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Societies that embraced homosexuality, Greece and Rome, at different times in thier history show a strong societal influence. If society and media support it, and it is accepted as normal, you will adapt to it.
I voted in nurture, but honestly, it's probably a bit of both. I say nurture mostly because people don't really 'know' their sexual orientation until puberty. Some don't even know until later. It's complex.
I know many say nature because then you get to say it's natural, but frankly, that's silly. It's still natural if it occurs by nurture. Human attraction is purely nature. Biologically, it makes more sense to be heterosexual, but what harm is there in being homosexual. I also say nurture based on how societies view it. In ancient Greece, plenty of men with wives had sex with other men. It was perfectly acceptable. Take Sparta. The solider of Sparta, known for their brutality and over masculinity, ****ed each other. In fact, many of these soldiers requested their wives dress as men to make it easier for them to have sex with them after returning home from war. The fact that this isn't common in every culture suggests that there is a nurture element.
Bare in mind, I'm not coming from a conservative possession. I fully support gay rights, believe they should be married and believe society should be open and accepting to them. I also don't think it's a "choice." The OP defined as choice being a factor, and in some cases, there could be truth, but I'd say it's not that simple. It's not a super conscious choice that is just arbitrarily made and can be changed on a whim or even at all. However, there is no evidence that I'm aware of that homosexuality is genetic or a genetic mutation. Maybe it's hormone imbalanced, but keep in mind, that can be treated and I'm unaware of anything like that existing. I know many think "they were born this way" is more progressive, but I fail to see how that works. Even if being gay was purely a choice that can be changed fairly easily, I'd support it.
With that vignette out of the way, let me now address the issue at hand. I see a lot of right-wingers on this forum proudly spewing out comments like "If you want to get married, then marry a woman," or "Being gay is a choice." These statements obviously make the assumption that sexual orientations can be changed in similar fashion to a muddied pair of jeans or traded like baseball cards.
I myself have spent years struggling through prayer to "cure" myself to no avail. I spent three years lonesome and depressed, thinking that if I had removed myself from personal relationships for long enough that I'd lose my "gay disease." That never occurred. I had no trouble finding female suitors in the past and attempted to "change" my sexual orientation by taking them out on dates, listening to them talk about their hopes and dreams in life, etc., but I just ended up with more close friends who I had no romantic interest in. At least one year ago another well-respected moderator (I'll just say that he's a male) sent me a link to a Christian fundamentalist camp in either KY or TN that claimed it could "cure" people of being gay. I investigated this claim but then saw a documentary about similar camps, and the people they interviewed who claimed to be "healed" were downright creepy; they almost seemed emotionless, barely blinked, and I got the definite sense that they were simply adhering to social mores as opposed to living life as they were intended to. "Brainwashing" would be an accurate assessment in my eyes.
I did conversion therapy twice so I can totally relate to where you are coming from. Conversion therapy is mostly about adhering to gender stereotypes and social norms. My therapist believed that if I would take up a sport and become part of a community of alpha-males, that the masculine affirmation would transform me to become heterosexual (because homosexuality is a result of being insecure with your gender, according to him). I tried taking up a sport, Ultimate Frisbee, and since I am not athletic I was laughed off the field. I actually contemplated suicide that day.
Truth is, most fundamentalists choose to believe these "family leaders" like Tony Perkins who promote these camps as opposed to people who actually have been through them and some who actually led them, like the ex-leader of Exodus International who now says that it all was a farce and never worked. There is no way to convince them otherwise.
A lot of moderate evangelicals are coming around to "you don't choose your orientation but you can choose whether or not to act on it." Basically that means if you are gay, you are condemned to a life of loneliness and isolation and it is in fact a requirement if you want to be a Christian. This conflicts with the teaching of salvation through faith alone that most of them believe. If you are straight, you are saved by faith in Christ. If you are gay, it's faith in Christ plus celibacy.
One is born with homosexual tendencies. A man simply cannot be taught to be attracted to women. This outrageous activity from the far right and religious conservatives, using shame to convert men who have a born desire for something else , must end. It doesn't work.
Only heterosexual men are so malleable and brain washed into their attraction for lithe, long legged , 20 BMI young women with 2/3 waist to hip ratios. If we taught boys that they desired and deserved women who are now considered grotesque and obese, we could rejoice because world peace is nigh.
Homosexual men are compelled to heed the call of immutable desires like magnetic rods seeking their proper pole.
Heterosexual men need to remold their innate tolerance for anything, and need not ensepulcher themselves without meaty bones that are lushly basted with oils...
THANK YOU!!! Why do some homosexuals want to talk about "their issues" with the general public all of the time, while insisting they don't want to be treated differently? Well, if folks are constantly calling attention to themselves and their issues, they may not like all of the responses they get. Get over it, get on with it, and stop looking for validation (and complaining when you aren't always validated). If you're happy with your life, that's all that matters.
Guys talk about their wives, girlfriends, the hot piece of ass they got last week, etc. all the time. Trust me, straight people talk about their straight lives 10 times more than we do with our gay lives.
I have to question why the attention is being levied on the LGBT community right now.
Anyways, I voted nature. We'll likely never know, and I am not particularly interested one way or the other. I do care that one's sexual orientation does not lead to discrimination or harassment.
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