Daryl Bem, a social psychologist at Cornell University, has theorized that the influence of biological factors on sexual orientation may be mediated by experiences in childhood.
I must agree with this for ever since I've realized that I am at least Bisexual (maybe gay...time will tell) I've tried my best to piece the pieces together, which is why I started this blog. All I know is what I know of myself. I am very interested in others stories of child hood for one idea that is out there and one that I must agree with is that this is not absolutly genetic. I must dissagree with some studies only because of what I know about my past and my personaly expeirence.
I believe that what causes sexual orientation is such a complex thing that there is a very valid reason why there hasn't been any "break through" that has isolated a single indication as to why it is different in different people. There is most likely so many contributing factors that for any study to try and pin point a single one, has proven impossible.
I can only tell my story and I do so with the total understanding that, "I am a world before I am a man." This means to me that I am my own planet of emotions, logic, learnt behaviors as well as innate instincts just as much as anyone else is the same type of individual. What has made me the way I am may not be the same as to what has made you or the next human.
I know that as a baby I was bathed by both parents and although my mother changed my diapers and all that, I never saw her naked. if ever I had I don't remember but I'm almost positive that I have not. However i often took baths with my father because it was more accepted. A male bathing with another male, especially the father was normal. What was unacceptable or taboo was for a male child to bath with the mother. If I had been female however I would have taken baths with my mother instead.
Also when I was growing up I had a childhood best friend who was most dear to me. My first compegnion, whom I showered with on a regulare basis. I stayed at his house often and before it was time for us to go to sleep we were ordered to shower by his mother. Instead of making up two showers she threw us in together, which was normal. We played with one another in the shower as we played in the sandbox.
The absense of a female in the tub is what I can think of must have predesposed me to realized subconsiously at a young age that my life long compegnion should be another male. However this same sceario could quite possibly be applied to a hetrosexual boy.
Let us say that there is the same exact type of occurance for a boy who has grown into a man of "straight" sexual orientation, this would mean that everything I think would have pointed me in my direction of sexual attraction is flawd, which it very well maybe.
All I know is what I feel and why I feel it is a mystry locked away deep inside the subconscious.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Food For thought on the subject
Theories about what determines sexual orientation range from hypothisies pointing at genetic or biological factors as others say environmental factors are the cause and many say it is established at a very early age.
I've heard psycologists say that sexual orientation doesn't/can't change and studies have indicated that attempts to change one's sexual orientation are usually unsuccessful and often lead to increased depression and suicide.
3-10% of the population classify themselves as lesbian or gay and they are in all cultures, classes, and are not always destinguishable from hetrosexuals. Some are swinger types as others are commited partners. They work in all occupations.
In 1973 the following resolution was passed by The American Psychiatric Association, Board of Trustees: "Homosexuality, per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities. Further, (we) urge all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness associated with homosexual orientation."
In many societies, homosexuality is considered quite normal. This was the case in Ancient Greece and Rome (both during their rises and declines in power), in many Native American cultures (where lesbians and gay men are influential tribal and religious leaders), and many present-day societies such as The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Thailand.
Some chromosome linkage studies have proven controversial because test results were contradictory or indesisive. Epigenetics studies are something I think may have some truth in them however. Bocklandt et al. (2006) reported that, in mothers of homosexual men, the number of women with extreme skewing of X chromosome inactivation is significantly higher than in mothers without gay sons. Thirteen percent of mothers with one gay son, and 23% of mothers with two gay sons showed extreme skewing, compared to 4% percent of mothers without gay sons. One problem in building consensus using this type of study stems from their heavy reliance on participants truthfully reporting their sexual orientation. I personaly think that no matter the problem with this study, there is significant evidence to say that this could be something fairly important to pay attention to.
Blanchard and Klassen (1997) reported that each older brother increases the odds of being gay by 33%. To explain this finding, it has been proposed that male fetuses provoke a maternal immune reaction that becomes stronger with each successive male fetus. Male fetuses produce HY antigens which are "almost certainly involved in the sexual differentiation of vertebrates." It is this antigen which maternal H-Y antibodies are proposed to both react to and 'remember'. Successive male fetuses are then attacked by H-Y antibodies which somehow decrease the ability of H-Y antigens to perform their usual function in brain masculinisation.
Female fertility
In 2004, Italian researchers conducted a study of about 4,600 people who were the relatives of 98 homosexual and 100 heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men tended to have more offspring than those of the heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men on their mother's side tended to have more offspring than those on the father's side. The researchers concluded that there was genetic material being passed down on the X chromosome which both promotes fertility in the mother and homosexuality in her male offspring. The connections discovered, however, would explain only 20% of the cases studied, indicating that this might not be the sole genetic factor determining sexual orientation.
I am done with this sextion for now.
Many facts were taken from https://www.msu.edu/~alliance/faq/faqsexualorientation.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation
I've heard psycologists say that sexual orientation doesn't/can't change and studies have indicated that attempts to change one's sexual orientation are usually unsuccessful and often lead to increased depression and suicide.
3-10% of the population classify themselves as lesbian or gay and they are in all cultures, classes, and are not always destinguishable from hetrosexuals. Some are swinger types as others are commited partners. They work in all occupations.
In 1973 the following resolution was passed by The American Psychiatric Association, Board of Trustees: "Homosexuality, per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities. Further, (we) urge all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness associated with homosexual orientation."
In many societies, homosexuality is considered quite normal. This was the case in Ancient Greece and Rome (both during their rises and declines in power), in many Native American cultures (where lesbians and gay men are influential tribal and religious leaders), and many present-day societies such as The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Thailand.
Some chromosome linkage studies have proven controversial because test results were contradictory or indesisive. Epigenetics studies are something I think may have some truth in them however. Bocklandt et al. (2006) reported that, in mothers of homosexual men, the number of women with extreme skewing of X chromosome inactivation is significantly higher than in mothers without gay sons. Thirteen percent of mothers with one gay son, and 23% of mothers with two gay sons showed extreme skewing, compared to 4% percent of mothers without gay sons. One problem in building consensus using this type of study stems from their heavy reliance on participants truthfully reporting their sexual orientation. I personaly think that no matter the problem with this study, there is significant evidence to say that this could be something fairly important to pay attention to.
Blanchard and Klassen (1997) reported that each older brother increases the odds of being gay by 33%. To explain this finding, it has been proposed that male fetuses provoke a maternal immune reaction that becomes stronger with each successive male fetus. Male fetuses produce HY antigens which are "almost certainly involved in the sexual differentiation of vertebrates." It is this antigen which maternal H-Y antibodies are proposed to both react to and 'remember'. Successive male fetuses are then attacked by H-Y antibodies which somehow decrease the ability of H-Y antigens to perform their usual function in brain masculinisation.
Female fertility
In 2004, Italian researchers conducted a study of about 4,600 people who were the relatives of 98 homosexual and 100 heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men tended to have more offspring than those of the heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men on their mother's side tended to have more offspring than those on the father's side. The researchers concluded that there was genetic material being passed down on the X chromosome which both promotes fertility in the mother and homosexuality in her male offspring. The connections discovered, however, would explain only 20% of the cases studied, indicating that this might not be the sole genetic factor determining sexual orientation.
I am done with this sextion for now.
Many facts were taken from https://www.msu.edu/~alliance/faq/faqsexualorientation.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation
WTF!!!
I'm amazed that no one has broken down the wall to this question. Even with all that we consider our advanced race to be, we don't KNOW WHAT CAUSES SEXUAL STATUS!!!! WTF!
So this blog is meant for anything and everything related to this subject. Theories and or studies or personal ideas...All are welcome. Peace
So this blog is meant for anything and everything related to this subject. Theories and or studies or personal ideas...All are welcome. Peace
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