LGBT News New Evidence Sexuality Is Innate

Cool! I thought the test was going to include brain scans or something to check for arousal. I think that would be interesting if it can be measured accurately. Of course no one needs to tell us sexuality is natural and involuntary.

 

I thought this article was hella cool.

 

Well that was a fascinating read =3

 

That was interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

Amazing!! I have to show this to my dad one day - Sexuality obviously is something innate and something that is just within you! Thanks for posting

 

This is more of evidence of how people responds to stimulis at a sexual level, rather than sexuality is always innate. For one thing, none of it rules out the possibility of changes in the brain which results in changes of responses to these pheromones.

Oh, and I'm one of those people who says that sexuality can change, but not by choice. Just under very unlikely circumstances.

 

Such as?

I've never been so I dunno if it's true or not, but my understanding is that if you spend long enough in prison the same sex will start to look pretty attractive to you

^ is only example of sexuality change he could think of.

 

Hmm, the right combination of environment, genetics, and other circumstances (No, I'm not suggesting psychotherapy or any of that junk). I'm not implying that it can happen in a matter of few days, but it can certainly happen slowly. Fluid sexuality is one of those things that happens on it own without one expecting it and those who experienced it can't say it is a choice. I'll cite some few evidences that suggests that sexuality can change for individuals.

"There is a continuing debate about the importance of social versus biological factors in the expression of same-sex attraction. Investigation of prevalence, continuities, and changes over time among young adults growing up in a country with a relatively accepting climate to homosexuality is likely to illuminate this debate. Analyses were therefore undertaken of self-reported same-sex attraction at age 21 and 26, in a cohort of about 1000 people born in 1972/3 in one New Zealand city. Participants were also asked about same-sex behaviour and attitudes to same-sex relationships. By age 26, 10.7% of men and 24.5% of women reported being attracted to their own sex at some time. This dropped to 5.6% of men and 16.4% of women who reported some current same-sex attraction. Current attraction predominantly to their own sex or equally to both sexes (major attraction) was reported by 1.6% of men and 2.1% of women. Occasional same-sex attraction, but not major attraction, was more common among the most educated. Between age 21 and 26, slightly more men moved away from an exclusive heterosexual attraction (1.9% of all men) than moved towards it (1.0%), while for women, many more moved away (9.5%) than towards (1.3%) exclusive heterosexual attraction. "

From the abstract of "Same-sex attraction in a birth cohort: prevalence and persistence in early adulthood."

"We examined reports of sexual orientation identity stability and change over a 10-year period drawing on data fromthe National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS I and II) and tested for three patterns: (1) heterosexual stability, (2) female sexual fluidity, and (3) bisexual fluidity. Fifty-four percent of the 2,560 participants were female and the average age was approximately 47 years. At Wave 1,2,494 (97.42%) reported a heterosexual identity, 32 (1.25%) a homosexual identity, and 34 (1.33%) a bisexual identity and somewhat more than 2% reported a different sexual orientation identity at Wave 2."

From the abstract of "Stability and Change in Sexual Orientation Identity Over a 10-Year Period in Adulthood"

If you read these documents, you might come to the conclusion that sexuality can change for some people. It's just not frequent.

 

I don't know that mine ever really changed, it was more like I put myself in a situation where I realized what it truly was. I have no proof one way or the other though. I believe chemicals do play a part in attraction, or at least with identifying someone. I believe I could've smelled my former partners shirt or smell my current BF's shirt and identify it.



Smell of Attraction - Science of Attraction - YouTube

 

Well there is a mountain of evidence that sexuality is innate, I don't think one can truly "change" their sexuality, but I do think it's more fluid than one may think. That said, I think more people change their sexual identity as they get older because they realize and grow into what they truly are in a sense. Many self proclaimed heterosexuals don't realize they're gay/bi until later in life for example, I think it's a combination of nature and nurture for one to develop their sexuality and then realize it.

 

I think discussing wither sexuality is innate or not does not actually do anything to the discussion of wither it should be changed or not. (I do want the reasons behind it to be clarified as much as possible though, I really find it anti-intellectual to say 'it shouldn't matter').

There is a lot of things that are quiet innate and genetic more than homosexuality will ever be, and it is still considered as something that should be fixed and there is no 'controversy' about it, and is considered as one of the best advancements science has ever made.

I resent the notion that since sexuality is innate then there should be a 'throw your hands up in the air and walk away' approach to it, I would very much like to know if you can control sexuality or not...there are so many sexualities out there aside from the controversial gay/bi/pan that have no access what so ever to any sort of peace of mind, and they do not have anyway out (well aside from sexual amputation).

I'd rather sexuality be something that humanity fully understands, can control and make choices about, in a way where coercion has no place at all. That you can control how future generations will become...like education does.

It doesn't have to be you either are ok with sex or your not...that's like talking about food and then saying you are either for eating or you are not. There are far many details in between.

P.S: Link gives a 404 error.

 

I think the question is, if sexuality is innate, should it be changed or altered? I think having a way to change one's sexuality may present problems, where one may be preferred over the other and those that don't want the change will be more scrutinized against, you know? I think that since we know that sexuality is innate, it's reason to resist change and embrace diversity, but that's just me, I totally see where you're coming from though, studying sexuality is important for a plethora of important reasons, especially since it's not limited to just homosexuality.

 

In my case, it wasn't a case of realization, it was a case of sexual orientation change which is out of my control. I had confirmed that I was heterosexual since the age of 8 (Yes, I had sexual thoughts back then, but knew to keep them to myself), but I am no longer interested into women that way since 16 years old. It's just gone from there. As a 20 years old, I gotta say that this belief of my sexual orientation history is true as if realization is ruled out.