Homosexuality Debate Nurture vs. Nature

1. Homosexuality Debate Nurture vs. Nature Antonio Reid AP Psychology Final Project Lash Tripkin

2. Reasons of Interest and Questions to be answered • Conversation in psychology. • I have a gay friend. • Interested in the social aspects of sexuality and the opinions on homosexuals in society. • Political and religious views. • What makes someone prefer the same sex over the opposite sex? • Is homosexuality a product of free will or the absence of? • Can homosexuality be determined through science?

3. Task of and Goal of presentation • During the course of this presentation I hope to answer the questions stated and accurately show case and represent both sides of the Gay Nurture vs. Nature Debate as both are valid cases. • Austin Cline

4. Introduction • Sexuality has always been a interesting topic throughout course human history. The pagans worship sex and were more open about the content of sex and sexuality rather that be heterosexual and or homosexual. In ancient Greece it would not be to uncommon to find that little boys accompanied warriors as they were off to battle and the boys would tend to the sexual favors of the men. Other ancient society were a lot more libertine and accepting of sexuality and what we would consider deviant sexual behavior. Sexuality became somewhat taboo because strict religious laws such as those you can find in the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible and the Islamic Koran. Religion has had a profound influence on what society accepts as the norm. These religions are the major faiths of the world and neither of them accept homosexuality or even promiscuous heterosexual acts. This influence is seen throughout the world; Jewish societies ignore homosexuals, Christian societies strip homosexuals of rights and Islamic societies strip homosexuals of life.

5. Introduction • In the early 1900’s sexuality in America was mostly considered a private subject. An estimated 90% of females did not take part in premarital sex in the former days of the 20 century. As time progressed in America homosexuality became more and more noticed, but the attention it received was mostly negative thanks to fundamentalist conservative Christians. The hatred and homophobia of gays led them to stay out of the mainstream society and many people who considered themselves gay would be in danger of death if were known to be gay. Many school children were taught that homosexuals were child molesters and rapist. During this time period homosexuality was widely considered a choice; that a person chooses their sexual orientation which is how the term sexual preferences first came about.

6. Introduction • Because the idea that sexuality was a choice and not an innate condition it was strongly looked down upon. Many homosexuals felt isolated from society and they couldn’t understand why they would choose this abnormal and abhorrent sexuality that was not accepting to their families and unpleasing to their God’s. The idea that sexuality was choice was the main theory accepted in the modern world to explain this condition. The American Psychological Association for some time considered homosexuality to be a mental disorder. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the A.P.A removed homosexuality from the disorder list. During the 1980’s homosexuals began reviling themselves to society and still were greatly disowned. The idea that sexuality was a product of innate conditions begin to really catch speed in the 1990’s which set the basis from the Gay Nurture Vs Nature debate that continues to rage on today.

7. Introduction promiscuous

8. IS Homosexuality Choice • Many religious right wing people consider sexuality to be a choice they claim that sexuality has to be a product of choice and environment because of religious purposes. Explanation if people are born gay then God created people just to commend them. • The idea that sexuality is a choice is spared on by people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Roberson advocates the idea that a person chooses their sexual interest that they alone have to ability to pursue or not to pursue. • They claim rather it is a product of brain chemistry or not the person does have the will to over come their desire. • They also claim that homosexuality is unnatural and non-productive toward society. • The idea that sexually is a choice is best defended by those who claim to be ex-homosexuals • The main ex-homosexual population comes from religious communities and they claim that it is possible to stop being a homosexual.  • They over come their homosexual desires by secession of ‘Pray the Gay away”. Which has a homosexual male or female pray and isolate themselves from their desire and they punish themselves every time the temptation reoccurs.

9. Psychological Theories • Sigmen Freud believed that all people are born bisexual having the capacity to be sexually attracted to both sexes. • He claims that it is in the interest of the person to pursue a heterosexual or a homosexual lifestyle. It is through life experiences do we make our decision homo or hetero.

10. BIG Brother!! • The Big Brother theory states that the more biological brothers a male has the more likely it is that a male will be homosexual. • The science behind this theory that the more male offspring a mother has the more irritated the immune system becomes. Eventually she begins to develop antibodies to attack the male proteins. When the male proteins are attacked this can led to male becoming feminized and possibly a homosexual. When this occurs the testes are not able to produce enough testosterone that is suppose to masculine the hypothalamus and the limbic system.

11. Brain Differences • Similarities between the brains of gay men and straight women have been discovered by neuroscientists, offering fresh evidence that sexual orientation is part of our genetic makeup and is a possibly an innate condition. • Scans reveal homosexual men and heterosexual women have symmetrical brains, with the right and left hemispheres almost exactly the same size. On the other hand lesbians and straight men have asymmetrical brains, with the right hemisphere significantly larger than the left. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/16/neuroscience.psychology

12. Conclusions Conclusion Learned information • Even with all the facts and theories I’m still considering this subject to be inconclusive. • My opinion strongly lings to the neurological and biological approaches to the condition or state of homosexuality. • The idea of choice was to general and I searched for sometime on sexual preferences. The information wasn’t based in science and was even more so inconclusive then other methods of understanding sexuality. • I've learned that there are physiological and psychological differences in those who are homosexual. • I’ve also learned that while it maybe true that someone is born gay if the behavior is considered immoral the behavior can be contributed to free will and there for is controllable . • Also I learned that it is possible according to so religious groups to become an ex-gay.

13. Explanations of Learned information • Homosexuals do have physiological and psychological differences gay male olfactory's react to pheromones of members of the same sex this is also true in females. • Ex-gays are a very touchy subject because the numbers are inconsistent and are a product of speculation and misinformation some Ex-gays claim to still have an attraction and others don’t. But if its true some people are indeed ex-gay then it raises the question are they truly gay and can gay people change their sexual orientation despite their physiological and psychological disposition.