Issues - Gender Bias - the gay gene

The Gay Gene: Two Trait Profiles--Human Handedness & Human Sexual Orientation

From: A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation
Sources: I.C. McManus, "The Inheritance of Left-Handedness," Biological Asymmetry and Handedness, Ciba Foundation Symposium 162. (Chichester) John Wiley & Sons: 1991, 251-267; J. Michael Bailey and Richard Pillard, "A Genetic Study of Male Sexual Orientation," Archives of General Psychiatry 48 (December 1991): 1089-1096; Dean Hamer et al., "A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation," Science 261 (July 16, 1993): 321-327

1Both traits show a very small number of humans are ambioriented. Handedness shows almost none for both men and women--McManus: "Measures of handedness usually show a bimodal distribution with few subjects appearing truly ambidextrous." Sexual orientation, likewise, shows almost none for men but a still small though significant number for women.

2However, may highly influence expression.

3There is currently fierce debate over the existence of a correlation between left-handedness and certain pathologies, most notably schizophrenia. Some researchers assert that handedness, thought to reflect one aspect of brain lateralization, may be a result of a cause--in some manner a concomitant--of schizophrenia's etiology or pathophysiology. A study done by Charles Boklage ("Schizophrenia, brain asymmetry deveopment, and twinning," Biol. Psychiatry 12, 19-35, 1997) powerfully developed the hypothesis, and Nancy Segal ("Origins and implications of handedness and relative birth weight for IQ in monozygotic pairs," Neuropsychology 27, 549-561, 1989) also supports some form of correlation. On the other hand, Luchins et al. (1980) and Lewis et al. (1989), in their respective replication attempts of Boklage's work, found little support, and Gottesman et al. ("Handedness in twins with schizophrenia: was Boklage correct?" Schizophrenia Research 9, 83-85, 1993) conclude that there does not appear to be an association between handedness and schizophrenia. (See Gottesman for a more complete bibliography.) The point, however, is the distinct difference between the trait profile of handedness and that of sexual orientation: while there is clinical debate in scientific and research circles over whether handedness correlates in some way with psychobiological abnormalities, no such debate exists regarding sexual orientation, and neither heterosexuality nor homosexuality are implicated in any mental or physical pathology. [return to footnote 3]

4A subset of gay men show the maternal effect. It does not appear in women. [return to footnote 4]

5"Segregation" is a genetic term of art meaning the way the trait shows up in individuals down through generations. [return to footnote 5]

6Indicates that genetics play a significantly greater role in sexual orientation than in handedness. [return to footnote 6]
'Gay' gene: Fact or fantasy?

Posted: August 3, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
In this age, one of the most difficult issues facing our nation today is the issue of homosexuality. For the most part, homosexuals become extremely offended if one even suggests that their sexual orientation was a choice.
Perhaps the greatest defense for the acceptance of homosexuality is the so-called "gay" gene. While it may not be easy to "come out" of homosexuality, there is credible and substantial evidence disproving the "gay"-gene theory.
The first question is, does the issue of whether homosexuality is a choice, or not, really matter? The Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual-activist group, doesn't think so. "The vast majority of gay people will tell you that same-sex orientation is an innate part of who you are and is not changeable," a spokesman said. "But in the final analysis, it really shouldn't matter."
Whether the sincerity of that statement is valid or not, the simple fact is that whether homosexuality is a genetic trait or not does matter. If homosexuality is genetic and not a choice, then the lifestyle and act must be accepted by everyone, because it cannot be prevented. However, if it is a choice, then anyone has the right to label homosexuality unacceptable and immoral.
The scientific basis the homosexual community uses to prove the "gay"-gene theory are two different studies conducted in 1993 and 1995. The studies found a specific marker in the X chromosome that links to homosexuality in men.
In 1993, biologist Dean Hamer of the National Cancer Institute found that in 40 pairs of homosexual brothers, 33 of them had the same set of DNA sequences in a part of the chromosome called, "Xq28."
This has caused many homosexual leaders to proclaim this "evidence" and demand respect and acceptance of homosexuality because of this apparent genetic trait.
However, in late June of 1995, reports were confirmed that Dean Hamer was being investigated by the Office of Research Integrity at the Department of Health and Human Services. Reports found that Hamer may have selectively reported his research and data – which has led many to question the credibility of his research.
Furthermore, in the late '90s, a team of researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada found no trace or evidence of the "gay" gene in homosexual men. The study found that the region of the X chromosome known as "Xq28" has nothing to do with the sexual "orientation" of a person.
Neurologist George Rice studied the DNA of 52 pairs of homosexual brothers and found that their Xq28 sequences were no more similar than what might happen from sheer chance.
Despite the debunking of evidence to back the "gay"-gene theory, homosexual advocates continue to use the out-dated evidence to promote the existence of a homosexual genetic trait.
Much more evidence can be provided. Identical twins, for instance, share the same set of chromosomal patterns. Therefore, if one twin's DNA has a homosexual genetic trait, then it is inevitable that both twins will be homosexuals. However, that is not the case with all twins. When one twin is homosexual, the probability of the other identical twin being homosexual is 50 percent. Thus, the "gay"-gene theory is, once again, debunked by using logical, scientific research.
Still, there is even more evidence against homosexual genes. If homosexuality is, indeed – despite other evidence – a genetic trait, that gene would eventually be ousted from the gene pool because homosexuals tend not to reproduce. Instead, homosexuality has appeared in civilizations across time. In some parts of the world, homosexuality flourishes, but in other parts of the world, homosexuality is not present.
Additionally, if "gay"-gene theory were true, it would be next to impossible to change the lifestyle to heterosexuality. However, it is not impossible to change sexual orientations – Stephen Bennett is a great example, and so are the thousands of others who have come out of homosexuality.
With this incredible load of evidence mounting up against the "gay"-gene theory, it would be safe to say that homosexuality is actually not something one is born with, but a choice.
Instead of using hard evidence and facts, the homosexual community has stooped so low as to use media to force feed this unproven theory as fact in order to advance their agenda.
Search for behavioral genes 1993
Study Links Genes to Homosexuality reported the Washington Post. Is There a Gay Gene? USA Today chimed in.
A self-proclaimed "obscure molecular geneticist," Dean Hamer, had conducted a study in the early 1990s that showed a correlation of a DNA marker on the X chromosome with homosexual men that was higher than random distribution would have been. The study had looked at extended family histories and at the DNA of gay men. Researchers found that a tiny portion of the X chromosome appeared the same in a surpringly high proportion of gay brothers. Hamer's team did not find a so-called gay gene, but found evidence to suggest such a thing existed. The results were printed in the journal Science in June, 1993, sparking headlines that ranged from seriousness to tabloid silliness.
The article appeared just as President Clinton was pushing for a new policy of tolerance of homosexual people in the armed services. What Hamer, and many others, found was the fact that "the genetics of behavior, and sexuality in particular, is an emotionally and politically charged topic."
Equally as controversial are discussions of genes for intelligence. The X chromosome has helped reveal genes linked to intellectual activity, sparked by the discovery of fragile-X syndrome, the most common form of mental retardation. After Down's syndrome it is the most frequently occurring inherited disease among Westerners. The gene sequence causing fragile-X has been identified, though not entirely understood. It is not an intelligence gene, but one that controls fetal development. Down's syndrome, too, is revealing of the role of genes in development of intellect: most Down's syndrome children are born with an extra copy of one chromosome. This difference amounts to less than 2 percent of the chromosome count, but causes gross impairment of intellect as well as physiological problems. About half of the 50-100 thousand genes individuals inherit from their parents are thought to be involved in brain development. But "nature" is only part of the picture, and its countless twists, turns, and variations make human development far from straightforward.
Advances in the understanding of Alzheimer's disease have helped push discoveries in the relationship of genes and behavior. As with heart disease, a person may have a gene that predisposes him or her to develop symptoms. In some cases the symptoms will occur regardless of behavior, but in most cases there are environmental or "lifestyle" influences that spur development of the disease. Eating fatty foods can cause arteriosclerosis, and drinking lots of aluminum-rich water can cause buildup of amyloid in the brain, a physical cause of Alzheimer's dementia.
The genetic link to a homosexuality and the pursuit of knowledge about each and every human gene has raised ethical and practical questions about searching for genes for violence or aggression, shyness, intelligence, and other behaviors.

What is relevant from the debacle of the Gay gene debate is that either the homosexual lobby who presently control the heterosexual masses suffer from a genetic defect, or they are choosing to act unnaturally.
Both the feminist lobby and the gay lobby have taken over. We want policies that reflect the heterosexual family as the stable base of society. Those who wish to practice deviant behaviours such as sadomasochism may do so in private but please leave the rest of us to enjoy life without witnessing that which we find repellent.