What do you think about homosexuality being a choice.

Always be distrustful of members of a privileged group who claim to be experts on the lives of marginalized people. Because of the way cultural dominance/privilege works, we will always know more about the lives of straight people than they will ever know about our lives. All that is to say, don't trust the crazies.

 

hmm well, I can't say I was born with my sexuality, because I remember being straight until for some reason I liked guys and then only guys :s. It's not really something you choose, you just kinda realize it.

 

I seriously doubt you will find a person who's LGBT and chose to be. It's who we are. That doesn't mean we always know it, that doesn't mean we always like it, but it's who we are. If we could choose it, then, theoretically we could change it. And if we could choose it, then when did straight or cisgendered people decide they would be straight or cisgendered? It's not something you just wake up and decide to try one day.

But not like I need to tell you guys that

 

If it was a choice, it's definitely a big cock-up on my part. I wouldn't choose to recieve hate, and I don't think I've ever seen the straight "group" recieve any hate as a group. Whilst the homosexual (or rather LGBT) "group" has recieved more than enough.

 

There're more options than "I chose to be gay" and "I was born this way." I was born with a semi-fluid sexuality that later firmed up. Had events in my life been different, I might well have ended up straighter than I am. Not by choice, but just because the environment affected my sexuality.

 

Agreed 100%. Neither fully nature or nurture, but rather a melding of both.

 

I really don't think I'm in a position to say how people define their sexualities. That's up to biologists, psychologists and sociologists to explain, in my opinion. However, my personal experience tells me that, even if sexuality depends on non-genetic factors, it's definitely not a choice. I've spent years trying to change the fact that I'm gay, and failed.

 

im rpoude of who i am. but if a year ago you told me i could choose between being straight and being anything GLBYQIA, i would have chosen straight. not because im ashaimed, but even today, my mothers in denial and my grandmother is refusing to even speak to me. if your environment made you gay ot straight, i think my would force me into straightness just for emotional survival. but im still straight as a rainbow!

 

Errr who the heck actually chose "Yes I chose my sexuality"?

 

I posted a link to a site of someone claiming to have chosen to be gay in a thread that was pretty much the same as this one. Nevertheless, the number of people who claim to have chosen to be gay are vastly outnumbered by those who claim that they had no say in the matter.

Personally, I believe exposure to certain types of pornography rendered me attracted to the same-sex, and now I'm left with the emotional debate as to whether or not I fucked up royally or ended up as something beautiful. Whatever it is, I know I don't have as much control over my sexuality as I (probably) had before.

 

Based on my own experience, I never chose my orientation. While sexual orientation has been shown to be somewhat fluid and somewhat affected by environment, I'm of the idea that it's more nature than nurture. Of course, if a study or two were to prove me wrong, I'd be happy to switch my perspective, but the amount of evidence for orientation being primarily nature is somewhat strong.

 

I would like to know when all the straight people in the world consciously sat down and said to themselves, "All right dude... we're gonna be straight. Let's do this."

When I voted, I chose "I was born this way," but honestly, after reading some posts that came before mine, I think it's a little more complicated. Some people internally know super early in the game that they're gay. But for others, it's not as clear right away. Sometimes learning what something is comes in the form of learning what it isn't. As a kid, I really didn't know what " straight" meant until I learned what "gay" meant. The whole thing does require a little education/awareness on the subject, and given the fluidity of sexuality, I think the environment that one grows up in can certainly contribute to how one interprets their sexual orientation. Being a late bloomer myself, that was my experience.

But in terms of "choosing"... no one in their right mind would purposely step into the line of fire that is anti-gay bullying and heterocentric politics. For centuries, people have died because someone didn't like who they were. Gays/lesbians, Jews, blacks, "witches" (thanks, Salem)... this planet really just hasn't figured out how to let the hate go and mind their own bloody business (no pun intended).

 

I was wondering the same thing.

 

It's a little bit of both, but more it's not a choice than anything else. I didn't have gay feelings until I was twelve and I acted upon them almost instantly, but never did so again. Then there was several years of confusion and denial afterwards, but eventually being gay was the most realistic option for me, where as being straight just would've been too much.

So I initially chose to act upon homosexual acts when I was curious, tried it, liked it, regretted it then realised that I was pretty gay. The initial steps were acting upon it, but it had subconsciously been there all my life.

 

I really like the idea of the melding of nature and nurture- I believe that we are both a product of our environment, but there are also these natural tendencies we are born with, and usually, these tendencies outshine our environment, once we are given a chance to realize them. In no way do I think sexuality is a choice. It is absolutely and fundamentally a part of us.

 

I tried very hard for years to be straight, but it just didn't work. It's not a choice.

 

Someone with an opinion.

 

I think the answer depends on one's definition of sexuality. I think people can choose how they express their sexuality, like in terms of dating, hook-ups, and sexual activity. But I think there are so many components that go into someone's personal sense of sexuality that "choosing" doesn't really capture the scope of it.

 

Orientation is not a choice but behavior is. I don't know who the people are that think they've chosen this, but I'd really like to hear their reasoning behind it.