What Does Science Say?
Written by: Frank Carrasco | April 9th, 2009
The headline in the July 16th, 1993 issue of the Wall Street Journal read “Research Points Towards Gay Gene.” It was a headline that ran in papers across the nation. This instance was speaking about a research study a scientist by the name of Dean Hamer had conducted where he suggested that based on his findings, Homosexuality may actually be an inborn trait rather than learned.
This was not the first study of its kind, neither would it be the last. For years, scientists have been trying to discover the etiology (or cause) of same gender attractions. Far from purely scientific the research has political consequences as well. Studies have shown that the public’s beliefs about the origins of sexual orientation are directly correlated to their attitude regarding homosexuality and serve to further political causes. As such a lot of the science has fallen into the hands of political Ideologies. But apart from the politics of science, what does the research actually say? Is homosexuality learned or innate? Furthermore, is change possible? (keep reading…)