The article of Tintin Bersola-Babao titled, 'Being Gay' published last 11 March 2013 in her Philippine Star column – Parentin Talk – has received a lot of flak from, you guessed it right: lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
I don’t know Tintin Bersola-Babo personally nor familiar with her show or any of her publications. I don't support the content of her articles nor condemn them since I lack the credibility and knowledge to discuss it in entirety. I am also not a medical doctor or a psychologist, but, as a parent, the issue being push forward has intrigued me.
So, I move around and asked some of my friends. "Are people born gay or straight?"
Right now, much of the current media sources assume the question is a solved scientific problem with all the evidence pointing toward a biological (probably genetic) basis for a homosexual orientation. However, reading through several online articles led me to believe that the question has been poorly studied (or studied poorly), although there is some evidence on both sides of the question.
In addition, many of the initial studies, which were highly touted by the media as "proof" for a biological basis for homosexuality, have been contradicted later by more thorough studies. No wonder the answers I got did not provide any new findings nor shed light to the question. Here are just some examples:
I don’t know Tintin Bersola-Babo personally nor familiar with her show or any of her publications. I don't support the content of her articles nor condemn them since I lack the credibility and knowledge to discuss it in entirety. I am also not a medical doctor or a psychologist, but, as a parent, the issue being push forward has intrigued me.
So, I move around and asked some of my friends. "Are people born gay or straight?"
Right now, much of the current media sources assume the question is a solved scientific problem with all the evidence pointing toward a biological (probably genetic) basis for a homosexual orientation. However, reading through several online articles led me to believe that the question has been poorly studied (or studied poorly), although there is some evidence on both sides of the question.
In addition, many of the initial studies, which were highly touted by the media as "proof" for a biological basis for homosexuality, have been contradicted later by more thorough studies. No wonder the answers I got did not provide any new findings nor shed light to the question. Here are just some examples:
Brian:
I think some people are born gay. Others become gay because of experiences. Third, you can be gay and choose to be actively gay or repress it. I agree that bad experiences can make you confused or feel more likely to be gay.
Lindsey:
well I'm not sure if you can be born gay but allot of gay man realized they were gay when they were 10 or 11 and your not really old enough to make life choices at that age so yeah maybe you can be maybe you cant .... its different with everyone
Dexter:
What difference does it make?
There's not much scientific evidence either way (despite what people on both sides like to say), so why not just live and let live?
psychomania:
The only acceptable answer on the data that I have is. I DON'T KNOW. any other answer would be ridiculous.
Paulina:
If no one is born thinking about sex, how can someone be born heterosexual? But something determines whether or not a person enters a same-sex or opposite-sex relationship.
Personally, I don't think choice has that much of an effect. Think about how homosexuals were treated - especially 40 years ago or so. Things are a bit better but there's still a long way to go. Who chooses to be belittled, harassed and teased? Who chooses to risk being beaten or losing friends, family or employment? Who chooses to enter a relationship that society does not recognize and refuses to support (such as inheritance, next-of-kin that are automatically granted with marriage)?
The Duke:
As far as the question at hand, there is ZERO proof one way or the other. Many straight families produce gay children, and many gays that have kids turn out to be straight. You also have to throw in the factor that you never REALLY know for sure if a "straight" person is actually gay. It is pretty obvious that a gay person is gay, however there are many "closest" gays, so there are a lot of variables to this, and getting accurate stats on it is next to impossible.
I personally feel it's MOSTLY environment and experience that would make someone gay. A higher percentage of kids that were abused seem to live a gay lifestyle later in life. There must also be a genetic component to it as well in the sense that some people are more likely to "turn" gay than others.
I firmly believe people aren't BORN gay, but some are much easier to turn gay than others. They just need the right push I guess.
Then again, as scientists don’t know, then I sure don't.