Do These Genes Make Me Look Gay?

“Researchers at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute are hoping to identify one or more genes that help determine sexual orientation” and in the process are recruiting (oh there’s that word again) gay brothers to assist in their research by donating blood for DNA. An interesting comment in the article is that some gays are apparently concerned about the X-Men 3 scenario of gene-identification leading to “efforts to “cure” homosexuality, or to prenatal tests for gay genes.”

The first fear is a bit unfounded; considering the innumerable traits that are genetically bound we’re not attempting to “cure.” In fact, it’s a pretty far-gone conclusion that if its genetic, you can’t change it. You can’t fix Down Syndrome, you can’t change your eye color or race. At some point, perhaps, we can suppress the activity of some genes, but we can’t go screwing around with DNA. And as for prenatal screening, I think we’re going to have that fight for ethics anyway in the years to come.

The fundamentalists have a different view. As Mike Ensley says on the Exodus blog, “I think [the aforementioned concern on the part of some gay people] points to the truth of what homosexuality really is—a defense mechanism. As long as its cause is an enigma, and arguments are not too concrete, it’s easy to accept as unchangeable because it’s so consuming and unknowable. But if a specific “switch” were ever found, be it psychological or biological, then it would only be a matter of turning the switch off, and to the same-sex attracted person that is very scary.”

Of course, what he fails to metion is how deep-sixed his paycheck is if strong scientific backing emerges for the gay-gene theory. If there is a genetic predisposition – even one which can be supressed through guilt, shame, therapy, or cuddling other men – it’s still there.

At that point the argument will change from “it’s a choice against God to be gay” to “you can choose against your nature to be straight,” and their position kind of falls apart from there.

Of course, one may say, what of alcoholism, which is widely considered to be genetically predisposed? I counter with this: Just how socially destructive are southpaws? The answer, of course, is not at all. Maybe if there were a high rate of left-handed kleptomaniacs we would be more diligent in shaming our kindergartners, but in the mean time, we allow for this genetic minority to exist relatively unmaligned because the genetics do not lead to destructive behavior.

There was certainly a antisocial behavioral streak in the gay subculture during it’s early modern emergence that has persisted some to today. I argue, however, that has nothing to do with the genetics of being gay, but rather the shame and coerced-supression imposed on a misunderstood group. Nor does it have anything to do with those who are psychologically damaged in their youth and think they’re gay in order to “insulate” themselves from the real world. The fact is, we choose our behavior, not how we were made.

It is dangerous to make assumptions based on genetics. When making our evaluations about people we do not judge their DNA. We judge (for lack of a better word) on behavior. We do not incarcerate the genetically predisposed alcoholic, we incarcerate the idiot who drove drunk and hurt someone. Just because there’s a high number of undocumented workers in southern California doesn’t mean that every Latino is an illegal alien. And just because a guy falls in love with another guy doesn’t mean he’s caught up in a lifestyle, running from their past, addicted to sex or shielding themselves from some deep dark pain.

I, for one, am not afraid of science or what it means. Whereas the entire fundamentalist industry teeters on the brink of scientific irrelevance, I welcome advances that will help us understand more about who we are as human beings, created in the Image of God, whatever that looks like.

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 Filed under News-Etc
09/26/06 06:55 PM
by The Blogger
  1. The Cult of your nightmares says (Sep 8, 06:52 AM ):

    The only thing that can cure homosexuality is homophobic pressure and fear, so I’ll go ahead…
    Turn hetero in 2039 4 years after the great american fall, or die.
    The AHAC (anti- homosexual-alliance-clan, formed from triogistic clan,Anti-homo clan, and Gaurdians of sexual correction)
    will wage a civil war in Europe and south-africa against tha HFF, and the HF(homo-front) themself(HFF and HF united form HFFA, homo- freedom front alliance)
    And the AHAC will definitely win.They’ve already started their plaaning.The AHC, and GSC
    has already started with murder(watch murder headlines in South-africa
    alot of gays!)
    So yeah, you got it.
    If you’re bi, you’re lucky, just destroy your homo side and satisfy your hetero side.
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