CONSEQUENCES
Selected Consequences;
Evolution is True and Christianity, and All Religions, Are Not
HOMOSEXUALITY
Homosexuality.
Most conservative religions, common in many societies around the globe, state homosexuality is unnatural and a sin. Homosexuality is seen as a perversion from the norm in the conservative Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity and orthodox Judaism, which constitutes billions of believers. In some forms of Hinduism it is condemned and widespread opposition is common in many African cultures. In this section I will provide ample evidence that homosexuality is normal for those individuals, nearly entirely biological especially in males, and common in hundreds or thousands of species. Since it is biological and continues to persist each generation in so many species despite no direct reproduction, it must actually be selected for. There are studies listed below that attest to how this could be. To try and avoid the controversy, many religious conservatives will accept that it is biological, but that homosexuals just need to not act on their core identities and urge them to avoid the “sin”. I find this cruel and hypocritical and even leading to suicides in teens. If your scriptures say homosexuality is wrong and science says that’s not correct, you just have another example where your source can’t be divinely inspired or written. Or trusted.
“Homosexuality is unnatural…” says this book, where snakes talk, apples set an eternal curse, people come back from the dead, a guy walks on water,and a virgin has a baby! - Original-plastic
Homosexuality is biological and natural for them.
Can include genetics, hormones, developmental or other biological factors.
1. Swedish study finds gay men respond differently from straight men when exposed to suspected sexual stimulus found in male sweat. Researchers found a testosterone compound activated the hypothalamus in homosexual men and heterosexual women, but not heterosexual men. An estrogen compound activated in the hypothalamus only in heterosexual men. PNAS journal.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15883379/
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/science/for-gay-men-an-attractionto-a-different-kind-of-scent.html
2. Scientists at the Monell Center in Pennsylvania found that gay men preferred odors from other gay men, while odors from gay men were least preferred by straight men and women.
https://archive.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/mcsc-gas050605.php
3. Study shows gay men and heterosexual women have similar size brain halves, whereas in heterosexual men and gay women the right side was larger than the left. Also, heterosexual women and gay men had more connections in the left amygdala than heterosexual men and lesbian women. “As far as I’m concerned, there is no argument anymore - if you are gay, you are born gay.” ~ Dr. Rahman, Univ. of London.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jun/16/neuroscience.psychology
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/study-says-brains-of-gay/
4. Studies at Oregon State University using a population of male-orientated sheep suggests sexual orientation is largely hard-wired into the sheep brain before birth. Ranchers have long observed that about 8% of the rams never father offspring because they are attracted only to other males. In Australia they are called “shy breeders”. OSU researchers have also found a brain region linked to sexual behavior was twice as large in heterosexual as compared to homosexual rams, and the difference was noted before birth.
https://news.ohsu.edu/2004/03/05/biology-behind-homosexuality-in-sheep-study-confirms
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684522/
5. Austrian scientists report switching a single gene (fru gene) was enough to make female fruit flies reject males and attempt to mate with other females. Fruit flies are not humans obviously, but we still share many of the same genes and responses. The point is, this change is genetic and biological. “But Dickson and his colleague Ebru Demir reversed this behaviour by designing female flies with the male version of a gene called fruitless. These insects initiated courtship with other females as often as their male counterparts did. The tweaked female flies could only be encouraged to court males if the males were designed to emit female pheromones, a form of natural chemical attractant.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/news050531-9
6. Italians at the Univ. of Padua found that mothers and aunts of gay men had more offspring than female relatives of homosexuals, suggesting that genes influence homosexuality in men may increase fertility in females. Explained through “sexually antagonistic selection”. In other words, homosexuality may actually have a selection advantage in populations by increasing fitness for some women.
https://www.nature.com/articles/news041011-5
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/gay-genetics/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/oct/13/highereducation.research
7. A high percentage of girls exposed to male hormones before birth become lesbian. There are also 40 cases of boys who were surgically altered to be girls and raised as girls due to genital deformities that were still overwhelmingly attracted to females once they reached puberty. “The evidence is starting to look pretty good that hormones early in life influence the probability of who you will be attracted to 10 years later, when people start to get their first crushes.”
~ Neuroscientist Marc Breedlove, Michigan State University.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18157628/
8. Review article regarding biological determinants for sexual orientation. “Findings for childhood toy, playmate and activity preferences for heterosexual versus homosexual women show a similar pattern to those for men. The majority of homosexual women recall a high level of interest in toys, activities and playmates usually preferred by boys, and a low level of interest in those usually preferred by girls [10;56;122].” And: Based on the compelling evidence that prenatal testosterone exposure influences children’s sex-typical play behavior, on the well-established links between childhood play interests and adult sexual orientation, and on the evidence showing altered sexual orientation in women exposed to high levels of androgens prenatally, because of CAH, the answer appears to be “yes”. Note that these factors occur long before parental input or other cultural impacts could occur.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296090/
9. Lesbian finger lengths more like men’s than other women (in heterosexual women, the index and ring fingers are usually the same length). This trend also held for eye-blink patterns and inner ear function (acoustic testing).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20364887/
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45887691
10. Numbers of male offspring and birth order correlates with homosexuality. The number of older brothers a man has can increase his chance of being gay. Being homosexual is 3 - 5x higher among people who have a gay brother or sister. A man with four older brothers is 3x more likely to be gay than a man with no brothers. “Research on the fraternal birth order effect has shown that for every older brother a male child has, there is a 33% increase in the naturally occurring odds that the male child being homosexual.[9][20][19] The naturally occurring odds of a male child (without any older brothers) being homosexual are estimated to be 2%.[20][19][note 2]" This is due to immune responses of the mother.
11.Twin studies have revealed a very strong concordance with homosexuality, but not 100% because the biological causes of homosexuality are multifactorial. ”Homosexual twins separated at birth are too rare to allow drawing firm conclusions (Eckert et al., 1986) but the comparison of monozygotic versus dizygotic twins (“true” versus “false” twins) provides key information about the genetic bases of homosexuality. Monozygotic twins indeed share essentially the same genetic material while dizygotic twins are not genetically more similar than brothers issued from different gestations. A first study reported a perfect concordance (100%) of sexual orientation in monozygotic twins as compared to only 12% in dizygotic twins (Kallmann, 1952) but these extreme values were never reproduced. A review of multiple studies indicated an average concordance of 68% in monozygotic twins versus 16% in dizygotic twins (Diamond, 1993) leading to speculate that 50–60% of the variance in sexual orientation in men has a genetic basis (Swaab, 2007).
https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc7484171
12. Large study on gay brothers show large biological linkage. “A genetic analysis of 409 pairs of gay brothers, including sets of twins, has provided the strongest evidence yet that gay people are born gay. The study clearly links sexual orientation in men with two regions of the human genome that have been implicated before, one on the X chromosome and one on chromosome 8…It erodes the notion that sexual orientation is a choice,” says study leader Alan Sanders of the NorthShore Research Institute in Evanston, Illinois.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26572-largest-study-of-gay-brothers-homes-in-on-gay-genes/
13. Fruit fly gene GB mutation turns flies bisexual. Study indicates gender attraction is biological but not hard-wired in fruit flies. “Drosophila genome is 60% homologous to that of humans, less redundant, and about 75% of the genes responsible for human diseases have homologs in flies (Ugur et al., 2016).”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210094541.htm
14. Female mice turned lesbian after altering one gene.
https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/genetic/gay-gene-found-lesbian-mice-study-0232321/
https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_92450
15. “Animal” homosexual behavior has been observed in over 450 species. And in over 1,000 species including insects, etc. Since it is so common and occurs each generation, it is being selected for. It has advantages. It is natural for those individuals affected.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals#:~:text=According%20to%20Bruce%20Bagemihl%2C%20same,450%20species%20of%20animals%20worldwide.
16. Homosexuality in humans is actually common, occurs each generation, and is found around the world. It is found in all cultures and all countries, although suppressed often violently in conservative religious societies. “Around half of all heterosexual men and women potentially carry so-called homosexuality genes that are passed on from one generation to the next. This has helped homosexuality to be present among humans throughout history and in all cultures, even though homosexual men normally do not have many descendants who can directly inherit their genes.”
“Surveys in Western cultures find, on average, that about 93% of men and 87% of women identify as completely heterosexual, 4% of men and 10% of women as mostly heterosexual, 0.5% of men and 1% of women as evenly bisexual, 0.5% of men and 0.5% of women as mostly homosexual, and 2% of men and 0.5% of women as completely homosexual.[1] An analysis of 67 studies found that the lifetime prevalence of sex between men (regardless of orientation) was 3–5% for East Asia, 6–12% for South and South East Asia, 6–15% for Eastern Europe, and 6–20% for Latin America.[4] The International HIV/AIDS Alliance estimates a worldwide prevalence of men who have sex with men between 3 and 16%.[5]"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160412132621.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_sexual_orientation
17. Stroke to rugby player produces sudden change to gay.
https://www.medicaldaily.com/ex-rugby-player-woke-gay-after-suffering-stroke-240159
18. Gay conversion therapy does not work. In reality it causes harm. Many states in America and countries around the world have banned it. The American Medical Association decries it. Much of the push for it comes from misguided religious agendas. “We identified 47 peer-reviewed studies that met our criteria for adding to knowledge about whether conversion therapy (CT) can alter sexual orientation without causing harm. Thirteen of those studies included primary research. Of those, 12 concluded that CT is ineffective and/or harmful, finding links to depression, suicidality, anxiety, social isolation and decreased capacity for intimacy.”
“Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual or their gender identity from transgender to cisgender using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. There is no reliable evidence that such practices can alter sexual orientation or gender identity, and medical institutions warn that conversion therapy is ineffective and potentially harmful.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]"
https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-whether-conversion-therapy-can-alter-sexual-orientation-without-causing-harm/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_therapy
19. Men in a study who were homophobic had arousals to homosexual visual presentations that did not occur with non-homophobic men. The homophobic men were not aware of their arousal tendencies. The homophobic men were more aggressive towards homosexuals.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-big-questions/201106/homophobic-men-are-aroused-gay-male-porn
https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u47/Henry_et_al.pdf
20. Homosexuality is “unnatural” is a myth; multiple biological explanations exist regarding how it can be selected for. “Recent evidence however suggests homosexual behaviour could play important roles in reproduction and evolution.”
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/190987/scientists-explore-evolution-animal-homosexuality/
21. Infants show toy preferences at very early age. “Children as young as 9 months-old prefer to play with toys specific to their own gender, according to a new study. The research suggests the possibility that boys and girls follow different developmental trajectories with respect to selection of gender-typed toys and that there is both a biological and a developmental-environmental components to the sex differences seen in object preferences.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160715114739.htm
22. Some boys as early as age 3 can be identified as having a high probability of later identifying as gay. Conclusion: gay males are born that way. Too early for social imprinting. “When do gay children start exhibiting telltale signs? In early childhood, in some cases. A hefty pile of research shows that boys as young as 3 years old who break from traditional gender roles have a high likelihood of becoming gay adults.”
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2011/09/when-do-gay-kids-start-acting-gay.html
23. Close examination of identical twin studies shows why concordance low; explained by epigenetics. “Male and female homosexuality have substantial prevalence in humans. Pedigree and twin studies indicate that homosexuality has substantial heritability in both sexes, yet concordance between identical twins is low and molecular studies have failed to find associated DNA markers. This paradoxical pattern calls for an explanation. We use published data on fetal androgen signaling and gene regulation via nongenetic changes in DNA packaging (epigenetics) to develop a new model for homosexuality. It is well established that fetal androgen signaling strongly influences sexual development. We show that an unappreciated feature of this process is reduced androgen sensitivity in XX fetuses and enhanced sensitivity in XY fetuses, and that this difference is most feasibly caused by numerous sex-specific epigenetic modifications (“epi-marks”) originating in embryonic stem cells.”
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/668167
24. Role of epigenetics in sexual human sexual preference. “Sexual orientation is one of the largest sex differences in humans. The vast majority of the population is heterosexual, that is, they are attracted to members of the opposite sex. However, a small but significant proportion of people are bisexual or homosexual and experience attraction to members of the same sex. The origins of the phenomenon have long been the subject of scientific study. In this chapter, we will review the evidence that sexual orientation has biological underpinnings and consider the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms. We will first discuss studies that show that sexual orientation has a genetic component. These studies show that sexual orientation is more concordant in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic ones and that male sexual orientation is linked to several regions of the genome. We will then highlight findings that suggest a link between sexual orientation and epigenetic mechanisms. In particular, we will consider the case of women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). These women were exposed to high levels of testosterone in utero and have much higher rates of nonheterosexual orientation compared to non-CAH women.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25172350/
25. Biological basis for homosexuality multifactorial (no single “gay gene”). Includes epigenetic modification. “Homosexuality’s true incidence is probably far higher than previous estimates have suggested; certainly, homosexual and bisexual behavior are common in other species. Although the biologic basis of homosexuality has not been incontrovertibly established, it is probably multifactorial. The most interesting and plausible hypothesis is that it is the result of epigenetic modification of the genome at various phases of the sequence of events that canalizes sexual development. Though male homosexuality has been far more extensively studied than female homosexuality, it is evident that the pattern of sexual partner choice differs between the two, and that in both sexes, it exists in a continuous spectrum.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128159682000050
26. The Biology of Homosexuality. (2011). Balthazart, Jacques. Oxford Scholarship Online.
“This book presents a simple description of the biological mechanisms that are involved in the determination of sexual orientation in animals and also presumably in humans. Using scientific studies published over the last few decades, it argues that sexual orientation, both homosexual and heterosexual, is under the control of embryonic endocrine and genetic phenomena in which there is little room for individual choice. The book begins with animal studies of the hormonal and neural mechanisms that control the so-called instinctive behaviors and analyzes how this animal work may potentially apply to humans. The book does not focus exclusively on homosexuality, however. Instead, the book acts as a broader guide to the biological basis of sexual orientation, and also discusses important gender differences that may influence sexual orientation.”
https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199838820.001.0001/acprof-9780199838820
26. Review article on biological mechanisms for sexual orientation. (2020).
“We review research supporting biological mechanisms in the development of sexual orientation. This research includes studies on neural correlates, prenatal hormones and related physical/behavioral correlates, genetics, and the fraternal birth order effect (FBOE). These studies, taken together, have provided substantial support for biological influences underlying the development of sexual orientation, but questions remain unanswered, including how biological mechanisms may differ in contributing to men's and women's sexual orientation development… An additional consideration is that the most compelling evidence of prenatal mechanisms in men's sexual orientation is not from a biomarker/correlate per se but, arguably, from the case studies of boys with genital conditions (e.g., cloacal exstrophy) who were raised as girls and yet show strong sexual attraction to women as adults. Prenatal biological effects—regardless of whether it is hormones, genetics, antibodies to male-specific proteins, or a combination of these and other mechanisms—are likely very powerful in influencing male sexual orientation.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X19304660
27. “Stop Calling it a choice; Biological factors drive homosexuality.” Studies that show genes and hormones control most sexual preferences determination are discussed. Evolutionary reasons why homosexuality would be advantageous and selected for during evolution are discussed. “Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain how homosexuality can be beneficial in perpetuating familial genes. One idea involves the concept of kin selection, whereby people work to ensure the passage of their family’s genes into subsequent generations. Another idea suggests that homosexuality is a “trade-off trait.” For example, certain genes in women help increase their fertility, but if these genes are expressed in a male, they predispose him toward homosexuality.”
https://theconversation.com/stop-calling-it-a-choice-biological-factors-drive-homosexuality-122764
28. Embryonic exposure to sex steroids contributes to sexual preference in rats and humans. In contrast to cultural contributions determining sexual preference which is supported by little experimental evidence, there is much experimental evidence that sexual preference is organized during early life by an irreversible action of sex steroids. “Indeed, clinical conditions associated with major endocrine changes during embryonic life often result in an increased incidence of homosexuality. Furthermore, multiple sexually differentiated behavioral, physiological, or even morphological traits that are known to be organized by prenatal steroids, at least in animals, are significantly different in homo- and heterosexual populations. Thus, prenatal endocrine (or genetic) factors seem to influence significantly human sexual orientation even if a large fraction of the variance remains unexplained to date.”
https://www.morganclaypool.com/doi/abs/10.4199/C00064ED1V01Y201208DBR008?journalCode=dbr
​
29. Researchers performed a genome-wide association study on 493,001 participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden to study genes associated with sexual orientation and published their findings in 2019. They found multiple loci implicated in same-sex sexual behavior indicating that, like other behavioral traits, nonheterosexual behavior is polygenic. The study especially revealed five loci that were significantly associated with same-sex sexual behavior.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aat7693
​
Homosexuality is not a choice, not a “sin”, not unnatural for them.
Good grief, if you’re a theist, God made them that way.
Potential objections
1. “My religion teaches that homosexuality is morally wrong, a choice in some way.” Science however says the opposite - that it’s natural for them and there are even selection pressures for it. This is not the first time nor will it be the last that religious beliefs are contradicted by science. Homosexuality is not unnatural for those who are born that way. No matter what your scriptures say.
2. “The gay gene theory has not been supported." True, there is not one single gene for homosexuality. There never was; we’ve known this for decades. This is a straw man argument. Homosexuality is multifactorial and includes genetics, hormones, developmental changes and other factors. But they are all biological. In males its overwhelmingly biological. In women it’s much more of a spectrum and fluid and culture and environment contributes much more than in men.
3. “Identical twin studies do not support genetic homosexuality.” Later studies have shown that the early studies did not take into account epigenetic changes in the twins. Studies in armadillo quads with the same DNA can help us know how they turn out different.
https://www.statnews.com/2019/12/20/armadillo-quadruplets-genetic-determinism/
https://kinseyinstitute.org/news-events/news/2019-07-26-twins-sexual-orientation.php
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Concluding Remarks: Homosexuality
Treating homosexuals as abnormal, an immoral choice, or to be converted has caused incredible harm to individuals and families including suicide and shaming, and in some cultures they are murdered due to their homosexual desires and behaviors. They are often discriminated against in terms of refusal for adoptions and employment. This is cruel, unethical and often based on erroneous religious and cultural beliefs. There is robust science that indicates especially in males homosexuality is normal for them. People must change their views to fit the facts and not expect the facts to go away so they can hold onto erroneous and hurtful views, often based on religion. Love must triumph.
1. Apple Employees - it gets better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWYqsaJk_U8
1. Pixar employees - it gets better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8
3. San Francisco police officers - it gets better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yvzgS2ySU4
4. Google Employees - it gets better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLs4NCgvNU
5. Yale Students - it gets better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJa3GVzdZyA
6. Best Buy - it gets better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRVjvs-QT2g
7. An anti-gay activist changes his mind about marriage equality
8. 19 yr old Zach Wahls speaks to Iowa legislature - raised by lesbian parents