The issue of sexual orientation has been a very controversial issue since nations in the West began to recognize Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) rights.
An important part of the current LGBT debate is the belief that sexual orientation is predetermined by biology. Therefore, if a person has no choice over whether to be gay or not, society cannot demand that he or she becomes ‘straight’. This is a sound and reasonable argument. Indeed, society cannot force people to change from something they have no control over.
On the other hand, the ‘born that way’ argument has been disputed by some people. A latest cross-discipline study published in the journal New Atlantis has challenged the belief that human sexuality and gender identity are determined by biology and remains fixed. The New Atlantis journal focuses on political, societal and ethical ramifications of technological advances.
The study, carried out by two researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, revealed that there is no scientific proof of sexual orientation being fixed. The researchers said the objective of their study is to draw the attention of the public to mental health problems of the LGBT community. The study cautioned against drastic medical treatment for transgender children.
According to the study, regardless of its political worth, the “born this way” notion by the LGBT community is not backed up by sufficient scientific data. But the study did not conclude or state that being gay is a choice. It merely said stating the opposite may be wrong.
The study, a 144-page paper, was written by Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, an epidemiologist and biostatistician also trained in psychiatry, who is currently a scholar in residence at the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Paul R. McHugh, who also co-wrote the paper is a renowned psychiatrist, researcher, and educator and former chief of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Mayer said many people who contributed to the study asked not to be identified. The anonymity they requested is to protect them from a potential backlash from those who would disagree with the study. He admitted the study may stir controversy among both pro and anti-LGBT people.
“Some feared an angry response from the more militant elements of the LGBT community; others feared an angry response from the more strident elements of religiously conservative communities. Most bothersome, however, is that some feared reprisals from their own universities for engaging such controversial topics, regardless of the report’s content—a sad statement about academic freedom,” Dr. Mayer said.
The paper’s three sections focus on sexual orientation, links between sexuality and mental health, and gender identity. Drawing on studies in fields varying from neurobiology to social sciences, the researchers wrote: “The understanding of sexual orientation as an innate, biologically fixed property of human beings – the idea that people are ‘born that way’ – is not supported by scientific evidence.”
The study stated that even the term ‘sexual orientation’ itself is ambiguous. The term, according to the study, is used to describe attraction, behavior or identity by different researchers. Sometimes, the same term refers to things such as belonging to a certain community or having certain fantasies.
The study said: “It is important, then, that researchers are clear about which of these domains are being studied, and that we keep in mind the researchers’ specified definitions when we interpret their findings.”
The researchers acknowledged in the study that there are biological factors associated with sexual behavior, but pointed out that there are no compelling causal biological explanations for human sexual orientation. For example, some studies have showed that there are differences in the brain structures of gay and straight people. But the study said the differences are not necessarily innate, and may be the result of environmental or psychological factors.
“The strongest statement that science offers to explain sexual orientation is that some biological factors appear, to an unknown extent, to predispose some individuals to a non-heterosexual orientation,” the study said.
Explaining further, the researchers revealed LGBT individuals are statistically at greater risk of having mental health problems than the general population. The researchers said in the United States for example, the rate of lifetime suicide attempts across all ages of transgender individuals is estimated at 41%, compared to under 5% in the overall population of the country. The usually accepted explanation for this is social stress from discrimination and stigma, but the study said that those factors may not solely explain the disparity and that more scientific research on the issue is necessary.
The paper added that the notion that gender identity is fixed and determined by biological factors is also not backed up by data. More scientific data is also needed to back this claim, according to the researchers.
“In reviewing the scientific literature, we find that almost nothing is well understood when we seek biological explanations for what causes some individuals to state that their gender does not match their biological sex,” the authors said.
Concluding the study, the researchers warned against resorting to drastic medical treatment such as sex-reassignment surgery for people identified or identifying as transgender. The researchers said their warning is especially true in children, whose sexuality is mutable and for whom such treatments may do more harm than good.
“There is little scientific evidence for the therapeutic value of interventions that delay puberty or modify the secondary sex characteristics of adolescents, although some children may have improved psychological well-being if they are encouraged and supported in their cross-gender identification. There is no evidence that all children who express gender-atypical thoughts or behavior should be encouraged to become transgender,” the researchers said.
The researchers finally noted that their study touches upon controversial issues, insisting that first and foremost, it is about science and the need for additional evidence in the field. They encouraged western societies to accept the study from a scientific point of view, and not by emotions and personal beliefs.
This article (New U.S. Study says Gay People are not ‘Born that Way’, Sexual Orientation not Fixed) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
http://anonhq.com/new-u-s-study-says-gay-people-not-born-way-sexual-orientation-not-fixed/
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I’m not sure if anything happened to me, but I know when I was around 5, 6, or 7 I went through a bought of deep depression. I hated myself, the way I looked my personality, everything. and I didn’t know why. I know around that time also I would draw pictures of naked people both male and adult female genitalia. I sometimes would lay down to go to sleep and I’d start thinking of BDSM stuff, especially stuff done to adult woman, but I dont know where I’d get those thoughts from. I started masturbating during that time too, and would sometimes put a sock in my pants to rub against a pillow. I felt sick and ashamed with all of these things. I also got into a incest relationship once or twice with the sister that was 2 years older than me. We were only “pretending” in a game, I played the part of the male. I dont remember the details other than the fact we were naked in bed together and roleplaying, and I felt so sick and ashamed. The masturbation went away for awhile then seems like it came back around 9 or 10 and I almost felt addicted. Like, worried that going to camp I wouldn’t be able to masturbate. It subsides and intensifies on and off throughout my life.
As for the BDSM stuff, I dont recall ever seeing that kind of stuff in a movie, all though once or twice I saw sex scenes and Birds which was graphic and traumatized me (I only saw the part where someone’s eyes got poked out). When I first started masturbating it was usually involving me sticking stuff like bobby pins, pencils on my lips or other places to cause so pain. I dont know why I had that sick desire.
Most of my childhood is kinda blank, I was forgotten and neglected at times by my parents.
I got into porn when I was twelve, and have been since then. Abusive porn to women was especially stimulating for me. I once after masturbating forced my dogs face into my genitals.
Why was I like this? Why violence towards adult females stimulating to me? Why did I pretend to have a penis to rub into the pillow? Why did I want to receive torture/BDSM sexual stuff?
I know as far back as I can remember I have never liked men very much except for my dad. When I was 12 that changed. He became abusive emotionally and psychologically, and sexist which in itself tore me to shreds emotionally. I felt very unloved by him and though my mom was sorta abusive too, I would still defend her when he’d scream at her. I do not trust people at all. I have never had sex (that I am aware of) and I’m 24. I have severe anxiety and anytime a guy starts showing interest in me I pull away from him and avoid him. Even when I liked him a lot.
If something did happen to me the only culprits I have are:
I know one of my sisters fiancés around the time I was 6, 7, or 8 stayed with our family for a few months, and I know I have never liked him from the first time I met him for some reason, but I dont remember ever being alone with him during that time in my life. As a teenager I’ve witnessed him glaring at his 7 y/o daughter because she was pretending to be a puppydog and laid down and it kinda looked like a porn star pose. He thought no one was looking but I saw him, and she suddenly changed her position seeing her dad glare at her like that.
I know one of my older sisters who was a teenager at that time I was first starting to masturbate, she had been molested as a 3 y/o and the memories came back it was someone from when we lived in a different state, some teenager boy at the time. But for some reason she has always hated me. She was psychologically abusive once or twice (pretending to kill my pet grasshoppers and telling me how she shook them in their jar over and over until they died and she was laughing at the fact I was crying) and physically abusive to me. She once strangled me in public, pretending she was kidding, but I almost passed out (I was 9 at the time) and ever since then I can’t let anyone touch my throat without revolting.
My dad is a possibility just because it usually is that dad, and I didn’t really understand why I hated him so severely and blindly as a teenager. but it could just be because I felt rejected by him.
I had another brother-in-law stay with us when I was 3 and 4 but I dont think he did anything. I didn’t have problems back then.
I do remember my family having this guy over, a friend of the family, when I was about 5, 6, or 7. And I remember thinking he was really hot and kinda lusting after his body but at the same time I was particularly afraid of him. I can’t remember if this was before or after I started having perversion. Those three years of my childhood all blend in together. Anyways, some reason I felt guilty but I cant remember why I felt guilty when he was around.
My mom recently mentioned him randomly and said he was a nice guy, he was in the military at the time and talked about how he didn’t really like it because all the guys there were watching porn in the open and it bothered him. So maybe that’s true he wasn’t a bad guy and I felt ashamed because I was crushing on him? I would always feel ashamed whenever I had a crush on a guy, all the way up into my teen years I’ve been like that. I’m not sure if that’s normal or why I’m like that?
Does anyone know what’s wrong with me? And how likely I am to have had something happen to me? Also I’ve always felt kinda nasty and unworthy especially when I tried to practice my religion, which was the result of these perversions.
I apologize for the delay in responding. you certainly have many of the symptoms of being abused in childhood. However, I can’t tell from a post. finding out is a personal process where you interact with a professional with experience in this field and discover your truth. remember that there are all sorts of sexual abuse. watching your parents, or other adults can do a lot of damage to a sensitive child.
what I’d like you to know is that I have had clients present with many of the realities you present. they weren’t crazy or dysfunctional and neither are you. There is something troubling in your past and it can be healed, just as theirs was. You may never know exactly what happened. but you can heal all the shame and guilt and uncertainty and live a wonderful, productive life if you do the work. it’s not easy, nor is it usually fast, but it can be done. myself and many of my clients have had success in healing the past of abuse and pain. You can do it too.
I have this feeling that something is really wrong, but i have no idea what it is. I kind of feel out of touch with myself, like it is not my body and that im not real sometimes. I have a very foggy memory, and my prespective of time is wrong. I say to my mom when i was 6 i did that, and then my mother would say i was 8 at the time. I did not have any problems until i was around 15, that was when my eating disorder started and i began to selfharm. I reallly never had a reason for it and never understood why it happend. I later became very depressed and was suicidal. When i got help for my problems they asked if was sexually abused, and at the moment they asked me that i felt sick to my stomach, i wanted to throw up and i felt like i was going to cry. I never said anything about it at the time and i moved on.
I later came out as gay, but i find myself looking at men at men, and then feeling ashamed because of it. It is not like i want to marry them or fall inlove, but something about the sexual part is embarrasing and shamefull.
I remember at the age of 7 or 8 that me and my friend took pictures of our vagina with a camera, but i never really knew why i did it, when i was around 11 i remember grinding myself up against the wall and my dogs and being kind of sexual in school while showering after gym class. When i was 11 i began watching porn and people making out, i never really knew how that got in my head. When i was 13 i started to watch all of the episodes of law and order which contained sexual abuse towards children and when my brother asked my why i told him that i could relate to it.
When i was 16 i could not stand being touched by my dad or men in general, i did not want to live with my dad and went many months without seeing him much. It always seems that when im with my dad, my eating disorder and self harm get worse or out of control.
I often have an arousing feeling when thinking about rape or me being sexually abused when i was little, and often think that i should be raped. When im sleeping i can not sleep with my legs open and i find it uncomfortable to sleep with my back towards the door.
When i watch videos of myself i always find it so uncomfortable when my dad would give cuddles up and down my back, and also the idea of sleeping in his bed until i was about 11 gives me the creeps. I also remember never wanting to shower when i was younger and my mother had to tell me to take one all the time. When i was around 14 i got bacterial vaginosis, but i never had sex. it keeps comming back a lot.
I now suffer form anxiety, but it never find out what it is caused by, but it became worse when i stared my new school. The smell and the walls remind me of the school i went to in first grade, but i hardly rememeber anything about that place or where we lived at the time. I also had alot of stomach pain and constipations when i grew up, but i never found out why.
Recently i was suppose to ride alone in my teachers car (a man)and i completly broke down by the thought of it. Crying and began to panick. I was crying like i never had before, because it felt such incredible sadness in my stomach, like it was buried away, but it finally came to the surface. That night i could not sleep very well, i woke up many times in horror. It was like someone was hugging me extremely tight and could not get away, and i had a feeling that someone was watching me.
When watching information videos about the topic i wanna cry or throw up. My mother asked me if something happend when i was younger and kinda panicked when she asked me. Also recently i sorted out my old clothes and my dad had kept my underwear from when i was little, there was underwear from when i was 11. I asked why and he responded with because they are cute. I thought that was so disgusting.
One night my dad came home drunk and my first tought was that he was going to rape me or something, i was scared to go to bed that night as i thought he was goning to enter my room and touch me.
I was sexually harrased by a boy when i was in high school, but this feeling is something deeper and different.
I am afraid that i am making this up,because i never could imagine my dad doing that to me. It makes me wonder if it is true or not, ecpesially when he shows that he is worried about me.
I also want to mention that my younger brother wet the bed at night and also through the day until he was 11 or so. He was also very violent.I dont know if it has something to do with it, but i wanted to mention it.
I dont know what to do about this, it feles like im losing my mind.
Im almost 18 by the way.
https://louisebehiel.com/the-16-signs-of-childhood-sexual-abuse/
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