Originally posted by Lionhearte
So, LGBTs and LGBT defenders, please answer this for me - where does the gene come from that makes a homosexual "born that way"?
No problem. Genetics is an incredibly complex subject and, unfortunately, our schools do a TERRIBLE job of teaching it to students who are not
actually going into the biological or genetic sciences.
In a nutshell, here are the "short" answers to your questions.
1. Not ALL genetic traits are hereditary.
2. ALL genetic traits, whether hereditary or otherwise and irrespective of whether or not they are dominant or recessive can be describe as
probability functions.
3. Thus, ANY given child born of ANY two parents MIGHT exhibit a genetic trait NOT FOUND in any known ancestors, simply by virtue of combinatorics
and randomness. The only difference being in the overall LIKELIHOOD or PROBABILITY of that trait expressing itself.
We know from the archeological record that ALL complex societies which have had some form of recorded history have ALL had statistically significant
parts of their population which were either homosexual or bisexual, as it is referenced frequently in their writings, depicted in artwork, described
in their legends and myths, and preserved in their cultural rituals.
However, lacking a scientifically accurate census from ancient times we don't know PRECISELY what percentage of each civilization would be classified
this way. Likewise, we don't currently have an accurate means and/or mathematical formulae which has been developed to describe how society and
culture either INCREASED or DECREASED this tendency apart from what one might think the natural biological norm might be. However...here is what we
DO know.
1. Most modern, industrialized "western-style" countries seem to have a homosexual population that seems to hover pretty consistently at around
10%. These countries would include those found in the America's, Europe, Australia/New Zealand and Japan. Yes...Japan is in the "east" however
they live in a largely "westernized" culture of representative government, capitalism, etc. For our purposes here...let's refer to this as the
"Biological Constant" since it is reflective of the world we know around us and most of us would probably agree that in the western world society at
least permits these things. (i.e. There still might be a STIGMA against it, as well as far too many people who are killed by being the victims of
hate crimes....however the western world doesn't engage in the institutional punishment of the behavior. In short, while I can only imagine it's no
walk in the park to be gay...the western world doesn't burn these people at the stake or stone them to death as a matter of official practice).
2. In many of the cultures around the Mediterranean homosexuality and bisexuality were positively RAMPANT. I am guessing I hardly need to explain
this since I surmise that pretty much everyone is aware that the Romans had all different kinds of orgies geared to a host of differing fetishes for
both amusement as well as ritual significance. Likewise, it's no accident that the words "lesbian" and "sapphic" come from the poetry of Sappho
from the isle of Lesbos...especially considering her favorite subject matter.
2. CERTAIN cultures in the ancient Mediterranean may have had statistics which were likely pushed higher do to societal pressures. For example, the
Spartans engaged in heterosexual sex as the EXCEPTION, not the rule. It is one of the world's great ironies that the most highly trained and elite
heavy infantry fighting force the world has ever seen engaged in hetero-sex almost exclusively for procreation...especially when one looks at all the
senseless "gays in the military" drama these days. This was largely as a by-product of the Laconic code which required that the highly militarized
society was to live in segration from the opposite sex in barrack-like conditions.
4. Unsurprisingly, homosexual and/or bisexual activity increases universally across race, culture, religion, etc when the sexes live in segregated
environments. Indeed, even the more gifted of males must be less than 9" away from a female in order begin engaging in intercourse.
Thus, if culture dictates that males and females must separated by a distance greater than that, heterosexual intercourse becomes simply impossible.
This is the precise reason why the Catholic church has so many problems with the priests and alter boys, why "prison" and "ass rape" are virtually
synonyms, and why there are hundreds...if not THOUSANDS of surviving letters from the 1800's of cowboys writing sexually explicit love letters to one
another. Turns out...there weren't a whole lot women on that lonely high plain. LOL.
Lastly, I should mention that I'm not a "defender" of the LGBT or gay lifestyle...mostly because there is nothing to "defend"
It's just people doing what people have ALWAYS DONE. It's reality.