Homosexuality

For years, the question of whether homosexuality is a biological or environmental creation 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.

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.

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 world. There are two experiences that dominant these years. The first is the naming of the behaviors, and adult reactions to them, specifically the sexual. The second is the continued building of gender identities based on decisions made on the maleness or femaleness of the child by adults (parents, doctors, etc.).

While much research is still being done to find the causes of homosexuality, there is still very little evidence that wholly supports any one argument. The correlation between biology and sexual orientation development is not yet fully understood, although the biological argument does offer a logical conclusion. The social factors which influence gender identity and gender roles may, in fact, influence the development of sexual orientation, however it is still uncertain as to what degree these social influences may affect sexual orientation. While it is impossible for us to completely uncover any one particular cause of homosexuality, we can evaluate and assess the degrees to which social factors influence individual's understanding and development of sexual identity. Although the results may be relatively inconclusive, we can at least understand just how relevant social arguments are to the development of sexual orientation amongst our peers and subjects.

We hypothesize that sexuality is determined by biological, environmental, and social factors. Previously, it was believed that homosexuality was determined solely by social influences. It is not until recently (1970s) that it was proposed that genes and the environment played a strong role in determining a person's sexuality. Very recently, controversial genetic evidence has been found, suggesting biological roots to sexuality.

We believe that sexuality is determined at birth; however an individual's own understanding and development of his/her sexuality may be influenced by social and environmental factors. We wish to determine which social factors play a large role in determining a person's sexuality.

For me and for many other, it is hard to understand why many