Gay gene testing

[heatseeker]

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2559021/Being-gay-DNA-researchers-claim-controversial-new-study.html

I don't know why they are wasting time or money researching this no good can come from it. I think it is a backward step in thinking and terminating a baby on the grounds of its apparent sexuality is a nasty concept.

Trucks - Being gay isn''t just about your sex life. It is also about who you fall in love with and who you may end up marrying.

I also know a set of identical twins where one has downs syndrome, the other doesn't.

Just need to point out this is impossible, Juno! If one twin's different from the other, they are not identical

The thread topic's interesting, as it raises yet another question of ethics in science. I tend to feel that we can't (shouldn't) try to prevent the expansion of knowledge - and that we should try to prevent unethical applications of the knowledge. Of course, our ideas of what's ethical change over time and by culture.

Anyway, I'm off to investigate Grennie's claim to have seen an article about 7 human sexes ... I'll report back

Not read the thread and am sure as hell not reading DM drivel. The thing is, i do think there IS a genetic or physical link to homosexuality. As a scientist this is interesting to me, just the same as any other genetic characteristics are interesting. I spent four years studying the genetics of an escape behaviour in fruit flies. The issue for me with this is whilst it is definately of interest, its a bit "so what" . Some people are gay, just the same as some people have brown hair while others have blonde hair. The problem would come when people say - ooh, we have identified the "gay gene" and then want to cure it Well for one thing, there will be more than one gene involved in our sexual preferences.

I don't necessarily believe that people are born gay, some people do know from a very early age that they are attracted to the same sex, other people do not find this until later in life. I think it is very much back to the mixture of nature v's nurture, which has always amused me, it is very very obvious to me that it is a mixture of the two.

Garlic you may well be wrong there though - identical twins are those who have an identical set of genes and have arisen from one original cell. downs syndrome is a condition that arises when an extra-chromosome is inherited, it is feasible that one embryo in a set of twins could do this, albeit unlikely, its not impossible. So whilst one twin will be different due to the downs syndromes effects on appearance, they may well be genetically indentical apart from the trisomy (extra chromosome)

... OK, done! Turns out the 7 different 'sexes' is actually about gender and sexuality, not biological sex disappointingly and is a social/philosophical discussion.

Quotes:

"Biological sex must be seen as a spectrum or range of possibilities rather than a binary set of two options." - Yes, should be obvious.

"Beyond anatomy, there are multiple domains defining gender. In turn, these domains can be independently characterized across a range of possibilities. Instead of the static, binary model produced through a solely physical understanding of gender, a far more rich texture of biology, gender expression, and gender identity intersect in multidimensional array of possibilities. Quite simply, the gender spectrum represents a more nuanced, and ultimately truly authentic model of human gender." - Mumsnet would probably agree.

"Given the complexity of gender, it is not surprising that an increasing number of terms and phrases are developing to describe it. Below are some of the key terms you might encounter:
• Biological/Anatomical Sex.
• Gender Identity.
• Gender Expression.
• Gender Role.
• Transgender.
• Sexual Orientation.
• Gender Normative/Cisgender.
• Gender Fluidity."

From www.genderspectrum.org/understanding-gender

And things like this:

"Sexuality in humans is a very complex thing as people are only aware of the four main ones but not the other ones that I am going to explain to you all and bring to light.
The groups are as follows

Heterosexual
Homosexual
Bisexual
Asexual
Polysexual
Pansexual
Transexual"

From calpol25.hubpages.com/hub/Types-Sexuality-In-Humans

Off-topic, I know! Just thought it vaguely relevant.

Oooh, LEM! I did not know that monozygotic siblings could have differing numbers of chromosomes! I need to brush up on my Layman's Guide To Genetics Thanks.

^^ Going back to the discussions of gender and sexuality there, I can see how the discovery of genes for all these different combinations would help to legitimize them. This could be very helpful for people of non-normative composition, who face lifelong battles with a society that assumes they're impossible, incomprehensible or mentally ill.

Except some of those definitions did not even exist until recently e.g. pansexual. How can there be a biological reason for an identity that is a fairly new one?

It is clear from other species that some animals have same sex attraction, others opposite sex, and some go between the two sexes. I think everything else are labels that we humans have created. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that there won't be a biological reason for that.

Garlic - im not entirely sure they can if i'm honest

And I think gender is a made up idea. We are all individual complex humans. Our biological sex is real, everything else is socially constructed.

You're right that other animals (it seems most, actually) display these other modes of gender and sexuality, Grennie. So I think it must be clear that humans have always displayed them, too. The fact that we now have words for them - instead of forcing them into a badly-fitting binary model - must be a sign of progress.

I am damn sure the modes existed before the words did :)

Gender may be a social construct, I'm on the fence with that, but I'd disagree about sexuality. (Hurrah, we're back on topic )

You can make "gay" fruitflies and watch them perform a bizzare courtship ritual which results in a conga of male fruitflies - although this gene is actually something involved in olfaction (smell) and it affects pheremone detection in male fruitflies.

Garlic - having a genetic origin will not be enough for some people though, although i suspect there is a genetic origin for bigotry as well What needs to change is society's attitudes to homosexuality.

Grennie - i guess that depends on how you define gender, but i can see your point.

Whether something is biological or not, makes no difference to the bigots.

I would class myself as bi sexual- I went to an all girls school - that may have played a part maybe not but it's certainly not just a genetic thing in my opinion.

I suspect there is a genetic origin for bigotry as well - Probably! Eeek!

I went to an all-girls' school and am annoyingly hetero, ashtray. Most of my classmates, too. You can't blame or credit your school for 'making' you bi!

I do think your environment can influence whether you accept your sexuality or not and are thus open about it.

Thats another good oint ashtray - there seems to be a lot of homosexual behaviour displayed at single sex boarding schools (or so i'm told) that does not make people who engage in that behaviour homosexual, or even bi-sexual imo. I have often thought i could be bi-sexual as i quite like the idea of sex with another woman but hve never met a woman i was sexually attracted to.

I'm not saying it did but for ME it may have played a part, that's all I'm saying.

YY, then you'd come back to nature + nurture. Which I'm sure is true of most things.

LEM, what happens if you make the female fruitflies gay? I'm imagining a backwards conga?

I think if you are sexually attracted to someone of the same sex, you are lesbian/gay or bisexual.

Of course teenagers try things out that they later decide is not for them. But I do think a lot of people deny their real feelings as well.

My xh totally changed personality after he had a stroke- decided he was religious and gay!