Knowledge on Same-Sex Attraction

     Today I am going to share with you the knowledge we have from research on same-sex attraction.  Some of this knowledge has been used and been successful in helping those, who wanted to change their sexual orientation.  I am a big believer that anyone can change, if they are willing and want to work on it and do their best, on whatever they choose. I'm not saying that same-sex attraction isn't real or that there are those out there, who will choose to stay the way they are. My goal is simply to help others gain understanding and be able to make informed decisions for their selves. Knowledge is power and I want to empower any who are willing to learn.
Born That Way?
     To begin with let's discuss one of the most known arguments for why people are gay. That they are born that way. You may wonder where this information came from. There was a biological scientist at Salk Institute in San Diego named Simon LeVay. He did research on brains of two groups of men: homosexual men and men he presumed were heterosexual.  This was done with fairly small sample sizes, the research was done postmortem, focusing on a certain cluster of cells in the hypothalamus called INAH-3. At the end he said that he found small, but significant differences between the brains of the two groups.
     Now to examine the research. First, he had a number of limitations. He had a small amount of information on the sexual histories of the research subjects. Some of the subjects died of AIDS/HIV. Even though there were differences in the groups, some of the presumed heterosexual men had small nuclei in the areas researched and some homosexual men had large enough nuclei to be included in the heterosexual range. Despite this being just one study with no other studies done to back up the information, the media shouted that the biological cause of homosexuality had been found. Any scientist could see that the claim was far from accurate based on the research.
   You may be wondering what did LeVay say himself about the research? Well, here it is. He, himself contradicted what the media said. I will summarize, because he said quite a bit. He admitted limitations on his research, such as the subjects were adult men who had been sexually active for a number of years. To really prove that there were neuroanatomical differences existed early in life, it would be preferred at birth. That without that data, there's always the possibility that those differences could be the result of differences in sexual behavior-perhaps the "use it or lose it" principle. That even if the differences in the hypothalamus came before birth, that this might come from a variety of causes including genetic differences, differences in stress exposure, and many others. At the end he says, "It's important to stress what I didn't find,".... "I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay." For the rest, read pages 482-483 in the link below. It also included the other research on biological findings & explanations for homosexual research.
Theories
   Now onto the part that helps us understand the research of how many come to have same-sex attraction. There are three theories that help us understand.  Psychoanalytic Theory- Homosexuality comes from a context of difficult family relationships, particularly a detached, disconnected father and an over-involved mother. These unhealthy relationships contribute to the rejection of a masculine or feminine gender identity. Disordered parent-child relationship. Child doesn't accept identification with same-sex parent and turns to same-sex peers or adults for love, support and affirmation.
    Social Learning Theory- Individuals learn through observations, and adopt attitudes and actions from significant others. The media and peers have tremendous influences on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of adolescents. Some researchers have observed a higher prevalence of sexual abuse in the histories of both male and female homosexuals.  Also explains how needs for attention and affection get mixed up with sexuality when sexual abuse  occurs. Children can develop an affinity for homosexual relationships because physical stimulation  can be reinforcing. Teasing and bullying (peer abuse) makes them often feel disconnected from their own masculinity.
    Interactional Theory-  Combines indirect or predisposing effects of biology with environmental factors to explain homosexuality.  Temperament is associated with gender nonconformity(where boys identify with girls and girls identify with boys in terms of their activities), the child is prevented from interacting with same-sex peers and so they fail to bond or identify with same-sex peers.  During adolescence, they sexualize "otherness", or those with whom they are not identified. Sexualize that with which they aren't familiar.
My Thoughts
     I wanted to say in closing that I am aware of how controversial a subject this is and that my intention wasn't to offend anyone.  In fact if anything, I wanted to encourage more understanding and more support, to those who go through those things written above.  Also, to help people to hopefully identify anything they might be doing or might do, that affect others in a negative way and be able to change. Until I learned this information I felt lost and hopeless on this subject, but now I feel empowered and that I can help others in being able to understand things more clearly. Nothing can be done until people understand and can act to make a difference, no matter what the subject matter is. Hopefully, you also recognized how important good relationships with parents are to children and that we all just want to be accepted and loved. I invite you to think on those things that have been discussed and to think. Am I helping or hurting others by what I think and do in this matter?

Link below to YouTube video
Understanding Same-Sex Attraction

Link to Research Article by A. Dean Byrd

Homosexuality: Innate and Immutable? What Science Can and Cannot Say