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Is Homosexuality A Choice?

Is Homosexuality A Choice?

  • Yes

    Votes: 33 15.9%
  • No

    Votes: 136 65.7%
  • Maybe/Don't Know

    Votes: 38 18.4%

  • Total voters
    207
I certainly believe that some people can choose their sexuality.

But just because you were a boy and into boyish things when you were a boy doesn't have anything to do with sexual orientation. Its really not very easy to see it in kids that young. I was just like any other boy but when those teen years came I fancied the other boys, frankly it disgusted me but I simply c couldn't help it. It wasn't a choice for me, of it was I likely wouldn't have been gay.

To be clear I never claimed that there are not homosexuals that cant change their sexuality.

I was just trying to make it clear that some people can choose and the existence of those people does not in any way shape or form make people similar to yourself illegitimate. You are what you are which is just a human being nothing more or nothing less. Yours and my sexuality in the large scheme of things doesnt matter. Who I am wouldn't be significantly different if I were gay, just small details. I would still be me just with a different sexual orientation. Male, female gay or not gay or whatever people are people and they are all basically the same. No orientation is the best, they just exist and thats that.
 
You basically asked me the same thing. Were the circumstances right to know you weren't heterosexual. I have you a long thoughtful response, I didn't through red herrings.

You would likely know you were asexual before screwing objects such as dogs and human remains. This post was beneath you.

I did not basically ask you the same thing.
 
No, dogs can't consent. But when I shop for cars, I try them out. Kick the tires. I didn't marry the first female I won't out with. I checked more than a few out. You can't really choose if you don't.

You certainly could choose a wife without having sex with her. And many people have married without having sex before marriage. Its just your subjective opinion that you cant.

Most people how can choose their sexuality probably did so as virgins. ANd those that cant choose their sexuality had no need to kick the tires.

Its all very subjective.
 
Homosexuals merely become homosexual to annoy Conservatives. I'm convinced of it.

The options are limited to nature/nurture. That's probably a mistake.
 
In their paper, "Homosexuality as a Consequence of Epigenetically Canalized Sexual Development", Rice et al. hypothesize that heritable epigenetic markers play a role leading to homosexuality (Rice et al., 2012). They build off of the prenatal androgen paradigm, which attributes sexual development to fetal testosterone concentrations, and add the ammendment that specific epi-marks affect fetal testosterone sensitivity (Figure 1). Usually, these epi-marks are not heritable. However, occasionally they do get passed down to the next generation. The Rice et al. model predicts that testosterone sensitizing epi-marks originate from the father, while testosterone desensitizing epi-marks originate from the mother. With increased testosterone sensitivity, an XX fetus goes through masculinization (the degree depending on multiple epi-marks and other factors). Similarly, with decreased testosterone sensitivity, an XY fetus goes through feminization to some extent. Depending on the degree of feminization of masculinization, homosexuality can theoretically result (Figure 2).

A1_Fig1.jpg

Figure 1. The Sexual Dimorphism Signaling Pathway

A1_Fig2.jpg

Figure 2. SA-Epi-Marks and Homosexuality
Yes .. making homosexuality a birth defect .. and, without question, not a choice.

However, in the not too distant future, just like scientists discovered a supplement remedy for the woman to take to greatly prevent the epigenetically inculcated birth defect of spina bifida, so too will they soon find a supplement for the woman to take to prevent this epigenetically inculcated birth defect.

Regardless, clearly, homosexuality is simply not a choice.
 
Ooooookay. Given that you are resorting to personal attacks at this point, I'm going to call that a win on my part. You clearly WANT to believe that homosexuality is a mental health problem. Good luck with that.

Claiming evidence is a personal attack now, please try to remain in your adult mind when posting to me.
 
You certainly could choose a wife without having sex with her. And many people have married without having sex before marriage. Its just your subjective opinion that you cant.

Most people how can choose their sexuality probably did so as virgins. ANd those that cant choose their sexuality had no need to kick the tires.

Its all very subjective.

I would have certainly made sure there was a connection. We'd have kissed and necked a bit. You actually skipping the point. Try to grasp the concept.
 
I don't dismiss it. I recognize it as inconclusive. You don't expect me to accept inconclusive research do you? Do you accept it, CriticalThought? The studies themselves say that they are merely suggestive.

I am looking for you to post any non anecdotal evidence to support your conclusion. Incomplete evidence is better than none.
 
Revolutionary isn't it? sorry i'm tired. I'm saying we are all the same as far as we are all bisexual. On top of that lowest common denominator, the choice to live as a bisexual, homo or hetero are the minor differences among us. Those little lifestyle choices, different as they may be, do not trump our common ability to make different choices. If you call me crazy I won't argue. I believe my ideas are possible though.

Unfounded. Some people, most people in fact, do not get aroused by the same sex. You are calling the vast majority of society a bunch of liars.





yes. we all rationalize. that goes back to turning ideas around in our heads until we find the side we are comfortable with. we are all biased. If we disagree, then it is clear that we must be biased.

You look for comfort I look for empirical truth.

I don't hav any evidence that homosexuality can be changed.

Thank you. I have evidence it cannot be charged and it is harmful and wrong to try.

I think the existence of bisexuals supports my idea though. I think prison behavior and navy ship behavior and monastery behavior and boy-scout camp behavior support my idea that attractions can change. If coffee can be an acquired taste, why not gay sex? nah. that's crazy. In a small town, fat chics with pretty faces are all 10's. Beauty and sexual desire are in the eye of the beholder. There are deep-seated(seeded?) reasons why we are scared to contemplate the possibility of having choice in the matter.

I work at a prison. It is not a natural setting for humans. The need for contact is greater than even the need for sex and people will get that contact any way they can.
 
I would have certainly made sure there was a connection. We'd have kissed and necked a bit. You actually skipping the point. Try to grasp the concept.

What is this concept that you want me to grasp here? So far I think that you are claiming that you cant make a decision sexually without trying out everything first. Which cant really be what you are saying. So since you believe that I skipped the point please make the point clear.
 
I hear what you are saying. What are the ... the... mechanisms, if you will, that allow a gay man to have sex and achieve orgasm with a woman before coming out? In other words, how does he get to orgasm without being attracted to the woman? Is it simply a matter of enjoying the friction? That would require him to ignore the thoughts that say "yuck, a woman!" and focus more intently on the physical feedback. This requires that a choice be made. He chooses to suppress his ... distaste, disgust, whatever term.. and focus on the friction, perhaps to ficus on the mental picture of a man. That takes mental power. It starts with a choice.

I sympathize with homosexuals who committed suicide. I disagree that they cannot choose to be straight. If one can Choose to end their life, against all instincts to survive, and preferences to survive, surely one can choose to be gay or straight, which doesn't have (seemingly) as dire consequences as suicide. Of course, I understand that perceptions can be distorted in someone who takes their own life.
Yes, he enjoys the feeling, even though it is a woman. And he may even fantasize about men while with the woman. People masturbate, even without any visual porn, but that doesn't mean they are attracted to themselves.

How on earth does focusing on a mental picture of a man while having sex with the woman mean the man is straight? You are only further proving the reality that homosexuality is not a choice. Why to homosexuals commit suicide then? Why don't they just choose to be straight? Here is a challenge for you: choose to be gay. Try really hard. You seem so sure its a choice--make it yourself. Then, once you have proven it, choose to be straight again. No long term problems. It would be incredibly easy to prove it were all a choice if you could do that...but you can't.

Sexuality is not a choice. Period.
 
What is this concept that you want me to grasp here? So far I think that you are claiming that you cant make a decision sexually without trying out everything first. Which cant really be what you are saying. So since you believe that I skipped the point please make the point clear.

You must be able to realistically consider sex with both sexes as a possibility. Kissing someone of the same sex must be seen as enjoyable, just as enjoyable as with the opposite sex. Just as we pet and neck with one sex growing up, to be a choice, we must do the same with the other. Otherwise, the choice is not a choice. Something else is dictating what we do.
 
Homosexuality: The Mental Illness That Went Away

According to the American Psychiatric Association, until 1974 homosexuality was a mental illness. Freud had alluded to homosexuality numerous times in his writings, and had concluded that paranoia and homosexuality were inseparable. Other psychiatrists wrote copiously on the subject, and homosexuality was “treated” on a wide basis. There was little or no suggestion within the psychiatric community that homosexuality might be conceptualized as anything other than a mental illness that needed to be treated. And, of course, homosexuality was listed as a mental illness in DSM-II.

http://www.behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2011/10/08/homosexuality-the-mental-illness-that-went-away/
And like all science that turns out to be wrong, that is no longer the accepted belief. Giving an outdated definition of homosexuality does not prove you right. Just like giving an outdated study saying blacks are inherently stupider than whites wouldn't debunk current science that says that is BS.
 
And like all science that turns out to be wrong, that is no longer the accepted belief. Giving an outdated definition of homosexuality does not prove you right. Just like giving an outdated study saying blacks are inherently stupider than whites wouldn't debunk current science that says that is BS.

Lack of reading comprehension? try re-reading, your retort makes absolutely no sense
 
Lack of reading comprehension? try re-reading, your retort makes absolutely no sense

It makes perfect sense. Science has at many points in history refuted it's previous findings, especially where newer and better methods/equipment have been developed and as new discoveries change what we can test on any given issue/topic.item.
 
It makes perfect sense. Science has at many points in history refuted it's previous findings, especially where newer and better methods/equipment have been developed and as new discoveries change what we can test on any given issue/topic.item.

It was voted off, not proven by science, so no, it makes absolutely no sense.
 
I picked maybe. The reason is because I have gay friends who have never felt sexually attracted to the opposite sex (which leads me to believe it is not always a choice). But I also know people who have considered themselves gay/lesbian at one point but 'switched back' later on. Even then, I wouldn't say it is 100% 'choice'. For example, one friend of mine was a lesbian from elementary school through most of high school. As a child she was molested by a male adult. This led her to distrust all men and become attracted only to females. When it comes to homosexuality, I don't think it's as black-and-white as either side makes it out to be. I believe some are born gay, and I believe some 'choose' to be gay based upon environment and past experiences.
 
I picked maybe. The reason is because I have gay friends who have never felt sexually attracted to the opposite sex (which leads me to believe it is not always a choice). But I also know people who have considered themselves gay/lesbian at one point but 'switched back' later on. Even then, I wouldn't say it is 100% 'choice'. For example, one friend of mine was a lesbian from elementary school through most of high school. As a child she was molested by a male adult. This led her to distrust all men and become attracted only to females. When it comes to homosexuality, I don't think it's as black-and-white as either side makes it out to be. I believe some are born gay, and I believe some 'choose' to be gay based upon environment and past experiences.
Human sexual orientation, likes most things, grades on a curve.
 
Of course its a choice, like any other human behavior
to believe otherwise shrinks a basic grasp of reality?
 
Of course its a choice, like any other human behavior
to believe otherwise shrinks a basic grasp of reality?
A true believer in Free Will I see? It's a shame that science has pretty much proven that to be bunk, but that's not to say that people don't choose one side or the other, and switch from time to time. As the old joke goes, being bisexual instantly doubles your chances of getting laid on Saturday night.
 
I can't be held responsible for my actions
I was born this way
society is to blame
I had a bad home life
Now I will say that I've known a very few homosexuals over the decades that were definitely 'born that way'
but at the end of the day any non-deranged human being is in control of and responsible for their actions.
the poll question was: " Is Homosexuality A Choice"
hmm no wait a minute, if you are hetero and choose to be celibate does that mean what? ;)
 
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