By the late 1980’s gay, lesbian, and bisexual activists began to successfully employ strategies to radically change America’s perception of homosexual behavior.

The true facts are:

  • Homosexual attraction of young students is usually temporary (if not encouraged) and may be unwanted.
  • The homosexual lifestyle carries grave health risks, especially for males.
  • For unwanted sexual attractions, therapy to restore heterosexual attraction has proven effective and harmless.
  • ” While CDC estimates that only 4 percent of men in the United States are men having sex with men (MSM), the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the United States is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522 – 989 per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men).”,1 Read and print this for more facts and statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Sexual Orientation is Not Fixed. The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) addresses this topic.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual students are not born that way. The most recent, extensive, and scientifically sound research finds that the primary factor in the development of homosexuality is environmental not genetic.2,3,4,5,6

The Teenage Brain: Under Construction Scientists are realizing that the adolescent brain is not fully mature until approximately 23-25 years of age. New research has demonstrated that nearly every aspect of the adolescent brain in undergoing dramatic changes – many that are greatly affected by experiences and environment.7

Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the Genome Project, has stated that while homosexuality may be genetically influenced, homosexuality is not hardwired by DNA.8

Humans have the cognitive ability to act upon and reinforce a genetically influenced trait or not. For example, the presence of a gene that affects how people metabolize food and predisposes some to put weight on more easily than others, does not necessarily force those who possess this gene to become obese. Even if such a gene exists, people with this gene still have the cognitive ability to choose to eat salad instead of pie and to exercise regularly in order to avoid obesity and its attendant health risks. Although there is a relationship between our genetic tendencies and behavior, our genetic code alone does not fully determine our destiny.

References

[1]Purcell D et al. Estimating the population size of men who have sex with men in the United States to obtain HIV and syphilis rates. The Open AIDS Journal 2012; 6(Suppl 1: M6): 114–123.

[2]Langstrom N, Rahman Q, Carlstrom E, & Lichtenstein P. Genetic and environmental effects on same-sex sexual behavior: A population study of twins in   Sweden. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2010:39 (1).75-80.

[3]Santilla P, Sandnabba NK, Harlaar N, Varjonen M, Alanko K, von der Pahlen B. Potential for homosexual response is prevalent and genetic. Biological Psychology. 2008:77.102-105.

[4]Bailey JM, Dunne MP, & Martin NG. Genetic and environmental influences on sexual orientation and its correlates in an Australian twin sample. Journal of Personality and Social  Psychology. 2002:78(3). 524-536.

[5]Bearman PS, Bruckner H. Opposite-sex twins and adolescent same-sex attraction. American Journal of  Sociology. 2002:107(5). 1179-1205.

[6] Frisch M & Hviid A . Childhood family correlates of heterosexual and homosexual marriages: A national cohort study to two million Danes. Archives of Sexual  Behavior. 2006:35. 533-547.

[7] Straunch, B. The Primal Teen-What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids. Doubleday. 2003.

[8]  Byrd, D. “Homosexuality Is Not Hardwired,” Concludes Dr. Francis S.Collins, Head  of The Human Genome Project.  http://www.tldm.org/News10/HomosexualityNotHardwired.htm (accessed 9/1/16). You may also refer to the book by Dr. Francis Collins The Language of God. The specific citation is found on page 260 but you can read page 256-263 to see the context of his quote.

(page updated 4/18/2010, 4/26/2010, 3/7/2011, 6/22/2015, 9/1/2016)