The brains of gay men and women look like those found in heterosexual people of the opposite sex, research suggests.
The Swedish study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, compared the size of the brain's halves in 90 adults.
Gay men and heterosexual women had halves of a similar size, while the right side was bigger in lesbian women and heterosexual men.
A UK scientist said this was evidence sexual orientation was set in the womb.
As far as I'm concerned there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay Queen Mary, University of London
Scientists have noticed for some time that homosexual people of both sexes have differences in certain cognitive abilities, suggesting there may be subtle differences in their brain structure.
This is the first time, however, that scientists have used brain scanners to try to look for the source of those differences.
A group of 90 healthy gay and heterosexual adults, men and women, were scanned by the Karolinska Institute scientists to measure the volume of both sides, or hemispheres, of their brain.
When these results were collected, it was found that lesbians and heterosexual men shared a particular "asymmetry" in their hemisphere size, while heterosexual women and gay men had no difference between the size of the different halves of their brain.
In other words, structurally, at least, the brains of gay men were more like heterosexual women, and gay women more like heterosexual men.
A further experiment found that in one particular area of the brain, the amygdala, there were other significant differences.
In heterosexual men and gay women, there were more nerve "connections" in the right side of the amygdala, compared with the left.
The reverse, with more neural connections in the left amygdala, was the case in homosexual men and heterosexual women.
The Karolinska team said that these differences could not be mainly explained by "learned" effects, but needed another mechanism to set them, either before or after birth.
'Fight, flight or mate'
Dr Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in cognitive biology at Queen Mary, University of London, said that he believed that these brain differences were laid down early in foetal development.
"As far as I'm concerned there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay," he said.
The amygdala, he said, was important because of its role in "orientating", or directing, the rest of the brain in response to an emotional stimulus - be it during the "fight or flight" response, or the presence of a potential mate.
"In other words, the brain network which determines what sexual orientation actually 'orients' towards is similar between gay men and straight women, and between gay women and straight men.
"This makes sense given that gay men have a sexual preference which is like that of women in general, that is, preferring men, and vice versa for lesbian women."
Last edited by Uthman; 06-17-2008 at 06:57 PM.
Reason: Link removed
"I spent thirty years learning manners, and I spent twenty years learning knowledge."
I think you're just trying to play on the extra revulsion factor that muslims will have towards drug use.
We have a mind reader here
Your comment is red herring, but I'll tell why I choose drugs example:
(1) Not choosing drugs is healthier choice, same goes for homosexuality.
(2) Brain factor is same for both: homosexuals and drug addicts.
He was illustrating that one can't choose who they're sexually attracted to. Try it out.
I'm not gonna try heroin either, whats the point really?
So different people are susceptible to different things, where are you going with that?
Brain of drug addicts are different too like homosexuals, but drug addicts have a choice and homosexuals don't? I don't see the logic here. Shouldn't it be same for both?
Is pumping out babies somehow more worthy than being a productive citizen in an economic sense? What does population growth have to do with morality?
You need to be more specific. It should be with moderation and balance, but when countries start to pay thousands per birth, there is something apparently going wrong.
Muslim countries have their problems too, different ones, which they need to work on and they don't need other problems. This will only add to their financial problems. It is adding to health costs and insurance in developed nations.
Btw, population and size is directly related to economics e.g. China vs Taiwan.
Since when did you start arguing on the basis of evolution? Define 'natural'.
Definition of 'natural way of life' will differ from person to person but for this subject I would say living in ways what elements in nature supports the best. For example, living clean and hygienically is living natural way of life. However, it is a complex subject can be argued in many ways. Imo, best is to let the time determine to which type societies/communities nature favors.
Last edited by Chuck; 06-27-2008 at 07:02 PM.
It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât, and gives the Zakât, and keep their word whenever they make a promise, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of persecution, hardship, and war. Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
I thought the homosexual act was prohibited, not the state of being homosexual itself.
Homosexuality prohibited by religion!.. other acts of sexual deviation pederast(y) the same homosexual act with an underage consenting or nonconsenting boy is prohibited by state law solely on age!
As for it's classification, are we to accept medical progress only so long as the Islamic world agrees with the outcome?
unlike most fields of medicine psychiatry relies a great deal on the theoretical.. something as esoteric as human behavior can't be subject to probing medical exams, as far as I am concerned it is of the same variety as the rest of the sexually deviant acts that didn't make it to normalcy and I am not alone on this speaking simply purely from a medical stand point!
State law and morality should probably be two separate things, each person's morality is subjective and individual.
That is the way it is, isn't it? indeed morality has become subjective, and debauchery is regnant!
On the issue of homosexuals gyrating in front of three year olds, perhaps the parents should take responsibility for where their children are and what they're doing.
It isn't the responsibility of society to accommodate a deviant few, rather vice versa, at least that is how it is last I checked in a democratic state? 'majority rules'
If it's genuinely lewd behaviour in public, most countries have laws against that.
?
I was just in tribecca (manhattan) when a gay couple groped each other in public one of them exposing the other in a sort of elated triumph, and they got away with it.. a cop can't be in every corner to enforce the law, but little children and adults who shouldn't see or don't approve of this sort of obscene behavior are more often the subject to it, then they need or want to be!
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Azy, do u honestly think that 12 percent of Saudi Arabia is gay and hiding it? I just went there this month and I dont see 12 percent of Makkah and Madinah being gay
Interesting you use the USA as an example since they are the most religious of the Western nations and should by your reasoning have the lowest rates of homosexuality.
He is comparing to KSA, not western nation. Another thing, conservatives are in office, but there is significant liberal population in cities and states in US. Whole US is not a good representative of religious values.
It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât, and gives the Zakât, and keep their word whenever they make a promise, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of persecution, hardship, and war. Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
As far as I'm concerned there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Bookmarks