Towards the end of June (29, 30) 2008, there were gay parades in different parts of country. It is only a matter of time that India government de-criminalizes this behavior probably as measure to 'curb' AIDS, or extend 'human rights' or to accept what is 'scientific'. However, as concerned citizens of India and Biblically faithful Christians, we oppose the so-called gay rights. It is the intention of Sakshi Research Team to introduce the sound research materials available in the internet to our readers. We also plan to undertake a few campaigns in Universities against this 'gay rights' at a later stage. We start this series with an important question- Are Homosexuals Born that Way? Science does not support the claim that homosexuality is genetically determined.

 

The so-called scientific studies are majorly of three types- (1) gene "linkage" studies (2) brain dissections; (3) twin studies. There are also other studies on the mothers of gays, studies done on animals etc. One can read all those in the website we have given at the end of this article.

  1. Gene Linkage Studies Claim: In July of 1993, the prestigious research journal Science published a study by Dean Hamer which claims that there might be a gene for homosexuality.

Methodology: However, Dean Hamer and his colleagues had performed a common type of behavioral genetics investigation called the "linkage study." Researchers identify a behavioral trait that runs in a family, and then:

  • Look for a chromosomal variant in the genetic material of that family, and
  • Determine whether that variant is more frequent in family members who share the particular trait.

What it means:  To the layman, the "correlation" of a genetic structure with a behavioral trait means that trait "is genetic"-in other words, inherited.  In fact, it means absolutely nothing of the sort, and it should be emphasized that there is virtually no human trait without innumerable such correlations.

From the Horse Mouth: Researchers' public statements to the press are often grand and far-reaching. But when answering the scientific community, they speak much more cautiously.  "Gay gene" researcher Dean Hamer was asked by Scientific American if homosexuality was rooted solely in biology. He replied:

"Absolutely not. From twin studies, we already know that half or more of the variability in sexual orientation is not inherited. Our studies try to pinpoint the genetic factors…not negate the psychosocial factors."

(Excerpted and Adapted from http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html)

  1. Brain Study Claim: In August of 1991, a San Francisco neuroanatomist, Simon LeVay, published an article in the respected journal Science. It reported his finding that a localized cluster (a "nucleus") of cells in the brains of "homosexual" men was twice as large by volume on autopsy as in "heterosexual" men.{2} "Homosexual" and "heterosexual" are in quotations here because in this particular study the definitions of each were extremely imprecise, nor was there any way of verifying sexual orientation, as the subjects were dead.

Fact: The Brain's Structure Changes with Use

Even if actually present, however, the discovery of brain differences per se is on a par with the discovery that athletes have bigger muscles than nonathletes. For though a genetic tendency toward larger muscles may make it easier to become an athlete, and therefore one will more likely become an athlete, becoming an athlete will also certainly give one bigger muscles. The layperson, encouraged by press accounts, is apt to assume that brain differences must be innate and unchangeable, especially differences in the number of cells as contrasted with the simple volume occupied by a collection of cells. We tend to think of mind as "software" and brain as "hardware," the former plastic and changeable, the latter fixed at birth. We have used this analogy already to good advantage. But the analogy breaks down at a certain point. Various processes go on throughout life: the selective death of brain cells in response to training or trauma, the establishment of new connections between cells, dramatic increases or decreases in the "thickness" of connections between cells as a result of learning, the loss of interneuronal connections through "pruning." Very unlike our modern computers, the brain's software is its hardware. We know from animal studies that early experience, and especially traumatic experience (this has special pertinence with respect to the childhood histories of male homosexuals as we will discuss later), alters the brain and body in measurable ways. Thus infant monkeys who are repeatedly and traumatically separated from their mothers suffer more or less permanent alterations in both blood chemistry and brain function.

Some Lifestyle-Induced Brain Changes

Likewise, in individuals who became blind as adults and then learned Braille, the part of the brain governing the right index finger became progressively enlarged. And just this year, researchers reported measurable increases in brain tissue associated with learned sexual activity in rats.{10}

The editor of Nature commented on the LeVay research:

Plainly, the neural correlates of genetically determined gender are plastic at a sufficiently early stage…. Plastic structures in the hypothalamus allowing the consequences of early sexual arousal to be made permanent might suit [those who claim an environmental origin to homosexuality] well.

(Excerpted and adapted from http://www.narth.com/docs/bioresearch.html)

  1. Twin Studies

Claim: Twin studies in their modern form investigate both identical and fraternal twins, but this article emphasizes studies of identical twins, which are sufficient for our purposes. Studies of non-identical twins are detailed elsewhere.

Earlier studies mostly used informal or "snowball" samples of twins recruited from gay and lesbian associations, and by advertisements (e.g. 2,3). Such studies are possibly biased by the nature of twins who volunteer, but even so, if one identical twin was homosexual, only about half the time was the co-twin concordant (i.e. also homosexual).

Better research, however, was based on twins who were recruited for other reasons, and only subsequently asked about their sexual orientation. These are known as "registry" studies, and they similarly gave a concordance rate between identical twins of less than 50%. There have been two major published registry studies (4,5), one based on the Minnesota Registry, the other on the Australian Registry. The larger of the two registry studies is the Australian one, done by Bailey, Martin and others at the University of Queensland. Using the 14,000+ Australian twin collection, they found that if one twin was homosexual, 38% of the time his identical brother was too. For lesbianism the concordance was 30%. Whether 30% or 50% concordance (snowball samples), all the studies agree it is clearly not 100%.

The critical factor is that if one identical twin is homosexual, only sometimes is the co-twin homosexual. There is no argument about this in the scientific community.

Interpretation

Identical twins have identical genes. If homosexuality was a biological condition produced inescapably by the genes (e.g. eye color), then if one identical twin was homosexual, in 100% of the cases his brother would be too. But we know that only about 38% of the time is the identical twin brother homosexual. Genes are responsible for an indirect influence, but on average, they do not force people into homosexuality. This conclusion has been well known in the scientific community for a few decades (e.g. 6) but has not reached the general public. Indeed, the public increasingly believes the opposite.

Identical twins had essentially the same upbringing. Suppose homosexuality resulted from some interaction with parents that infallibly made children homosexual. Then if one twin was homosexual, the other would also always be homosexual. But as we saw above, if one is homosexual, the other is usually not. Family factors may be an influence, but on average do not compel people to be homosexual.

(Excerpted and adapted from http://www.narth.com/docs/whitehead2.html)

A Must Read Site to Understand Flaws The "Scientific" Argument for Homosexuality http://www.narth.com/menus/born.html

 {moscomment}