Some of the members of the scientific community who have studied this issue about whether sexual behavior in men is determined by genetic conditions, has been the subject of controversy and the conclusions do not leave anything clear about it.
Through an investigation, carrying out DNA studies, never before done, on the influence of genetics on sexual behavior, it was possible to reach a conclusive conclusion that the “gay gene” does not exist.
What is the ‘gay gene’?
Around the 1990s, the idea began to spread that there was a gene in man that established his affective inclination towards other men; just as it happens with the genes that define, for example, our behavior or eye color.
Despite the studies that were done before about it, this theory could never be proven.
Is it true that everyone has a homosexual gene?
To carry out the study, researchers conducted a survey of 477,522 people, who were asked questions related to their identity and sexual attraction, as well as their erotic fantasies. Among them, there were 26,827 people who guaranteed to have had sexual relations with someone of the same sex.
The information collected was then analyzed to compare it with data from millions of DNA markers in their respective genomes. There, a total of five genetic markers were found that offered a clear link with sexual orientation. However, the sum of these markers gave a result of less than 1%, which indicates a very low effect on sexual behavior.
“There is not a single gay gene, but rather many genes that influence the possibility of a person having same-sex partners,” says geneticist Brendan Zietsch, director of the Center for Psychology and Evolution at the University of Queensland (Australia).
Are you born or made LGBT?
Beyond genetic variables, Zietsch guarantees that environmental factors are much more influential in sexual behavior. These are more related to the prenatal environment in the womb.
The researchers established that psychosocial traits also affect the sexual behavior of each person. Among them, the openness to new experiences, the recurrent feeling of loneliness and the tendency to risk behaviors.
“One probability is that the stigma associated with homosexuality generates or intensifies mental health problems. This could form a genetic correlation,” says the geneticist.
The authors of the study acknowledge that there are certain limitations such as bias in the information collected or that the survey was carried out on mostly white people. Therefore, this same study is expected to be applied to other population groups to better understand the relationship between the environment and male genes. Reported by The USA Herald, news and information agency.