Susan writes:
>I agree. This, of course, is an excellent illustration of the fact that
>people don't choose their sexual orientation. You are born one way and you
>are stuck with it! Religious moralizing only causes psychological damage.
>Suicide rates among homosexual teens is much higher than among "normal"
>adolescents.
From a Darwinian perspective, it would seem obvious that there
would be some form of genetically-based inertia channeling people towards
heterosexuality as these genetic states would tend to predominate in a
population
given they translate as increased fecundity (relative to a homosexual
orientation).
Suicide rates among homosexual teens are indeed high. But this may be a
function
of natural selection (as has been claimed for rape). The cause for that
suicide
is usually a consequence of the peer-interactions that develop among children
and then teens. Every boy can tell you that as a child, and then teen, one
of
the most miserable things that can happen to you is to be labeled a "sissy,"
"fag,"
or "gay-boy." This is like putting a sign on your back that says "kick me"
or
"hey bully, pick on me." Children can be just as mean and ruthless as adults
(and in some cases, worse). But such homophobia may be genetically-based.
After all no homophobe wakes up one morning and chooses to be a homophobe.
Instead, social interactions may cue genetic states that have been selected
to
minimize the development (or actualization) of homosexual behavior. This,
again, would translate as increased fecundity for that population. So I
wouldn't be so quick to blame "religious moralizing," as such moralizing
may build upon the way natural selection made us. Perhaps what we need
is more research to determine the extent to which homophobia is genetically
based. Maybe one day we can combat this problem by educating young boys
that nature made most of them into homophobes. This, of course, would follow
their education about how natural selection worked so that most are also
potential rapists.
Just trying to make this topic fit on a evolution board,
Mike
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