Homosexuality

Introduction

For years, the question of whether homosexuality is a biological or environmental construction has been the focus of many heated debates among scholars, scientists and sociopolitical activists who, for various reasons, have attempted to uncover the origins of homosexual behavior. Inquiry into the origin(s) of homosexuality has emerged recently, largely in part due to the rising political debates over whether or not homosexuality should be considered a socially immoral practice, and thus the major motive behind these debates have not been simply to uncover the scientific or social origins of homosexuality, but to utilize the results as a means to either justify or condemn homosexual practices. These ulterior motives have hindered the effectiveness of such research, and have created huge debates as to how scientifically valid the results of such research have been.

Given the controversial nature of this project, it is necessary that we take a neutral position with respect to the moral and political agendas involved in order to refrain from biasing the research. The purpose of this project is not to prove whether homosexuality is right or wrong, but to establish a thorough and well-documented understanding about the

biological and/or social evolution of homosexuality. In this respect, we seek to identify and critique the major biological and social arguments relating to the origin of homosexuality in order to suggest a possible theory that would most effectively and thoroughly answer our questions regarding the origins of homosexuality. We intend to suggest that homosexuality among humans is a biological construction which is found innately in some people and may be influenced, to certain degrees, by environmental factors such as family structure, parental interaction, siblings, peers and gender roles. Furthermore, we shall suggest that homosexuality is not a psychological or biological error, nor is it a choice. Rather, it is a healthy biological form of sexual expression which in no way deviates from the natural evolutionary process of human sexuality.

According to many of the popular theories regarding socially constructed human sexuality, the following elements may contribute to the construction of sexual identity: childhood play patterns, early peer relations, differences in parental behavior toward male and female children, and gender constancy and stability. Much of the research regarding biology and sexuality is biased in that the researchers assume that all people are born heterosexual. Consequently, many of these theories imply that homosexual behavior is abnormal and is a result of some type of error in their socializing.

One of the first major studies conducted by American researchers on the nature of homosexuality began during the late 1930's. The study was conducted by the Kinsey group at Indiana University and was done in order to accomplish two goals: 1) to identify how many males have engaged in homosexual behavior, and 2) to suggest possible theories as to what factors may influence an individual to be homosexual. The study, which ran between the years of 1938 and 1953, found that 37 percent of the males interviewed have shared in at least one homosexual experience resulting in orgasm for themselves or their partner. When looking specifically at males that were in college or graduate school programs, the study found that 30 percent had engaged in a homosexual sexual activity. Interestingly, 16 percent of the males interviewed were found to have had no such activity since the age of fifteen. Of the remainder, an additional third (9 percent of the total) had experienced all of their homosexual acts either during adolescence or before they reached 20 years of age (Grellert et al. 1982). Thus, homosexual sexual experience, at least from this study, seems to be confined to adolescence and isolated experiences in the latter years.

One of the theories resulting from the Kinsey studies as well as from other studies suggest that homosexual behavior is influenced by family structure and its malfunctions. Irving Bieber (1962) conducted studies on a group of male homosexuals. He found that there was a large proportion who had mothers who were described as close binding and intimate, and fathers who were detached and hostile. This could be used to argue that the mothers have selected their child for special overprotection and seductive care. When combining this with Fruedian argument, the father is then alienated, becomes hostile towards the child, and fails to become a masculine role-figure for the child. There are complications arising from Bieber's theories in that the assumptions made suggest that there is a direct relationship between the development of gender identity and sexual orientation.

Social learning gives rise to gender identification early on in life. It is the parent's decision to raise the child as a male or female, and it is the most significant labeling experience the child will ever undergo. Thus, the belief in which gender role the child is will have permanent consequences for the child throughout life. Identity is defined by anatomy, the placement of one's genitals on the body. However, gender roles are not established simply by the doctor pronouncing "You have a girl (or boy)." The roles are learned over time, by experiences throughout childhood. Contributions to the development of the child as masculine or feminine are the frequency of father-child and mother-child interaction, tolerance of aggression in males and not females, and the vigor of play. It is commonly thought that gender role is set by the age of two, and attempts to change gender identification has negative psychic consequences on the child (Grellert et al. 1982). Green (1987) found that 80 percent of children by the age of two were able to correctly identify their gender. About two-thirds of young children understand that they cannot change sex (Green et al. 1987).

There is evidence that hormonal effects on the mother's nervous system during pregnancy may play a role in assigning gender identity. Those receiving lowered amounts of hormones from the parent may give rise to the child having problems identifying with their gender role. Normal amounts are thought to ready the child to receive the definitions and inputs on masculinity and femininity from the parents (Grellert et al. 1982). Thus, the gender role is a combination of both the biological and the social, rather than a product of one or the other.

It is in the period after infancy, when the child begins to develop language skills, until adulthood that the child begins to undergo very different processes. These processes are extremely culture-bound. It is through these processes that the child begins to organize how she will deal with the