FE1617

FP1617 Final Exam (Essay)

Homosexuality is far beyond what it was previously defined in early history. Homosexuality has been practiced for thousands of years. Simply put, homosexuality can be defined as sexual relations between like genders (i.e., two males or two females). To many people homosexuality is a willful choice. To others, it is due to psychological damage. But to the homosexuals person themselves, it is neither a choice, nor a disease. It is their own identity. To them, homosexuality is not just a #|behavior; it is actually part of who they are. All they want more than anything is to be accepted for who they are, rather than what they are. So in order to understand homosexuality we must first look at the different #|studies that determine whether a person will be homosexual, and what the #|causes are for people to become homosexual.

The first person to research homosexuality was Sigmund Freud, he believed that humans are born with "unfocused sexual libidinal drives"; he then argued that homosexuality might be a deviation from this. Nevertheless, he also felt that certain deeply-rooted forms of homosexuality were impossible to correct and that conversion therapy was mostly useless in these cases. In his research he first "postulated that parental #|relationships with a child ultimately determine the youngster’s sexual orientation. This nurturing aspect has given the way to the “nature” side of the equation." He also stated that he believed that all humans were bisexual, in which he meant that everyone incorporates aspects of both sexes, and that everyone is sexually attracted to both sexes. In another research conducted in the 1990s, many different families were studied that has a #|male child with a homosexual orientation. ''They found out that a right-handed gay man is more likely to have older brothers than an older sister. They also found out that the probability a right- handed male child will #|grow up as a homosexual increased by about 28% to 48% for each brother born before he was.'' They discovered that when a woman is pregnant with a baby boy, scientists began realizing that her female body usually sees the male fetus as a "foreign object" in turn the body begins to produce #|antibodies against the fetus. The more males a woman has the more her body begins feminizing the fetus, which can explain why after every successive boy, the odds that he will be gay go up significantly. This finding suggested the strengths in the hypothesis that homosexuality has a "biological basis." (lifespan development pg. 317) Another #|study that was conducted was that of Identical Twins. Scientists found that 'homosexuality is largely genetic in origin". They said the more closely related a person was to another, the greater the similarity of their sexual orientation would be. "Identical twins have the same or 100% genetic makeup called their genotype, while non-identical or fraternal twins share only 50% of their genes". The difference between these two types of twins provides evidence of a "genetic component". During the study done in 1991 by the Boston #|University, a psychiatrist by the name of Richard Pillard and the Northwestern #|University #|psychologist named J. Michael Bailey, ended up comparing fifty-six "monozygotic" twins which are considered to be (identical), from the same zygote, fifty-four "dizygotic" twins which are (fraternal), and finally fifty-seven genetically unrelated adopted brothers. They had found out that when one identical twin is a gay man, the other twin is likely to end up being gay and the percent is up to 52%, they also found out that when one fraternal twin is gay; the other twin is likely to be gay up to 22% of the time, the percentages far higher in related brothers than if genes played no role in relation.

Many homosexual people are asked, "How did you become gay?" or "why did you turn gay?" There really is no answer among scientists about the exact reasons why an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have really emerged with conclusive evidence that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor. Many think that nature and nurture both play roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation. Sexual orientation can be defined as an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectional attraction that a person feels toward another person. Sexual orientation can fall under a "continuum". Which means that, someone doesn't really have to be exclusively homosexual or heterosexual, but they can have the feeling of attraction for both genders. Sexual orientation develops across a person's lifetime, different people realize it at different moments in their lives. We can start this change during the adolescence period, a period when people separate from their parents and families and begin to develop autonomy. Adolescence can be a period in which experimentation, many question may arise about their sexual feelings. Becoming aware of sexual feelings is a normal developmental task of adolescence. Adolescence that may desire and engage in same-sex behavior but do not identify themselves as a lesbian, gay, or bisexual, it is probably due to the fact that they don’t want a stigma associated with a non heterosexual orientation. Many have also stated that during their teen years, many have recalled during that time, having had homosexual fantasies, few fully accepted their homosexuality while still in the adolescence. (Wong & Tang, 2004) Instead, the final steps toward full awareness and to be able to accept of one’s homosexuality appear to take place during early adulthood. (Lifespan development pg. 317)

Homosexuality has developed into a scientific trait instead of being referred to as an individual’s sexual preference. Although some studies have been inconclusive, research suggests that homosexuality is not a disease but rather a product of many factors. I believe personally, homosexuality is based on a personal preference and that one chooses to be homosexual on their own.

**__Work Cited __** "Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture?-Part 2 of 5-Studies Show Gay Rights Is A Civil Rights Issue." Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture?-Part 2 of 5-Studies Show Gay Rights Is A Civil. Rights Issue. N.p.,n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 201. [].

"Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality." Sexual Orientation, Homosexuality and Bisexuality. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2012. [].

"Sigmund Freud's Views on Homosexuality." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 03 Aug. 2012.

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"This Is the Way God Made Meâ." Science vs. the "Gay Gene" N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2012. [] .

**__Books Cited __**

Boyd, Denise Roberts., Helen L. Bee, and Helen L. Bee. Lifespan Development. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006. Print. Page 317

Wolff, Robert Paul. About Philosophy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1976. Print.