Homosexuality: Nature vs Nurture
 

Since homosexuality seems to be the topic of choice tonight. What are your opinions on the nature vs nurture debate?

Load of bollocks.

Which one, lol.

I think people are born gay. If it was nurture, then you wouldnt get brothers and sisters that were different sexualities.

Also don't think its a choice. Without offendng gay people (which I probably will do anyway) I dont see why anyone would actually chose to go against the 'norm' so to speak, and put themselves through all of the **** that apparently comes with being gay (ridicule when young, homophobia etc)

Agree.

The whole nurture thing.. mainly due to the fact I got on with my dad more in childhood and still turned out to be a raving homo.

I don't think people end up being gay because their mum gave them a few more cuddles than they should maybe have had.

I don't agree it's nurture for a second.

Perfect example is my auntie, she had 6 children. All but one are straight, if it was nurture why aren't all her kids gay?

People are complex and it can be either. It's been fairly conclusively proven that many (most, I think) homosexuals are literally "wired differently" from birth. However, the psychology of sexuality is very complex and experience - especially early experiences - can affect adult sexuality.

I also personally believe that some degree of bisexuality is much more common than many people care to admit, with it being socially "drummed out" of most people at an early stage.

It definitely is not nurtured or a choice, people are just born how they are, and if they're gay, good for them.

Nature - I know someone who just recently came out as gay. For a long time I guessed that he was (pretty much everyone did although it's no one's place to label him), but of course I am not him so I didn't know how he felt in his head. His mother and father are extreme Christians and I say this because any time he showcased something that wasn't how a boy should act (whether it was hand gestures or a particular way of speaking) he was warned against it and was told not to act that way. His parents did everything in their power for him not to be gay.

He moved away when he started uni and began experimenting and becoming himself. He's openly gay, even to his mother but not to his father. Now, tell me that someone who is brought up in an extreme Christian household and is brought up not to be gay ends up being gay anyway is a result of nurture. It isn't.

Nature I say.

Nature. I'm gay and I certainly didn't choose to be, not nurture atall.

I've had crushes on guys for as long as I can remember, and can even remember being about 5 or 6 and having my parents telling me that they'd disown me if I grew up to be gay, so definitely nature. But if it were a choice I would choose to be gay because who honestly likes straight people unless they're female?

Sexuality isn't a choice, it's something you are simply born with. You can repress your sexuality sure but you can't change it and you'll never be happy if you do because you'll be living a lie.

A straight person will be straight regardless of whatever outside influences were present in their upbringing and it's the same for gay, bi and asexual people too. Sexuality is simply part of your DNA and it cannot be changed.

There is an environmental influence part to it.

e.g. my mum/dad's friend has had bad relationships with men and moved away and her new partner is a woman.

But then others would argue that everybody is a bit 'bisexual' and her bad relationships with men led her to be more open to this.

I dont think sexuality is as simple as youre either born this, that or the other. The people we meet and the experiences we share have an impact. Sure nature may have a big say in it buts its not a 100% deciding factor imo.

I'll Put my hands up, When I was a little younger I used to think it was a case of nurture. I.E if a guy had loads of sisters or something, but now I feel it's just how you are born.

I definitely agree with this. A lot of people say it's because "we only want to poke a toe out of the closet" or "we're being greedy". But I've only ever 'been' with girls; loved being with them, yet I find guys attractive and would happily be with them too. A lot of my mates have admitted to finding other guys attractive and not being opposed to experimenting and stuff, but only admitted it when really drunk.

As for nature vs nurture, I think a lot of different things can influence a persons sexuality but it's predominantly nature.
The whole "my dad was never around, so i'm gay" thing is bull****. :idc:

Well the way I see it, if I feel that I could never have a relationship with a woman, why would it be so weird for a man to feel like that?

I think every individual has their own branch of sexuality, some people are straight, some are gay, some like gingers, some like morbidly obese people, heck one woman even married the Eiffel Tower.

maybe some men choose to fall for men because theyre fundamentally more honest than women

again you try to speak for the whole word, totally ridiculous. how do you know that everyone is excatly the same as you ? you dont. who the heck knows why some are hetro some are bi and some are homosexual? why do some men like big girls, others like skinny ones....some women like muscle some like skinny guys, some like fat baldies with big beards....its a complex matter. which youre trying unsuccessfully to oversimplify to suit your agenda

..I think that the only nurture that may come into it is maybe certain environments etc may make it more difficult for someone to feel they can be open about their sexuality...and people never have to say..oh hey mum/dad, I'm heterosexual, for a lot of people that must be a really difficult thing to have to do ....

I think it's definitely Nature not nurture but I do think ones environment ie Nurture can influence ie delay when the declaration of ones sexuality is made. I think depending on family circumstances and religious persuasions one might delay in announcing the fact.

But Nature decides one sexuality ...

On the flip side as a heterosexual male and thinking of all straight lads I've known I'm pretty sure an overwhelming majority would baulk at the idea of sexual activity with another male as would I.

I'm not gay so I couldn't possibly say how it feels etc but if a gay person tells me that's the way they were born, why would I try to convince them they're wrong? Why would I know better than them? So yeah, I would absolutely take someones first hand experiance as truth and say nature

Really well said and a good summing up of the isuue too Niamh.

Nature. I'm pretty sure gay teens post a high suicide rate, at least comparatively speaking, so why would they choose that and other stigma because they're so insistent on drifting far away from the majority as possible? :shrug:

Nurture = total nonsense.

I think religious Dogma has a lot to answer for, most mainstream religions quote from Holy scriptures which pretty much frown upon same sex unions. These doctrines have created a default position in which Heterosexuality is considered as normal.

Anything else is abnormal or unnatural as only the "normal" man-woman union can result in procreation etc...

This type of bigotry has been endemic across all Social and religious boundaries for centuries and only now in the 21st Century in most developed countries people can finally feel comfortable in declaring their sexuality without fear of persecution.

Unfortunately in some developing countries or within some extremist religions hatred and hostility is still found towards non heterosexual people.

Hopefully as time moves on and as people become more informed and better educated these bigoted views will disappear....!!!!

I must just say I do know a couple of gay people who believe in the nurture theory.

..would you want to share their theory in more detail, just out of interest..?...

Don't think this is a debate tbh.

It's nature and that's it. Some people choose to experiment, others have had some bad experiences that were enough to put them off of the opposite sex, there are the ones who have always been gay but only discover that later in life etc etc. I do not believe for a second you can choose your sexuality.

Well they believe that triggers and influences throughout upbringing at an early age "teach" them to be gay and that if they had been brought up in different ways/environments then they wouldn't be.

It makes it a debate because not everyone agrees with the nature theory.

I know :laugh: I meant it like on a personal level., like it's not something I've ever had a doubt about.

What kind of things do they think trigger homosexuality?

..I guess that's interesting because they've obviously felt that some of their particular experiences could have been an influence and I think that there are things with all of us that we could pick out certain times/experiences etc of childhood and early years and say..oh, I think that might have been a factor in ******being part of my character/because this happened etc..?...but unless they had a different set of experiences in life..(which would never happen..) they would never maybe be convinced that their sexuality would be the same..I believe 'character' is influenced by environment/nature but I don't think that sexuality is character, it's genetic....but yeah, it's quite interesting that those are their thoughts....

The upbringings they have had. They grew up in all female households all their lives.

Up still not sure myself. I believe it's both nature and nurture. I believe many have the tendency to be homosexual/bisexual, but it requires certain triggers for it to develop, and for some people they never encounter those triggers.

There isn't really any difference in the weight of opinion between gay/straight people here. We've all been through the growing up process, and there isn't anything that could have affected my sexuality.

I was attracted to women before I even knew anything about their best bits, or how my bits worked because it was innate. I can still appreciate attractive men, but I just don't believe nurture plays any role in sexuality.

mmm But it's not like all gay men were raised by only females though either

Oh I know that, I don't hold the opinion they do, I was just mentioning it. My opinion is that both play a part in sexuality.

Yeah, i heard that opinion before about being raised by women etc I'm not sure I believe it though by that logic I could have been a lesbian cos I grew in a house with 3 brothers and a dad (my mom was there too) It definitely made me more of a tomboy and less girly but never effected my sexuality