If you think about it, there can't really be a gene for gayness. How would it get passed on? amirite?

If it's genetic it would be recessive, so a straight person would carry the gene. The only way to pass on the trait would be for two straight people to carry the gene and then both of them would have to pass on the gene. The gay offspring, however, would not pass on the gene unless they donated sperm or went through artificial pregnancy. Since the gay gene would be recessive anyway, you don't necessarily need gay people to pass it on.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

That implies that each generation would have a progressively higher proportion of people without the recessive gay gene, which doesn't appear to b the case.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

You forgot to factor in the closet gays who get married and end up having children to hide who they really are. They could spread the gene. Then there's the very small percentage of children whose fathers were gay sperm donors. The gay population is so small compared to the straight population that you can't rule those possibilities out.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I think this is a relevant example of genetic phenotypes--eye color. Even though blue-eyed people are fully capable of reproducing, the prevalence of blue-eyed people in the US has been declining for decades, by nearly 66% over the last century. If gayness was expressed by a gene, it seems to me that gayness would have declined even faster than the prevalence of blue eyes, since only a relatively small percentage of gay people reproduce. Or is my thinking completely off?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

woow ur gay thats why u said a retarded post ur just mad at ur gay parents that r both dads that made u from buttsex

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Troll comment is trollin'

by Anonymous 13 years ago

So true, but "made u from buttsex" pretty much made my life :')

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Yes, precisely.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

oh god you almost made me shit from laughing so hard

by Anonymous 13 years ago

you sir are my hero

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Maybe the gay gene for guys is carried by girls and vice versa, just a speculation. But, generic studies by scientists at some point apparently showed that when an unborn baby boy is inside its mother, the mother's body sees the male genes as strange cells and tries to destroy them, which means that boys who spend longer in there are more likely to be gay, as are boys with a lot of older brothers. [citation needed.]

by Anonymous 13 years ago

"Generic studies by scientists at some point"? WTF? Give me a link. What you described sounds like pure pseudoscience.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

If I had a link, I would have included it, and not written [citation needed.] at the end of my comment... I once watched a video that said, at some time when I wasn't there, some people I don't know, with degrees in some kind of science, did studies which I didn't see, that showed the things I said. I never said that the thing I said was the law.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Sorry, my comment came off as edgy. Just because I'm high-wire when I'm arguing about my posts. I just wanted a link because I was interesting in reading more into it, that's all. If the theory you described is true, though, it supports the idea that gayness isn't turned on by just a gene.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I don't know enough about genetics to have an actual opinion on this post, but yeah, the thing I said supports the thing you said, I think.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooEhBxh0NY here you go, the comment about mothers pumping hormones into the male fetus is in there.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

This is the way I look at it: some people do not have the ability to be gay. They just cannot physically be attracted to a person of the same sex. So, in order for someone to be able to find a member of the same sex attractive, they must have the physical ability to do so in the first place - call it having the gay gene, if you like. Sidenote: I think I saw something on a programme once where some scientists supposed it's possible everybody has the "Gay Gene" but the gene is not always expressed.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

"Physical ability"? Sexual attraction of any kind is chemical and hormonal.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Sorry, I don't really know how to describe what I'm trying to say xD But does the general gist of it make sense?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Genetics is very complicated. There might not be one gene, there may actually be many genes working together; or there may be several different gay genes, rather than one that all homosexuals have. Those Punnett squares are an over-simplification.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I don't think you fully grasp how complex genetics is.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I made this post an oversimplification because of people who seriously think sexual orientation is controlled by a single gene, namely, people in a biology class I sat through in the week of Oct 2. In reality, I think sexual orientation is likely the result of a complex interaction of genes, prenatal factors, and social factors in the first years of life. But, seeing as even the most knowledgeable living geneticists still couldn't answer the question of what exactly controls sexual orientation, this post isn't supposed to be a tribute to the complexity of genetics.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Oh ok, aslong as you understand that genetics does play a role. There have been numerous studies on the brain of gay people both male and female and there is deffinate diffrences to the brains of straight people of their gender. The same goes with transgender brains. (I would site the exact studies but my Sister is borrowing my book on it at the moment). It's kinda like how Male and Female brains genrally have diffrences. It is very complicated though... like you said there is no one gene or causation.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Instead of "gayness" can we use the correct term, homosexuality?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

What's wrong with "gayness"? It's listed in the dictionary as a synonym of "homosexuality".

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Homosexuality is not the same as eyecolor though. Your thinking is right, but you need to factor in the very small percentage of people who hide their sexuality. Also, homosexual practices used to be so much more common than it is now (like in ancient Rome) so using your thinking, it can still be genetic. It can also be considered a genetic mutation. Either way, there is still a possibility of it being genetic in some way.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Okay, we can agree that it's possibly genetic in some way.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I agree with you this really complicated and no one has mentioned genetic mutations so let's all agree we have no clye what it is and end the coversation

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Well only now is it common for people to be open about their homosexuality, so throughout history nearly all would have lived a closeted life. And even now I don't think it's very uncommon for people to still hide especially in countries that condem homosexuality.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Actually before christianity became prominent bi sexuality was quite common in men. They would have a wife to carry on the family line but would often have male relations.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yeah you're right, I guess I was thinking more recent history, after the spread of Christianity/Islam. Because there were quite a lot of cultures that accepted homosexuality and bisexuality.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

As far as I've gathered, homosexuality is most likely the result of hormones received while in the uterus. But if we want to pursue this question courageously, I guess we would have to question what causes the abnormal hormonal discharge in the first place. What evolutionary advantage does this achieve? Alas, I don't know, but I don't think that any of this matters in determining civil liberties.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

It could be a polygenetic trait, like most traits.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not sure of the science, but my parents are straight, my brother and I are both gay, as is my aunt and my cousin. There has to be some genetic factor!

by Anonymous 12 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHDCAllQgS0

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I like pie. My mother doesn't but my brother does...there has to be some genetic factor!!!

by Anonymous 11 years ago