Question

Week Fifteen Discussion Post (250 Words):What Determines Sexual Orientation? In Chapter 16 we discuss the factors that induce people to develop as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.

Research has yet to explain why adolescents develop a heterosexual orientation and others a homosexual orientation.

Do you believe that genetic factors or environment play a role in sexual orientation? Or both?

What stance do you take on this sensitive issue? Why?

Answer 1

Sexual Orientation is a person's sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.

Genetic, hormonal and environmental factors have a role on sexual orientation. It is not a choice but there will be an influence. Mainly the environmental effects is explained through hormonal influence

Studies reveal that impact of the environment on born child are weak, especially for males. But research has linked childhood gender-nonconformity and homosexuality. Gender-nonconformity is a phenomenon in which prepubescent children do not follow to expected gender related sociological or psychological patterns.

In homosexuality, a person's sense of identity is based on some attractions of members in a community.

Some studies reveals that homesexual men having less loving and more rejecting fathers, they have closer relationship with their mother. Child hood experience and familial factors can considered under environmental influence.

According to Darwinian principle, natural selection should progressively eliminate the factors that reduce individual fecundity and fitness. Comparing the family trees of homosexuals with heterosexuals, reported a significant increase in reproduction rate in the females related to the homosexual ancestor from the maternal line but not in those related from the paternal one. This suggested that genetic factors that are partly linked to the X-chromosome and that influence homosexual orientation in males are not selected against because they increase reproduction rate in female carriers.

From the above explanation it is clear that both environment and gene have an influence on sexual orientation. But this influence is not always big.