Understanding Same-Sex Attraction

              This week in class, we discussed the influence of gender and same sex attraction in family life. I know that those are very delicate topics due to different believes and perspectives, but I would like to focus on the scientific perspective. I know that understanding same sex attraction will benefit all of us, especially those who have a close relative or friend with this orientation.

           First of all, call it what it is. There are three ways to refer to a person; Same sex/gender attraction, homosexual, and gay. A person with same sex attraction experiences romantic or sexual desires towards the same gender, but sometimes they don’t necessary act on these feelings; a homosexual is someone that is sexually involved with someone of the same gender, and gay is when someone has chosen this as its identity. Why is important to understand the meaning of each of these terms? Here is an example: If a guy is trying to overcome his same sex attraction feelings and someone calls him gay, he probably wouldn't appreciate that. On the other hand, if a guy who is experiencing the same type of feelings identifies himself as gay, it is ok to call it that way.

            Second, we can’t call someone homosexual when they are not even sexual. This goes more towards people who call little kids gay, or they think they have some sort of attraction to the same sex.

            Now, one of the most controversial question is, if someone was born this way or not. There have been many studies to help respond this question. In 2008, the American Psychological Association (APA) stated: “There is no consensus among scientist about the exact reasons… although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, development, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientist to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles…” With the corrosion of the biological argument, scientists are turning toward the nurture of psychological arguments, but they have concluded that homosexuality does not have a single cause.

            Another important question is: are homosexual attractions changeable? In other words, can a person change? And the answer is YES! People can and do change. A. Dean Byrd, a president of Thrasher Research Fund, concluded: “While there may not necessarily be a conscious choice in the development of the attractions themselves, there is nevertheless a choice as to how the individual responds to the biological and environmental influences around him. And even when the attractions develop, there is a choice in how the individual will respond to those attractions: either to accept and act on them, or to choose not to act on them and to focus on eliminating or dismissing the attractions.”

            There is so much more we can learn and understand about same-sex attraction, but I would like to finish with a video for all of you to watch that talks a little bit more about the causes, possibilities to change, and personal testimonies.  

Here is the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJhyzqdzpnM

And here is a helpful website for those who are interested to learn more about the LDS church perspective on this topic https://mormonandgay.lds.org/