Changing Trends in Sexual Orientation
Changing Trends in Sexual Orientation
According to Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, sexual orientation refers to the inclination of an individual with respect to heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual behavior. The famous Kinsey Reports by Alfred Kinsey (1948) claims that about 10% of American adults are homosexual. This astonishing figure is often presented as fact but is often criticized to be highly overestimated by academia. (Refer to Appendix 1 for figures presented by other institutes). Studies by National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles reviews that lesbian increased from 2.8% in 1990 to 9.7% in 2000 while gay reported to rise from 5.3% in 1990 to 8.4% in 2000, depicting upward trends that are consistent with reports published by other institutes. Before concluding that homosexual population had indeed grown and trends in sexual orientation are shifting, let us look into some of the possible explanations for these sexual deviances.
Aetiology and Causes
Homosexuality is commonly attributed to 3 major causes: gene, hormone and social influences. The notion of “born-that-way” was first supported by discovery of “gay gene” on 1993. (Appendix 2) This discovery has spearheaded the search for similar gene and other gay genes were reported to be found at chromosomes 7, 8, and 10 on 2005. Prenatal hormonal theory suggests that testosterone exposure during fetal life ‘masculinized’ the developing brain while lack of testosterone during early life ‘feminized’ the brain. In short, mismatched level of sex hormones in mothers during pregnancies were said to render a child more predisposed to homosexuality. These arguments support the advocates that sexual orientation is innate and “biologically fated”.
Another line of reasoning is sexual orientation is a free will choice and homosexual is a learned behavior. Homosexuality is less elusive compared to the past. Many influential and prominent figures had publicly declared their homosexual orientation; one such
According to Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, sexual orientation refers to the inclination of an individual with respect to heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual behavior. The famous Kinsey Reports by Alfred Kinsey (1948) claims that about 10% of American adults are homosexual. This astonishing figure is often presented as fact but is often criticized to be highly overestimated by academia. (Refer to Appendix 1 for figures presented by other institutes). Studies by National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles reviews that lesbian increased from 2.8% in 1990 to 9.7% in 2000 while gay reported to rise from 5.3% in 1990 to 8.4% in 2000, depicting upward trends that are consistent with reports published by other institutes. Before concluding that homosexual population had indeed grown and trends in sexual orientation are shifting, let us look into some of the possible explanations for these sexual deviances.
Aetiology and Causes
Homosexuality is commonly attributed to 3 major causes: gene, hormone and social influences. The notion of “born-that-way” was first supported by discovery of “gay gene” on 1993. (Appendix 2) This discovery has spearheaded the search for similar gene and other gay genes were reported to be found at chromosomes 7, 8, and 10 on 2005. Prenatal hormonal theory suggests that testosterone exposure during fetal life ‘masculinized’ the developing brain while lack of testosterone during early life ‘feminized’ the brain. In short, mismatched level of sex hormones in mothers during pregnancies were said to render a child more predisposed to homosexuality. These arguments support the advocates that sexual orientation is innate and “biologically fated”.
Another line of reasoning is sexual orientation is a free will choice and homosexual is a learned behavior. Homosexuality is less elusive compared to the past. Many influential and prominent figures had publicly declared their homosexual orientation; one such