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[quote="Bun"]I'm a little different, two of you seem to think you can be 'swayed' one way or the other, I believe there are no different types of people (apart from cases of proven brain damage) and anyone can be anything, whether it comes to sex or to other tendencies like homocide, but I think that it's actually the norms that shape the way people behave in society. Hence why I'm irked when people mention homosexuals are only 10%, because the fact is we all live in an heteronormative society, and in my opinion the other 90% isn't heterosexual, they enforce the social norm and earn 'rewards' (approval, social status) etc. for it.[/quote]
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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:20 pm
Post subject:
bettalove wrote:
nick007 wrote:
Women dated or met lots of loser moronic guys who weren't sensitive like other women are
I have to disagree. I've been a lesbian my entire life. I've only dated women, and later only done sexual acts with women since the young age of twelve.
I tell people that my sexuality is like going to an art museum. I can admire the Rembrandt , Van Gogh, Warhol, and Pollock, but only want to take a Rembrandt print home with me.
i actually agree with both of you :>|
l am lot like you in this way though. If when you say "admire" you don't mean "attracted to". l have really never been physically attracted to a man but the admiration has been there, that is what caused me to enter hetero relationships TRULY believing that l could become attached to men because l liked them so much.
But l only feel the real and instantaneous attraction for women, and personality only plays a small role whereas for men it was the only thing that made them attractive to me, and l still didn't like kissing them.
@Nick l agree with you there too. l prefer to dismiss the simple explanation of homosexuality, especially in the case of females. *shrug* if l am betraying the community l really don't care, it is caused by bad relationships(not necessarily abusive) and overall bad experiences with men in adulthood for some women. Can l prove that? no, but it's easy to see through a facade and when many people can see the same thing that l do , l chose to acknowledge it's presence.
But, it is largely genetic for some of us. l just keep my out for women who l feel are authentic. And l would even date a bisexual woman, i'm not concerned that a women is also into men if she is also truly and SEXUALLY attracted to women
muzikislyf
Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:39 pm
Post subject:
As a female, I was attracted to women, and women only, many years before I even knew what being gay was.
SanityTheorist
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:02 am
Post subject:
I have had more recent thoughts about this actually; I think that what stillsearching is right about how you can know you're gay but not have words to describe the feeling.
When I was a young boy I always found being around guys more fun and cared little for women, while most guys were jokingly serenading girls.
Also, in middle school, I was asked out by a girl and to get her to stop bugging me I said yes, but there were no feelings attached and I didn't care about her; there was nothing in common.
I would describe myself as gay genetically but preferring platonic love. Cuddling seems great though.
DonQuoteme
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:40 am
Post subject:
goodiesguy wrote:
I believe you are not born gay, and it is a choice.
Nobody is born gay or straight; they may however be more pre-disposed to either extreme of the sexuality spectrum by their genetics. But by far the biggest determiner of sexuality, arguably is environment: their upbringing, peers, and social pressures/taboos. A few generations ago most men got married because homosexuality was socially unacceptable. Many of these men are only now coming out as gay after raising families. Young people are somewhat luckier these days because homosexuality is so much more acceptable.
So yes, to some extent it is a choice, but I don't think we can ignore the underlying genetic factors.
DonQuoteme
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:25 am
Post subject:
nick007 wrote:
I do not think sexuality is as black & white as genetic vs environmental. Saying genetic gives the impression that homosexuality could be inherited & I am not aware of any scientific evidence of a gay gene. Saying it's environmental gives the impression that being homosexual or straight is entirely based on how the person grows up. I believe numerous things can affect someones sexuality.
Research suggests birth order of a child correlates with male sexuality. The more male children born to a woman, the more her body produces hormones to feminise that male child in utero. This could be the genetic basis to male homosexuality. It makes a lot of sense, and I'm sure scientists will eventually discover that a similar thing occurs with female homosexuality. It's a byproduct of nature attempting to balance the numbers of males and females within the population.
So you'll be more likely to be gay if you are male and you have older brothers. And those with lots of older brothers will be more likely to be gay than those with just a few.
DonQuoteme
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:12 am
Post subject:
AdamAutistic wrote:
i beleive in the gay gene. most of my family is gay.
To play devil's advocate, if a majority of your family is gay, it could be suggested that the gay-friendliness within your family made it more conducive for individuals to choose a gay lifestyle - making it nurture rather than nature.
However, I believe there's always a combination of nature and nurture happening.
DonQuoteme
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:51 am
Post subject:
Bun wrote:
Pileo wrote:
From my basic understanding:
Attraction is surprisingly biological. Your bodies goal, no matter your personal goal is, is to have strong and healthy children. When searching for a mate, your body is looking for someone that compliments you genetically and immune system-ly (could not think of a word). Everyone has their own signature smells and pheromones that they produce to accomplish this. Males and females, of course, produce different pheromones and smells due their sex hormones. In homosexuals, their bodies like smells and pheromones from the same sex (for the most part). Just like everything else, there are exceptions to the rules. It is possible to make changes to the brain through the epigenome and nurture. How big the changes and which makes the changes, epigenome or nuture, is up for the debate. For all we know, the epigenome is the tool nurture uses to make changes.
Personally, I don't think the changes can be that big if it's just nurture and there's no traumatic event. People have tried to nurture homosexuals out of homosexuality for centuries. You'd think it work the other way too.
Mind you, this is "find a mate" attraction and not "what you're willing to have sexual relations with". The porn industry is proof enough that people will 'do' anything and anyone.
Also, just because we don't have a genetic link now, doesn't mean we won't. There are thousands of genes to figure out and we only just begun. Not to mention it's much more important to find genes of genetic diseases than it is to find the "Gay Gene(s)".
You might call me an idiot inwardly while reading my question, but what about the sexual attractions of people who can't smell?...
I could be wrong, but I believe the pheromones may well act at a subconscious level, and would not necessarily require the "conscious" sense of smell to operate. This sounds counter-intuitive, of course, but it depends at what point the sense of smell is "interrupted". The brain may still recognise and respond to the chemical reaction caused by a pheromone, whilst the breakdown in the signal that allows us to consciously interpret the pheromone as a smell may be incidental. Remember, subconscious vs conscious control within our brain is somewhere in the ratio 95:5.
bettalove
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:41 pm
Post subject:
nick007 wrote:
Women dated or met lots of loser moronic guys who weren't sensitive like other women are
I have to disagree. I've been a lesbian my entire life. I've only dated women, and later only done sexual acts with women since the young age of twelve.
I tell people that my sexuality is like going to an art museum. I can admire the Rembrandt , Van Gogh, Warhol, and Pollock, but only want to take a Rembrandt print home with me.
nick007
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:53 pm
Post subject:
thewhitrbbit wrote:
I read a study that male homosexuality is more likely to be genetic than female homosexuality.
I think it's genetic though. I mean yeah there are stories like that, or the girl on America's Next Top Model who was sexually abused by a man and is now a lesbian because of it;
but how do you explain children from loving families who received both male and female attention being gay?
Women dated or met lots of loser moronic guys who weren't sensitive like other women are
thewhitrbbit
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:18 pm
Post subject:
I read a study that male homosexuality is more likely to be genetic than female homosexuality.
I think it's genetic though. I mean yeah there are stories like that, or the girl on America's Next Top Model who was sexually abused by a man and is now a lesbian because of it; but how do you explain children from loving families who received both male and female attention being gay?
techn0teen
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:09 pm
Post subject:
SanityTheorist wrote:
These responses have been very insightful.
In your case, it might very well be the environment. And I'd have reason to think so. But to actually pursue relations with males means you have that capacity in you. Someone else, given your exact same living environment, would not do the same thing. I wouldn't!
More food for thought; humans are not the only animals that have homosexual behavior. Animals do too. Yes, animals can make choices like humans but mating behavior tends to be more instinct. So it was probably ingrained in them in some way.
stillsearching
Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:26 pm
Post subject:
Well, from my own personal experience in life, I feel that I was born this way. I grew up not even knowing what gay was, it wasn't talked about when I was younger and then when I was clued in I was under the impression that it was something that only affected men. The reason I wasn't privy to the realities of homosexuality wasn't because my parents tried to keep it from me or anything like that, there was just simply never a need to discuss it. I never asked about it.
That being said, I don't see how my enviroment contributed to me being a lesbian. I was raised in a stable family with two parents, my mother stayed home with me and my younger sister and my father was in the Air Force. There was no marital strife, no abuse, nothing. My parents were incredibly loving and spent so much time and money trying to figure out why I had such a rough go of things as a kid. (I was never diagnosed with Asperger's as a kid formally, though it was suspected) They encouraged me to do my best with the hand I'd been dealt and always made sure that I was learning something and that they were nurturing me the best that they knew how.
As far back as I can remember I had feelings for girls and a sexual attraction towards girls, but it never registered because I wasn't aware that being gay (or lesbian, rather) was something that I could be. I just knew I didn't like boys and they made me feel "icky". As a child I would tell myself that I would grow out of that "icky" feeling and be "normal" once I was a teenager. That didn't happen. I forced myself into the heteronormative mold to the point of near self destruction for many years.
It wasn't until high school that someone asked me if I could be gay. Which I denied, because, well, girls can't be gay. But eventually it started making sense. Everything I had felt growing up, the crushes, the "icky" feelings towards men and boys. Still, it was a long road out of the closet and I still struggle with accepting it.
I've always been an outcast in life, always been made fun of, always had very few friends and people to confide in and spent my entire school career being bullied for being different. If anything, that kept my homosexuality from coming out. My mind knew (subconsciously) that I didn't need one more thing to be bullied about. What I'm getting at is this- having gone through what I've gone through I would NEVER CHOOSE to be a lesbian. Never. I'm already disliked and somewhat disadvantage for not being part of the neurotypical norm so why in the world would I make myself out to be even more of an outcast? Especially in this day and age where we have people saying that all gay people should be killed by the government and such? I mean really? Who would choose that for themselves?
I've searched and searched for a reason why I'm a lesbian but honestly, there isn't one. This is who I am and this is who I've always been. I don't think it's a choice to be gay but I do think that we have a choice to acknowledge it to ourselves and then to come out of the closet. But who we are is who we are and there isn't anything you can do about that.
SanityTheorist
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 1:32 pm
Post subject:
These responses have been very insightful.
nick007
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 9:59 am
Post subject:
goodiesguy wrote:
I believe you are not born gay, and it is a choice.
How is that choice made? Did you suddently decide one day when you hit puberty that you were going to be straight? or did you contemplate choices a while H decided to be straight instead of gay or bi or something?
goodiesguy
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 5:10 am
Post subject:
I believe you are not born gay, and it is a choice.
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