Maybe a bit controversial but please read...

i'm not an expert and i don't think many are - but one of my BFF's is gay and we got talking about this one day. he is gay and his sister is a lesbian.
he says he was born this way and he certainly didn't 'choose' to be this way.
he also said that life would have been a lot easier if he weren't!
so my vote goes to genetics as well!

1. I think it's genetic

2. I think it's important that your aunt be open with her son. Everything's so 'in your face' these days, it's better that he hears it from her.

1. I also think it's genetic.

2. When I was young, about 8 or 9, I met a family friend of my stepmoms who was gay. I don't remember them actually sitting me down and telling me about homosexuality, maybe they did. But I didn't think anything of it. I was like 'Ok, he's got a boyfriend... and he's cute' (he was!) It didn't affect me one way or another. I just took it as is.

Kids are exposed to so much that parents aren't even aware of. And they pick up everything.. so I don't think that's too young an age to talk about it with them. The earlier the better, but not sure I'd discuss it with someone younger than 10. 10 is coming close to puberty so I would say that's a decent age to discuss things like that with them.

I think it could be both Genetic and Social. I have had friends and Family who are Gay. Most of my friends mentioned that they always knew they were gay. I have two cousins, who are brothers.... who are gay.

But, I have one friend who swore up and down that he was always interested in women until he had a sexual experience with a Man. He mentioned ever since then.....he desired men over women and has not flipped back.

As for the 10 year old, I have niece who is the same age and she is a mature and smart 10 year old. Children know more than we think.

This is the constant question related to intelligence, violence,artistic, homosexual, etc. Psychologists and sociologists,for many many years have been debating this very question... Nature VS Nuture. Are our personalities or traits pre-determined?? And there is no one answer most things I think are alittle of both. Though some things I think you are born with like (intelligence) but you need to nuture it to to make it really expand, but I don't think you can be taught intelligence, you might be able to learn things but you might lack in common sense . As for gay/straight I think for the most part you are born that way, however I do think it has to do with nuture to (being influenced by an outside force) Has alot to do with it too. Especially today. They is nothing wrong with being Gay, but I have a 13 month old son and to be honest I really hope he won't be Gay of course I would still love him and I would accept him. I just think it's such a hard road to go down, growing up is hard enough without having to deal with homosexuality. I just want his childhood to go as smoothly as possible. Any way I do really think nuture has alot to do with it these days, just look at MTV or VH1 or pretty much any other channel or any show. And they are very pro-gay so if you have a child that is at a crossroads the ever popular MTV could push him right over the edge with a rationalization that' Look how cool being gay is, maybe I'd be cool if I were gay' You might think I'm being silly, but think about how much kids 'follow the leader' It's disturbing. I f my son was born gay, then I will accept that, but if he turns to it because he doesn't fit in anywhere else... that's a different story. And personally I think it's horrifying that in the middle of the afternoon that TV stations whose main audience are children show these sexually explicit shows. I don't mean to sound like Tipper Gore, but C'mon there is a time and a place. Alright I'll stop. Sorry if I offended anyone. But this is a controversial topic, I'm sure many of us will have alot of differing opinions.

genetic - why would someone choose to make thier life harder

homosexuality is nothing new - it has been part of culture forever and even applies to animals- genetic

i think kids need to understand differences so they can accept them - kids except things better then adults

I think you are born gay.

Their is currently a fight going on in my family right now. My sister is gay. She has been through a lot. She goes to a therapist, goes to AA, does not need anyone elses BS to deal with. She came home for college last Christmas and my 13 yr old cousin was over. My other sister slipped and said something about her being gay, my cousin went home horrified, told her mother and father, who then called my mother. 13 is old, my uncle and aunt are now upset with my sister and ignoring her. Not the one who slipped up and said it, but my gay sister. So we are at a confirmation this weekend, and my uncle ignored my sister the entire time. I am mad that my mother is putting up with this. My cousin will be in HS in the fall, grow up!! By keeping it taboo, the only people you are hurting are gay loved ones who already have the world on their shoulders.

1. I do not think being gay is genetic. I actually agree with alot of what marymoon said. If it were truly a 'genetic' thing, it would go against all of evolution because it would go against the continuation of the human species. That makes no sense. That doesn't mean that I don't think it's something a person is born with. I have a cousin who is gay and how we didn't know it sooner is beyond me! BUT...he did have a terrible childhood.

As for those who say it can't be social because 'who would CHOOSE' to subject themselves to the difficult life a homosexual must lead, well... there are people who *choose* to subject themselves to lives just as difficult and sometimes worse. There ARE masochists in this world. There are people so deeply emotionally scarred that they always choose to, for example, stay with abusive people or in abusive relationships. That's not to say that all gays are this way... but I wouldn't rule out the choice factor completely either.

I guess I believe it has to be a combination of both nature and sociological factors. Perhaps there are certain inherited personality traits that if combined with certain sociological factors, will make it more likely that a person is gay.

2. Anyway, I think it's a topic that should be discussed with young children and I don't think it would be inappropriate to discuss with a ten yr old. Children need to hear these things early on and know that it is okay to talk about so they don't pick up hateful views elsewhere.

1. I feel that you born that way.

2. I think more kids should be told about it early on - then maybe the gay population would not have to fear being themselves or worry about another Matthew Sheperd incident.

as far as Reds comment on 'bi'...
i know what you are talking about, and the thing is that too many women nowadawys will make out with another girl b/c it is supposed to be 'hot'.... but that doesnt make them bisexual at all. it makes them dumb.
but unless you personally were 'bi' then you wouldnt understand.

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Posted by RedHead

1. Yes i do believe it is some sort of genetic thing. I know this isn't going to sound PC but if there wasn't some sort of genetic trait involved to it...For an example...why do some of the butch lesbians look alike? I find that soooo weird sometimes ...But to be honest, imo i can't believe it is a social thing...not being gay. Why would someone WANT to be gay? It isn't a desireable lifestyle imo. They very much discriminated against and the dangers of it......i just can't see someone WANTING or socializing Gay. I believe that people who do not know right away are either in denial or trying to supress their natural feelings.

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I just want to comment on this because one of the independent projects I was thinking about doing on college but never got around towards going to be research into something about why a lot of gay men have a lisp. I wanted to know is it genetic, is it socialized, and if it's something that's not socialized and people are born with it, it sort of adds to the argument that you are born being gay, etc.

Also, I don't think being gay can be socialized, or that any amount of cool gay kids on MTV can make someone gay. it might encourage a 14 or15 year old kid who is confused (I mean we were all confused about sexuality in one way or another...if it wasn't wich gender we liked, it was how far to go, what it meant, etc) to experiment. Also plenty of people do experiement in HS and college. On that new show LoveLounge (not that this is a definitive source) they said that something like 30% of hetereosexual people had had a homosexual experience in college. So it shows that it's pretty common. But serously NO amount of socilization, no amount of hottie lesbians on showtime could turn me off of men..so I just have to say that I think it's really something you're born with one way or another.