Words: 656
Despite popular belief, sexual orientation Is based on multiple factors that can’t be controlled. By puberty, your sexual orientation Is decided upon based on multiple biological factors and there is no changing it though people still try. Those who believe that sexual orientation is biologically disposed also express more accepting attitudes toward homosexual people. Homosexuality is estimated to be in 3 percent of men and 1 to 2 percent of women.
Because our world is so fitted for heterosexual people, it can make being homosexual difficult because they often feel rejected by parents or harassed by peers and will lead to seclude If these two factors are severe enough. But scientists have pinned three mall biological theories to what decides homosexuality which are brain differences, genetic Influences, and prenatal influences. Simon Leave studies sections of the hypothalamus and found something interesting.
Straight males had a larger cell cluster than women and homosexual men. He did Identify that the hypothalamus Is not the sexual orientation center but n Important part of the neural pathway engaged In sexual behavior. “Gay men simply don’t have the brain cells to be attracted to women. ” (Leave, The Sexual Brain). This formation of larger cell cluster is found to be produced in the early postnatal or prenatal stage. Another brain deference includes a hormone-derived sexual sent that lights up the hypothalamus.
When straight women are given a whiff of a scent from a men’s sweat a spot in their hypothalamus lights up In the area for sexual arousal and vice versa with men. The same affect occurs for homosexual men and women as well UT for the same-sex not the opposite. Homosexuality is proven to be somewhat influenced my genes. Homosexuality appears to run in families and identical twins are more likely than fraternal twin to share a homosexual orientation.
Because sexual orientation differs in many identical twin pairs we know that other factors besides genes are also at work. Proof that homosexuality is caused to a certain degree Is proven when the sexual attraction In fruit flies was genetically manipulated by the exchange of one gene. In humans, ultimate genes supposedly cause homosexuality and this Is also shown through Klan selection. Homosexuals can’t reproduce so the only way for the “gay gene” to carry on would be if the homosexual’s relatives pass on their families’ gene pool to the next generation.
It is found that male homosexuality often appears to be transmitted from the mother’s side of the family. This is thought to be because the gene that disposes women to be strongly attracted to men also dispose men to be attracted to men. Prenatal Influences are studied by looking closely at Identical and fraternal twins. After looking at their elevated rates of sexual orientation it is suggested that prenatal influences are a factor.
This is proven when during a critical period, testosterone was given to fetal rats which changed their offspring’s sexual orientation. This critical period for the human brain exists between the middle of the second and fifth months after conception. Exposure to the hormone levels typically experienced by female fetus during this time appears to predispose the person to be attracted to not only will the fetus be predisposed to being homosexual but it will also carry a lot f the same traits as the opposite sex and even qualities like spatial ability.
Prenatal influences also include the fraternal birth order effect. This says the right-handed men with several older biological brothers are more likely to be gay, possibly due to a maternal immune-system reaction. Ray Blanchard suspects a defense maternal immune response to a foreign substances produced by male fetus and each additional pregnancy increases the strength of the antibodies increasing the chance that the fetus will not form correctly. This effect only occurs in males.