Understanding Gender Genes and Their Influence on Sexual Orientation

[Pattielli]

I used to read a thread created quite long ago about human gender genes and I tried to do a search for it again but found nothing...
I have a question as to why some people turn out to be biosexual, gays or lesbians...Is that a problem due to surrounding environment or a problem caused by sort of lacking of some kind of love from relatives, or some other reasons i don't know, and yes I actually have no clues about this...

Please note, I create this thread without any implications that those people are sick because this at least to me is not a sickness, it I think is just something like a misunderstanding what is right and what is wrong-another way I think to explain for it and for which I post to ask this question...

Thank you very much in advance,

 

[Pattielli]

Please correct me if my assumptions about this is out of base or incorrect...

Again thanks,

 

[franznietzsche]

Its actually an interesting question ( at least to me). Is it genetic, or is it environemental? generalyl it seems though that most things turn out to be a combination. just as a person usually learns about gender roles from viewing the relationship between ones parents, it is unlikely that environment plays no role. However at the same time, physical attraction is a biological process, not purely psychological. So genetics must also play some role. Of course I'm simply speculating.

 

[Pattielli]

I also guess one who is a male gay may be because his lack of love from his father-perhaps he lost his father when he was a child or his father didn't stay near him often, and vice versa if that one is a lesbian, I am not sure about this but I think it may be like that...
But what do you mean by physical attraction ? Is that that one loves another ?
So what do you think the stimuli for such a biological process are ?

Thank you very much,

 

[franznietzsche]

But what do you mean by physical attraction ? Is that that one loves another ?

I was using the common euphemism for sexual lust.

 

[adrenaline]

Although some homosexuality/bisexuality may be a choice most are not. Most physicians ( who are privey to such personal histories ) will tell you most homosexuals knew they were homosexual at a very young age, many prepubescently.

With that said, is there a genetic predispostion or some other physical factor that influences homosexuality/bisexuality or gender identity disorder?

To isolate a gene for homosexuality/bisexuality is probably as fallacious as isolating a gene for intelligence, there probably is not one singular gene that affects such complex biological/social behavior.

However, nature has provided us with a wonderful natural experiment called congenital adrenal hyperplasia where these women (depending on the study, have almost 60% homosexuality rate.) These women produce high testosterone while in the womb due to a enzyme defect in their adrenal glands and sometimes long after birth if not detected in time. Usually it is easily corrected with medicines..




http://www.boskydell.com/political/outlooks.htm
http://health.ftmaustralia.org/library/96/1200.pdf

general lecture in reproductive medicine on
CAH http://home.epix.net/~tcannon1/Physioweek9.htm

Thus, it demonstrates the hormonal environment of the fetus may affect the sexual identity of a person. We don't have such a natural experiment in men with the exception of something called complete androgen insensitivity syndrome where these are genetic males born with completely perfect external female genitalia, have a blind vaginal pouch (so men who have intercourse with them can't even tell unless they feel for a cervix) and have normal breasts who develop into attractive females who can't reproduce of course. Many go on to marry men. (technically they are gay?...genetic males having sexuall relationships with males.) However, it really isn't fair because their male hormones don't work at all (because they lack all testosterone receptors). There is a famous actress with this disorder but no one would even consider her a male.

 

[Pattielli]

Thanks adrenaline very much for your explanation and the links,
And as I already mentioned in my Original post This is exactly the linking am looking for...http://home.epix.net/~tcannon1/Physioweek9.htm
I would like to make another question as to whether or not it is a real suffering for those people ? I mean those women/men who have genetic males/females and are unable to be real males/females or to feel as males/females ?
I actually have a good friend who now studies my class, a really funnie male gay, but I didn't see how he would feel about things like this, and it is really rude or I might hurt him bad if I ask him directly, even though 70% i can besure there would be no problem ...
I really would like to know,..<<sm:>>

By the way your second link doesnot work.. would you please post it again ?
And again, Thanks Adrenaline very much,

 

[honestrosewater]

"Xq28- Thanks for the genes, Mom!"- tshirt from the '90s.

You can read some more here
http://www.crystalinks.com/biosexuality.html
re Xq28- see last story, "Canadian Study Questions So-Called 'Gay Gene'"

I'm sure not everyone feels the same about their fortune. As for your friend, I don't think asking an honest question is rude, if your intention is a better understanding. Most people don't like being treated as giunea pigs or freak shows, of course. As long as you approach him considerately, I don't think he would have any reason to get upset. My sister is bisexual, and many of her friends are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. And they have never minded answering honest questions. In fact, they often take an active interest in helping people to understand them and dispel all the misconceptions. Though everyone may not the same way. I think being considerate of your friend's feelings is the key. What would you want him to do, if the situation was reversed? :)
Happy thoughts
Rachel

 

[Pattielli]

Thank a lot for your explanation and advice,

 

[adrenaline]

http://edrv.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/21/3/245

Here is another link on the CAH.

Your question about pain is very difficult to answer. I would say most homosexuals, if living in a society that is relatively open and accepting of homosexuality (ie: san francisco california vs. the deep rural south Georgia) are quite happy with their sexuality and it is a matter of dealing with whatever stigma exists within their own family or society. Those who have gender identity disorders (genetic males or females who feel as if they are really females or males) do have a hard time struggeling and dealing with their "assigned" sex. If they can afford it, they undergoe very painful, complicated surgeries to reassign or change their sex. Then there are those who are ambiguous (women born with penises and fusion of their vaginal labia may be raised as a boy in a society that prizes boys above girls or boys who by some accident of birth boys have their penis cut off are then reassigned the role of girls etc.) these people probably do struggle with their identity and emotions. see a link discussing a case of a male raised as a girl who later reverted back to being a male http://salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year1/inttopic/gender.html#Boy%20raised%20as%20girl%20discovers%20happiness%20as%20a%20man

The issue in the above for me concerns wether doctors and parents should play God by arbitrarily assigning a "sexual role" for these infants?

 

[Pattielli]

Thank you adrenaline so much, i have learned a lot from your explanation and really helpful links...<smily>

 

[franznietzsche]

Although some homosexuality/bisexuality may be a choice most are not. Most physicians ( who are privey to such personal histories ) will tell you most homosexuals knew they were homosexual at a very young age, many prepubescently.

There is no doubt in my mind that the vast majority are not a choice, which i never meant to imply that they were. For myself at least, i can attest that heterosexuality is not a choice, and i do not see an reason for homosexuality to be different. What i wonder though is if it is possible for environment to affect a person's psyche on a fundamental enoguh level to affect sexual orientation (as an example, though not as apt as i would like, take the case of the children of divorced parent who are more likely to be divorce and/or unmarried as adults, themsleves). However i do agree it is most likely that genetics controls the majority of the process, life events affect brain chemistry (else psychoanalysis could never solve depression), and so i wonder if some environmental trends would lead to such shift in body hormones that would influence a person's sexuality.