Knowledge At Birth: Sexual Orientation
On June 26, 2015, gay marriage was recognized as legal throughout all 50 United States. The challengers to this change of law question it for many reasons. Some use religious examples, others say it is a persons choice not to be heterosexual. Those that argue that being anything other than heterosexual is a choice, generally seem to believe that by making that "choice", they should inherently lose the rights associated with being heterosexual. Others argue that a person's sexual orientation is present at birth, and therefore, not a choice at all.
"One of the most consistent correlates of sexual orientation in men is birth order." In a study by Anthony F. Bogaert and Jian Lu, published in the Journal of Biosocial Science in 2006, the authors insist that heterosexuality is caused by maternal age, as well as, birth order. For example, having a young mother and multiple siblings at the time of birth, increases the
likelihood that the fetus will become gay (see graph). If this is the case, then whether or not a person is homosexual is not a choice, but rather a predetermined state of being.
"US researchers are finding common biological traits among gay men, feeding a growing consensus that sexual orientation is an inborn combination of genetic and environmental factors that largely decide a person's sexual attractions before they are born." One such example was provided in a statement by Michael Bailey, referencing children who were born without, or with malformed genitalia. Bailey stated "If you can't make a male attracted to other males by cutting off his penis, castrating him and rearing him as a girl, then how likely is any social explanation of male homosexuality?" he said. Research supports the possibilities of genetics, birth order, maternal age as possible precursors to homosexuality.
On June 26, 2015, gay marriage was recognized as legal throughout all 50 United States. The challengers to this change of law question it for many reasons. Some use religious examples, others say it is a persons choice not to be heterosexual. Those that argue that being anything other than heterosexual is a choice, generally seem to believe that by making that "choice", they should inherently lose the rights associated with being heterosexual. Others argue that a person's sexual orientation is present at birth, and therefore, not a choice at all.
"One of the most consistent correlates of sexual orientation in men is birth order." In a study by Anthony F. Bogaert and Jian Lu, published in the Journal of Biosocial Science in 2006, the authors insist that heterosexuality is caused by maternal age, as well as, birth order. For example, having a young mother and multiple siblings at the time of birth, increases the
likelihood that the fetus will become gay (see graph). If this is the case, then whether or not a person is homosexual is not a choice, but rather a predetermined state of being.
"US researchers are finding common biological traits among gay men, feeding a growing consensus that sexual orientation is an inborn combination of genetic and environmental factors that largely decide a person's sexual attractions before they are born." One such example was provided in a statement by Michael Bailey, referencing children who were born without, or with malformed genitalia. Bailey stated "If you can't make a male attracted to other males by cutting off his penis, castrating him and rearing him as a girl, then how likely is any social explanation of male homosexuality?" he said. Research supports the possibilities of genetics, birth order, maternal age as possible precursors to homosexuality.