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What makes gay people not attracted to the opposite sex?

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I'm calling it sensible because you are making the EXACT same argument

Well what I just quoted is objectively not sensible. Next, I never argued about the concept of someone knowing that they're gay? I didn't even argue anything - I just asked what makes a person gay. Biologically. I'm not asking how does someone know they're gay. Two completely different questions.

I don't care, tbh

Original post by Glaz

I'm calling it sensible because you are making the EXACT same argument

He is arguing it on the point that generally it is natural for opposite sex in animals.
The 2nd poster did not state that.

I am personally not aware of studies into same-sex attractions in animals - but the 2nd post didn't even hint towards it.

[Said as a confused socially anxious person who think they are asexual but that is just a malfunction of themselves.]

Reply 23

Anonymous #1

Original post by mobvair

I'm sure you'll find far better answers if you look into scientific articles on the matter. There are no knowledgeable people here who can help you.

There are. I know there are such people here. I realise now though that if I had framed my question around asexuals instead (effectively asking the same question), there would have been a lot less controversy. A stupid move on my part admittedly.

Reply 24

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Same reason that doesnt make you attracted to the same sex. If you are a man the same reasons you dont want to date another man are the reasons i dont, i just dont find them appealing at all. Isn't hard to get your head around it's just the reverse of your sexuality

Reply 25

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by gjd800

I don't care, tbh

Same.

Reply 26

Anonymous #1

Original post by CoolCavy

Let me make it clear - I accept the difference. What I'm asking is what is the scientific reason for the difference. The genetic reason (since homosexuality is believed to be innate). Perhaps no one knows, which is fine. But people are misinterpreting my (purely scientific) question.

Reply 27

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Original post by 04MR17

Same.

It is what it is, people are who they are. Straight people debating why gay people are gay, is it natural etc etc has been done to death on here. Just check the related discussions at the bottom of this thread

Reply 28

Chloef196011

Same reason straight people aren't attracted to the same sex.
No, but seriously, just go look up some research papers, you'll find your answer much quicker than if you asked on here.Basically, it is a combination of genes and upbringing.There is not one 'gay gene', but rather a combination of genes - from a recent study that shows there's about 5 spots on the human genome linked to same sex attraction, though not reliable enough to predict someone's sexuality.

You may find these articles useful:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02585-6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5167250/#CIT0003

Reply 29

gjd800

Original post by Anonymous

I am personally not aware of studies into same-sex attractions in animals

There are very literally thousands

Reply 30

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Original post by Anonymous

With respect if scientists dont know then random students aren't going to, these kind of threads just invite homophobia as people argue whether it is 'natural' or not and if it can be 'cured'

Reply 31

Anonymous #1

Original post by CoolCavy

That's fine guys, the thread was only aimed at people who do care anyway. Also like I said before I wasn't aware that this kind of thread has been made so many times. It's sad to see that only trolling has resulted from such threads (in either direction).

Reply 32

Anonymous #1

Original post by AlevelReject68

I personally think homosexuality may intuitively be a result of evolution. When you think about our history, humans have been trying to stop reproducing/procreating for a long time. Think about why contraceptives like the birth control pill/condoms exist. In the past and also to this day, many humans have wanted to receive sexual pleasure wthout dealing with the consequences following it (pregnancy). So when you see homosexuality, a way to receive sexual pleasure without the consequence of having children, seems to me like a clever way organisms have evolved. And we have the intelligence to find ways to procreate too (eg. surrogates) so seems plausible to be genetic. And for what makes people gay (from a homosexual myself) idk I just am sexually attracted to the same sex and have no sexual interest in the opposite sex.

Thank you for a useful reply instead of attacking me or saying that you don't care. I understand your point, but I think you seem to be implying that a change in characteristic happens in order to benefit the species which is a common misconception as variation is random (as far as we know). So we could suggest that it was caused by random variation, but then we don't know how it was passed down. The way in which you say that it is beneficial crucially lacks a reason for it to be passed down (which is precisely how species maintain beneficial characteristics).

Reply 33

Anonymous #1

Original post by CoolCavy

With respect if scientists dont know then random students aren't going to, these kind of threads just invite homophobia as people argue whether it is 'natural' or not and if it can be 'cured'

No one's brought up such notions yet so let's hope it stays that way. You raise a valid point and I realise that this was not a great question to ask (like whether God exists), as regardless it attracted some hostile people. I'm just a little too interested in these kind of things. I'll avoid such threads in the future.

Reply 34

jas149

Original post by Anonymous

Seeing as genetically determined attraction to the opposite sex underpins so much of biology and evolution, homosexuality is a very interesting and counterintuitive scientific phenomenon.

But I'm not so confused about attraction to the same sex, after all I don't think there's anything programmed within us to actively stop this; rather I'm more curious about how one is not attracted to the opposite sex. Does anyone know the scientific reason for this or is a still a mystery? Is it genetic (like a different balance of hormones) or environmental? It's hard to understand when you consider that the main aim of the entire DNA system is to get you to reproduce.

I understand this is not really 'relationships' as much as 'science' but I wanted to post anon because I know a lot of people will take this the wrong way.

There has already been quite a lot of research into this. I remember reading about a recent study in Sweden (I think it was Sweden or perhaps USA) which showed that there are similarities between the brains of a homosexual man and a heterosexual woman. The scans showed that they both have symmetrical brains with the left and right hemispheres almost being the exact same size. Also, homosexual women and heterosexual men have asymmetrical brains where the right hemisphere is larger than the left. So therefore, this means that our sexual orientation is literally programmed into our neural circuitry. There are also biological factors that influence our sexual orientation. An example would be the level of exposure to testosterone in the womb which can ultimately shape our brain's anatomy

Reply 35

username1539513

Original post by Anonymous

'Full of' is an overstatement - the vast majority of people here seem very accepting. I mean someone in this thread almost tried to argue that "How do you know you are straight if you've never been with the same sex?" is a reasonable question purely to disagree with me. I understand that there are some trolls but I wanted to start a discussion with rational members of the site. Perhaps people here don't like debates surrounded by controversy which is fine. It's certainly sensible to steer clear of controversial topics. I just wanted to hear suggestions from the more knowledgeable amongst us but never mind, hopefully something concrete will come to light in the future.

It is a perfectly reasonable thing that they asked; how DO you know that you are straight? The fact that you labelled their statement as stupid and by extension the user as stupid proves that you are not really here to have an intellectual discussion; rather to either stir up homophobia or to troll the website; as I have now given you above the names of two websites in which to explore yet you persist in posting here. Either that or you have failed to grasp what the other user is hinting at by posting that statement to you

Reply 36

Anonymous #1

Uh, what? Are you really suggesting that almost no one who claims to be straight actually knows that they're straight?

Reply 37

username1539513

Original post by Anonymous

Uh, what? Are you really suggesting that almost no one who claims to be straight actually knows that they're straight?

You asked why gay people do not find the opposite sex attractive (although you would have found better answers by looking on the aforementioned research websites that I've told you about) Their response was an answer to this question, albeit in a roundabout way. They are not attracted to the opposite sex because they do not experience attraction within themselves to the opposite sex. Simple