If the environment influences sexuality, what are the factors?

[Étoile]

Most gays believe that homosexuality is 100% biological. On the other hand, some say that homosexuality's mostly biological with some environmental factors and others may state it's mostly or all environmental. If the latter's true, what in the environment could shape or sway a child's orientation?

what has environment got to do with your sexuality? i dont see the link. who actually said that in the first place?

[Étoile]

I don't have a specific link, but there've been threads here on EC discussing this topic and I've seen people say that it's mostly biological with some environmental factors and there've been articles where scientists stating both biology and the environment plays a role. I wanted those who said the environment plays a part to elaborate on what in the environment they believe could shape sexual orientation.

I believe sexuality is predominantly if not solely due to biological factors. But if there were environmental factors... I voted for "Absent/Distant/Aggressive same-sex parent and overbearing opposite-sex parent" since that's the only one that would apply to myself and the only one I can see influencing sexual orientation. Gender expression doesn't really affect who you're attracted to, which I think is shown by the population of EC: many, many people attracted to their own gender without wanting/trying to belong to the other. And I had plenty of male friends as a kid (not that I have any nowadays). My mom is severely controlling and dominant while my dad is not, but I don't really think that made me gay.

interesting. i will be keeping tabs on this thread anyways.

out of curiosity, do u think environment has anything to do with sexuality?

scrub that im guessin you were the other person that voted no.

[Emberstone]

my brother and I grew up in the same enviorment... but he is straight, and I am gay.

my mother had two miscarriages between having my brother, and me, and if both were boys, that might fit in with the biological view that the more boys a woman is pregnat with, the higher the chance with each that they are gay. Not entirely sure if thats true for me, but it might be.

thats funny. my mum had 3 boys and so far im the only one she has 'worries' about lool. im also the oldest. my younger bro is a ladys man. sleeps around alot. kinda disgusting in my book. my youngest bro is too young to even know about sex. or is he?

[Maddy]

Both my parents played a pretty equal role in raising me and my father's far from overbearing, I had female friends and role models as well as male when I was a kid, the female gender role was pretty much what I followed and I enjoyed it, and my sister grew up in the exact same situation as me and is straight. So I have to vote none of the above.

[Brandford]

I do believe its environmental in a sense but not what that poll states, I believe everyone is Bisexual (between 1 and 6) and growing up, people tend to grow mental blocks toward the same sex. What I mean is I believe that people tend to block themselves from thinking of the same sex as anything but friends but that block can be broken down. Sometimes over time and many times its from one single event (like someone getting sexually abused). I've been thinking about it alot and it seems the most logical reason. Gay men who say they are 100% gay are either lying, they haven't met the right girl, or they have somehow developed a block towards women instead. I also have determined that Male "blocks" are stronger than female blocks because guys are far more insecure and society is harder on homosexual men than it is on homosexual women. I've determined this because I've met alot of straight women who either still do or have messed around with other women (usually while drunk or on a drug) and with men you couldnt get a straight guy in bed no matter how drunk you got him. Ive also determined that this block doesn't develop until puberty hits when they finally start hearing all the negative comments about gay people. This is why its rare to find a guy straight, gay bi or whatever that hasn't messed around with other boys before puberty, most say they were "practicing for girls". As said before any matter of things can bring these walls down falling in love with the same sex, being sexually abused, a single kiss and pretty much anything like that. I was straight before my only best friend moved away and i realized my feelings for him, so thats when my barrier broke down. Other people in that situation might have been to put it back up, where as im the kind of person who doesn't care about what anyone thinks so I really never had that "hate being gay or bi" thing. Oh and some people's "blocks" never actually develop, sometimes by coincidence and sometimes because they didnt grow up around bigotry. And some peoples "blocks" just grow in the direction of the opposite sex for reasons i havent figured out yet.

Sorry for the long post but I've been thinking about this quite a bit and to me is makes sense.

[Just Adam]

i believe no single factor shapes you in your environment, what you are is biological its just your environment allows you to experience explore and think about yourself ...

beeing in the uk we are very mulitcultural with many types of people and cultures and experince them on daily basis.

perhaps the distance between my farther and me when growing up and an over bearing female presence does play a part but i still had male influence i just think the vast broad environment im in allowed me to think openly un refined and not sheltered from things and i was never taught things were bad and wrong not race and sexuality anyway. now im surrunded by that but it doesent sway me as i know aslong as your a good careing person just be who you are.

[littledinosaurs]

Biological and Environmental are not different always different.
What you mean is it Environmental factors or Genetic factors.
There can be biological factors that come from your environment.

I believe that most of it would come from someone's genes, but I believe there has to be some environmental factors that play a role in it. Specifically certain hormones/chemicals that a fetus is exposed to could play some role in sexuality.
I also think a sexually abusive adult in a child's life could greatly change their sexuality

I think it's impossible to say that it's fully one way or the other. Both Genetics and the environment work together to shape everything about us.
Example: Monkeys have a genetic disposition to learn to fear snakes. They are not born fearing snakes, but when they see another monkey (or themselves) get attacked a gene is activated and they gain a phobia. It is very difficult to teach a monkey to fear flowers thought, because there is no genetic link to it. (I read this in an article that was dicussing Nature & Nurture)

[Hoppip]

As for factors contributing to sexuality, definitely an inflationary spike in GDP with a very low, overly productive unemployment rate. When demand-pull inflation begins to spiral out of control and the Fed is unable to control spending by jacking up the prime rates, little boys start playing with Barbies. It's all a downward spiral from there.

Originally Posted by Brandford

<snip>
Gay men who say they are 100% gay are either lying, they haven't met the right girl, or they have somehow developed a block towards women instead.
<snip snip>

I disagree with your theory, especially this part. I'm pretty much 100% gay--I've never been sexually attracted to a woman. I wouldn't lie about that, especially not here on EC. I don't see how I've not met "the right girl," since I do become emotionally attracted to some girls. And because of that, I don't see how I'd have a block towards women when I'm attracted to them emotionally. While it's nice in theory to think that everyone is bisexual, it just doesn't work in the real world.

[Brandford]

Originally Posted by Drizzt DoUrden

I disagree with your theory, especially this part. I'm pretty much 100% gay--I've never been sexually attracted to a woman. I wouldn't lie about that, especially not here on EC. I don't see how I've not met "the right girl," since I do become emotionally attracted to some girls. And because of that, I don't see how I'd have a block towards women when I'm attracted to them emotionally. While it's nice in theory to think that everyone is bisexual, it just doesn't work in the real world.

I haven't really figured it all out, its just a theory, I just refuse to believe anyone is a 100% anything based on previous experience, but I haven't figured out enough to go to a big debate about it.

[Pseudojim]

a society in which many people hold same-sex relationships in low regard, i would think

[pirateninja]

I reckon it's biological. Although many people may be different. For me, I have VERY male characteristics; such as the "masculine fingers", a low voice, pretty strong jawbone and broad shoulders. For as long as I can remember, I've been butch. My sister on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She is completely femme. We have both been raised exactly the same, and if upbringing had anything to do with it, I reckon there would at least be SOME similarities. My mom has always said that I was different growing up, even from an early age.

[Greggers]

Seeing as i grew up with a mother who was not overbearing, a father who was not distant, a strong conservative christian upbringing, a christian elementary and high school, church since i was born, never knew a single gay person in real life (till this day even), didnt know ABOUT homosexuality until after i knew i was a homosexual, and was told by my friends/family/teachers/pastors being gay was wrong...

...i dont think the environment "made me gay" (crying every night praying to God to "fix you" kind of means your environment has little control over it)

[Meropspusillus]

It's not genetics I imagine (because you can have identical twins where one is straight and the other gay). But at the same time I think it's a biological thing, having to do with prenatal hormones and all that.

[Taylor]

My brother and I were raised in basically the same way in the same environment. He is absolutely straight, I know I'm gay. Sure there were some things but I even remeber when I was in kindergarten (i know SUPER early ha ha ha) I saw one of my friends, a girl, private parts, and i was disgusted even at that age ha ha. It has been prooven though that if you have older brothers and you are a boy, the chances go up for you to be gay. So there's more evidence to suggest that it's biological. Otherwise people could "convert" others into being gay (ha ha yeah right)

[RaeofLite]

Originally Posted by Felismargarita

It's not genetics I imagine (because you can have identical twins where one is straight and the other gay). But at the same time I think it's a biological thing, having to do with prenatal hormones and all that.

...Really? Well... that's how twins are fertilized. And in the case where one twin is gay and one isn't, I'm pretty sure it's because one twin recieves less testosterone or other hormones than the other one. But studies have suggested this is 'after' the twins split apart from one another, meaning that they don't have influence over one another's orientation.

Originally Posted by pirateninja

I reckon it's biological. Although many people may be different. For me, I have VERY male characteristics; such as the "masculine fingers", a low voice, pretty strong jawbone and broad shoulders. For as long as I can remember, I've been butch. My sister on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She is completely femme. We have both been raised exactly the same, and if upbringing had anything to do with it, I reckon there would at least be SOME similarities. My mom has always said that I was different growing up, even from an early age.

Hell ya. I'm fairly similar. I just didn't feel the "femine appeal" growing up. Though I still feminize myself once in a while..