On Mon, 27 Mar 2000, Richard Pisacreta went:
> >A nice friendly primer, with plenty of references to primary sources,
> >is Simon LeVay's book _Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research
> >into Homosexuality_. His previous book, _The Sexual Brain_, is also
> >helpful.
> >
> >--David Epstein
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> Can you summarize his views for us?
Better he should do it himself: see the interview excerpt below. But
note that the interview doesn't contain the material for which I
recommend the book: a history of attempts to "cure" homosexuality, and
a possibly surprising chapter on homosexual behaviors in various
species of nonhuman animals.
--David Epstein
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://bewell.healthgate.com/healthy/sexuality/1998/ga/
Q: What part is of sexuality is biological, in your view?
A: I would say that a reasonable summary of what we know so far is
that about half of a male's sexual orientation, whatever it is, is
genetic. As to the other half--well, we don't know how it's divided
up. One part is probably just nongenetic biological factors or
random processes in prenatal and environmental development, and
another part is the influence of environmental and postnatal
factors.
My hunch is that the bulk of why a man is gay or straight has
nothing to do with his environment. I'm not talking about what
people do sexually, but rather their sexual orientation--the state
of attraction. Some gay men get married and have children, maybe
because they think that they should. And there are straight guys
who nevertheless engage in homosexual behavior, maybe to make money
or because they're in prison. So I'm talking about people's
underlying desires, not their behavior.
Q: It sounds like we're only talking about men here.
A: In women, the evidence is not as extensive. But the existing
evidence seems to say that the genetic loading may not be quite as
high. If you ask gay men why they think they are gay, and similarly
ask lesbians why they are lesbians, you get very different answers.
About 95% of gay men are adamant that they were born gay... they
don't give many other reasons. Lesbians are much more diverse in
their answers.
