Question

After reading Milton Diamond’s article, “Biological Aspects of Sexual Orientation and Identity” (in the course Content), describe an example of a potential biologically-related cause of homosexuality that you find the most compelling. How might biology in this case interact with the environment to produce a specific sexual orientation? How does this help us understand heterosexuality?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) One of the most peculiar aspects of biologically-related causes of homosexuality is in monozygotic or identical twins. It is an interesting area of study as on a biological level, these twins are the result of the splitting of the same cells and develop in the same space. Fraternal or dizygotic twins are conceived from two separate cells. Therefore, one would find this situation easier to study because identical twins would quite literally come from the same environment. There are no exceptions to the data or anomalies in these subjects on a biological level. Even on a social level, these are individuals who generally grow up in the same household. They have been exposed to similar parenting styles and social environments. Even if the twins are reared apart like in the article, their very core remains genetically inseparable.

Therefore, it would be the same ingredients in a recipe, being tempered in the same cooking conditions (for lack of a better illustration). The only difference is that the consistency of the final dish is different.

The author of the study writes, “An interesting factor exists that is not yet fully understood. Among both monozygotic and dizygotic twins, male and female, when the twins are discordant, the divergence is usually large. One might be a Kinsey 6 and the other a Kinsey 0. Why even identical twins who share the same set of genes and upbringing should differ so markedly is not yet understood. Unless some environmental feature acts as an on-off switch, which is certainly possible, more ambisexual siblings with a Kinsey 2, 3, or 4 would be predicted.¹⁰ Other interacting factors must be involved.”

This helps us understand both heterosexuality and homosexuality. It is probable that sexual orientation is either a matter of impulse or an innate predisposition that is unique to the genetics or preferences of a single individual. In other words, if an individual is wired to be heterosexual, that is what they will be on a mental level at least and similarly for a homosexual individual.