us by God.... but I’ll stick to genetics.

KEVFRAGRANCE