Homosexuality, Genetics & Religion (oh my!)

First, one caveat- while I have a little background in genetics, I stopped my studies after Organic Chem, and am certainly no expert. The following are my views based on anecdotal evidence- the people I’ve met, and their understanding of their own and other people’s sexuality. I’m a generalist, and certainly no expert. I believe that human sexuality is largely genetically influenced. I base this belief on: (1) the fact that I am undeniably heterosexual. I do not find other women the least bit sexually attractive, although I can admire their beauty, personality, etc. I find men sexually attractive. (2) I have friends that are undeniably homosexual, who have told me that there is no way on earth they would have chosen to be ridiculed, disowned, outcast and beaten up, if they could have chosen otherwise.

My sibling, who is much more fundamental than I am, and who has only ever dated (and married) the opposite sex, has told me that homosexuality is a choice, and the wrong one. That confused me very much growing up, as I knew that I could not choose to be homosexual. Later I learned about genetics, and that it’s not always the on/off of the simple Punnett Square I learned in seventh grade biology. Height is “determined” by a number of genes. With each one that is turned “on”, you have the potential, given the right environment, to grow to a greater height. I began to believe that sexuality may be somewhat governed in the same way.

Personally, I believe there is a genetic “range” from heterosexuality to homosexuality. Just to mix things up, let’s say the far right are the homosexuals, those individuals who find only those of the same gender sexually attractive and cannot even imagine finding those of the opposite gender sexually attractive. On the far left are the heterosexuals who only find those of the opposite gender sexually attractive, and cannot imagine finding the same gender attractive. In between there is a broad playing field in which there is genuine choice. I do not believe that genetics wholly explains sexual preference. For one thing, I believe that sexual trauma at an early age can cause a person to go against their genetics and engage in whichever sexual preference is, for their genes, unnatural. I don’t think exposure to gay people can cause it. I certainly don’t think Spongebob or the Teletubbies can either. I’m talking physical trauma, not artistic. I believe there may be other factors as well, but I cannot point to specific examples.

Because of my religion, I believe in practicing a pretty strict code of sexual conduct- fidelity within marriage, and celibacy outside of it. If I were homosexual, my life wouldn’t be much different than it is as an older single heterosexual today. Sexual conduct is by no means the most important thing in my religion, and even most Christians do not follow the same code that I do. I don’t really care. I have had quite a few gay and lesbian friends in my life, and they all find me a little odd, just like my heterosexual friends do. What does upset me is when people act like Christianity is entirely, or even largely focused on sexuality. I do care when Christians ignore infidelity, divorce, and heterosexual extra-marital sex and rant about homosexuals being abominations in the eyes of God. I am not encouraging them to rant about the first three, but rather to treat all four the same. Yes, the book of Leviticus says that about homosexuality being an abomination, but it also says that you must not wear clothing of blended fibers. (Since reading that, I’ve always had a secret wish to see a Flaming Gay Bible Scholar in heated debate with Pat Robertson: Pat: “You are an abomination in the eyes of the Lord!” FGBS: “Well, so is that suit.”) Since I haven’t really figured out whether blended fibers are ok now or not, I’m certainly not prepared to tell someone else who they can and can’t sleep with. If you subscribed to the same belief system that I do, and you asked for my help on remaining true to it, then I might say something when you approached or crossed a line. If you don’t, you can count on me to follow the precepts of my religion that I do believe are the most important, two of which are “love your neighbor as yourself” and “judge not.”