Study Seeks Clues To Homosexuality

(AP)  Julio and Mauricio Cabrera are gay brothers who are convinced their sexual orientation is as deeply rooted as their Mexican ancestry.

They are among 1,000 pairs of gay brothers taking part in the largest study to date seeking genes that may influence whether people are gay. The Cabreras hope the findings will help silence critics who say homosexuality is an immoral choice.

If fresh evidence is found suggesting genes are involved, perhaps homosexuality will be viewed as no different than other genetic traits like height and hair color, said Julio, a student at DePaul University in Chicago.

Adds his brother, "I think it would help a lot of folks understand us better."

The federally funded study, led by Chicago area researchers, will rely on blood or saliva samples to help scientists search for genetic clues to the origins of homosexuality. Parents and straight brothers also are being recruited.

While initial results are not expected until next year - and will not provide a final answer - skeptics are already attacking the methods and disputing the presumed results.

Previous studies have shown that sexual orientation tends to cluster in families, though that does not prove genetics is involved. Extended families may share similar child-rearing practices, religion and other beliefs that could also influence sexual orientation.

Research involving identical twins, often used to study genetics since they share the same DNA, has had mixed results.

One widely cited study in the 1990s found that if one member of a pair of identical twins was gay, the other had a 52 percent chance of being gay. In contrast, the result for pairs of non-twin brothers, was 9 percent. A 2000 study of Australian identical twins found a much lower chance.

Dr. Alan Sanders of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute, the lead researcher of the new study, said he suspects there is not one so-called "gay gene."

It is more likely there are several genes that interact with nongenetic factors, including psychological and social influences, to determine sexual orientation, said Sanders, a psychiatrist.

Still, he said, "If there's one gene that makes a sizable contribution, we have a pretty good chance" of finding it.

Many gays fear that if gay genes are identified, it could result in discrimination, prenatal testing and even abortions to eliminate homosexuals, said Joel Ginsberg of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

However, he added, "If we confirm that sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic, we are much more likely to get the courts to rule against discrimination."

There is less research on lesbians, Sanders said, although some studies suggest that male and female sexual orientation may have different genetic influences.

His new research is an attempt to duplicate and expand on a study published in 1993 involving 40 pairs of gay brothers. That hotly-debated study, wrongly touted as locating "the gay gene," found that gay brothers shared genetic markers in a region on the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page »

[bennyblack1]

As for the twins mentioned in the article, it would only stand to reason that since the twins were brought about by the splitting of the same egg, that their souls are tied together. Research has proven that if one feels pain, the other will feel it too. If one is emotionally distraught, the other one will be, too. It could also be inferred from this, that since they share the same soul, that they would also share the same desires, regardless of whether one of them wants to or not. They are essentially siamese twins locked together in a battle of wills, and the stronger usually wins. My opinion is that the weaker twin becomes subordinate to the choices and desires of the stronger. Therefore, if the stronger one chooses to be gay, being that they are sharing the same soul, the weaker is dragged right along with him, against his free will. If the stronger twin chooses to remain straight, then the weaker will more than likely be straight. Twins are different than the rest of society. They are either locked into a peaceful "marriage," or into a soulish mortal combat in which the loser becomes the subordinate slave. In other words, the weaker does it just because the stronger does it, or else. Which makes it all the more essential that the stronger twin remain morally responsible, because it is not just his own life and circle of friends he is effecting, but the life and circle of friends of his brother.

[bennyblack1]

And furthermore, since God didn''t create homosexuality, and it is a result of an uncontrolled evil desire spawned from original sin at the fall of Adam, there will be no homosexual gene found. God created male and female. Homosexuality is a personal mind-control problem, not a physical attribute.

[bennyblack1]

And you want me to have compassion?

[bennyblack1]

We don''t even know that we are in a socio-economic war, that we are being ethnically cleansed, and there isn''t a thing we can do about it. Or is there?

[bennyblack1]

And that Rudy, is called willful slavery for a lack of alternatives. Now, simply, infer what is happening in the United States, you blind idiots!

[bennyblack1]

Rudy;
Time and time again, it is proven. What happens to a male who is raised in a good home? With no abuse? He tends to seek a mate like his mother. His father taught him how to treat women respectfully, and how he should act to be respected. The same with a female, in reverse. It is proven, over and over again, that a male raped by another male causes the same emotional damage in a male that it does in a female. It is an unnatural act that confuses the emotions, and makes the male essentially, bi-sexual. But he finds himself primarily attracted to males like his attacker, as it does a female. The younger he is, the more likely he will behave in this manner. The older either male or female is, the less likely they will have permanent damage. How, exactly, do you think ethnic purication works? The attacking society basically kills the men and boys, then take the women and young females as mates. The older women are silenced, while the younger women just think it''s the norm. The introduction of homosexuality is essentially killing the men and boys. The introduction of drugs has weakened the mind and the soul, and has created a weak race so that it wouldn''t be able to fight due to fear and lack of stature or morals. What is happening to the women? They are drawn to the stronger society of males, though they may be abused by them. Why? Protection, security, food...etc and a feeling that they are loved and accepted. It''s becoming a dangerous norm.

[bennyblack1]

Rudy
Furthermore, I know that all men and women were created basically the same, therefore, in most cases, if a bad thing happens to one person, in can be concluded that it will have similar effects if it happened to another. Clearly, the AIDS epidemic worldwide is an example of this. Females who are raped at any age suffer similar emotional and physical disorders. Many handle it differently, some recover more rapidly than others, but the damage is essentially the same. The primary difference is the age at which it occurs, and there is more irreversible damage done the younger the tragedy happens. The emotional damage creates low self-esteem, and if these famales aren''t constantly monitored and controlled, they will become sexual deviants, and seek those like their attackers, leading to spousal abuse and more child abuse when they are older.

[bennyblack1]

Rudy;
And Rudy, I do agree that Catholicism isn''t the only religion that did these these in the name of their God. Muslims are doing it right now. Christians only did things to either protect themselves or to stop the circle of violence on innocent people. Such as, the beheading of one of the kings of France in protest to the Catholic Church and the Divine Rite of Kings. There are many examples of Christians causing a righteous movement in the power of God to change things for the better. That is how the United States came to exist. The Pilgrims were Christians in protest to the Catholic Church, if you remember correctly. They read the Bible and had a clear understanding of what it meant, and they didn''t just follow some priest''s interpretation. They escaped England on the Mayflower, established the 13 colonies by hard work and Biblical principles. And then, because freedom demanded it, New York passed a law that allowed Catholics to live there without persecution. Then, Christian men (not perfect men), established the Constitution, under which we are SUPPOSED to live. Yet, Christians and God, who established this country, are persecuted and killed everyday today in THIS country.

[rudy654-2009]

What you must understand is that Catholicism is NOT Christianity. I will side with jankenbenz, that the atrocities that were commited were by the Catholic Church on Christians, Muslems, Jews, and people of every race and every color. posted by bennyblack1

Sorry to rain on your one religion hate parade, benny, but no, the Catholic Church was not the only Church to go around committing atrocities in the name of their god. No, don''t even go there, because your church history is just as full of evil as the rest of the worlds religions. Here is the thing, I don''t care what religion you belong to, that''s fine. But I have talked enough with your kind to know that you can be just as violent and evil as the god you represent. If the practice of homosexuality is wrong, then you should know that there are a few sins that come ahead of it, namely murder and adultery. In the 10 commandments, the first of the Law, there is more to say about those sins than anything else. Now, you might try to use yourself as an example to prove something, but an example of one is not proof of anything. What is wrong with you people? If it is proven that homosexuals are not responsible for their orientation, does that mean you might have to be a little more understanding and compassionate? Why is that so hard for you "christians"?

[bennyblack1]

coxxicon;
Evidently, you didn''t read the Crucible, where supposed witches were hung as a result of children telling lies about spirits that their victims were sending around them. What you missed is that if you read the Bible and understand that in the New Testament, we no longer hang, burn, drown, or otherwise kill anyone. What you probably also need to understand is that those children were being taught by a Jamaican witch voodoo, and she led rituals in the forest which required the removal of clothing, after which, one of the children was caught by the parents. After this, that is when the children came up with these lies to cover up the truth, that they were in fact doing something wrong. The blind fact is that they were attached to a slave that promoted witchcraft (which they knew was wrong), and they wanted to protect her. Witch hunts, killings, torturing, and character assassination is to cover up someone else''s misdoings. What you need to understand is that human behavior, whether Christian or not, is not necessarily representative of God. The sooner we realize that God is a being wholly separate and above the human race, and so totally different than we would expect, the better off we will be. And, it will also facilitate our understanding as to why he tells us not to do certain things, and why we shouldn''t do them (all in the Bible. You should read it sometime!)