Why does homosexuality exist?

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There are scientists who are testing the hypothesis that it may be caused by a disease which infects the unborn child.

However, its not very popular, or well supported. There are many theories about how it develops.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogenic ... osexuality

If it was a disease that brought no benefits, it would have died out a long time ago.

Like others have said, I believe that homosexuality and asexuality is just one way that nature uses to prevent the passing down of bad genetics, as well as population control.

For example: Grandfather and Dad have bad genes, so you are born asexual/homosexual...the bad genetics stop with you.

People with anti-social personality disorder(ASPD) are bisexual. In prison, the inmates that rape other inmates always have ASPD.

And then they say their victim is the one who is gay because Sociopaths(ASPD) say whatever sounds good even if it's not true.

Given that homosexual behaviour has been observed in species as far apart as porcupines and albatrosses (male porcupines have been observed trying to mate with each other, and male albatrosses have been seen forming life-pairings and even stealing eggs so that they can nurture them), one imagines that it has a definite biological function - natural birth control, if you like.

I've heard it may exist as a natural way of population control, but in the case of mankind it's not working D:

Oh, but it does occur in many different species of mammals and birds, so it's definitely natural :3

I think we don't know enough yet to draw conclusions on why human homosexuality exists and is persist over thousands of years. I'm one of them. Always have been. I'm an aspie too. So - one more minority group is ripe for speculation. Some will throw stones. Oh my, most of the major religions have a field day on the subject. How about we just say there are all kinds of people in this world. All of them human though. And being gay is a lot more than sex. Love plays a big part too. I figure in another 20 years we'll understand the genetic aspects a lot better.

I am a pansexual female currently attracted to two males and an mtf but I have no clue why.

Hmmmm, there are thousands of counterexamples to this. Many gay men have what women consider to be *good genes* and these guy frustrate women cuz they're not straight. Straight men, who 'act' like they're gay seem to REALLY turn women on.
Most likely cuz they can relate better to such men.

im sure if wat im sayin is corect but maybe its like imbalance of hormones or something that happened wrong during birth that really dictates the child's sex. like u know, women and men hav very natural differences. so idfk. u r who u r.

I think it exists because there is more then one way to love, and God (or whatever higher power - I haven't decided yet) wanted to show that in a really obvious way so us dense humans could understand
Of course that's just my theory

I think homosexuality is actually caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. When scientists change the amount of chemicals in a mouses brain it can sometimes start showing homosexual behavior.

I look at homosexuallity as a point of view. In my Uni halls there are a couple of girls who are lesbians and there is nothing wrong with them. They simply consider the same sex more attractive. It ties into my opinion about being an Aspie in that it's how we perceive the world around us and at the end of the day they just prefer to be around the same sex. I am friends with those two girls and I have a lot of respect for them. I would not say there was anything wrong with them, no involvement of genetics or hormones, but possibly because t they have been shaped by their life experiences and have found they prefer to be around members of the same sex. They are different and obviously proud to be so.

I am of the belief that homosexuality is God's/nature's way of dealing with the overpopulation and it should therefore be encouraged, while insemination should be discouraged in favor of adoption.

The book "Sperm Wars" (great read, btw) had a novel theory about homosexuality -- instead of treating it as an outright barrier to reproduction, it stated that there was a continuum, and that men with gay tendencies (not sure how gay women fit in here) might be more likely to have sex with everyone, i.e. "everything that moves."

According to this theory, men who aren't at the far end of the continuum (e.g. so gay that they abhor even thinking about sex with a woman) might be more likely to be very sexually driven, to the point that they are having sex with women all over the place, as well as men -- basically, the same thing that causes their "gay" behavior is really just promiscuity turned up so high that it overrides sexual barriers (and spreads genes when it gets women pregnant). I do see some truth in this, as I know plenty of gay men who have had sex with straight women (and these guys were very gay), and speaking personally, I can see how urges could override traditional sexual mores to include sex with married women, men, transsexuals, etc. The book even speculated that this promiscuity and tendency of these super-revved up men to get other guy's wives pregnant might be part of the root of homophobia.

Personally, I subscribe to a mostly genetic theory of homosexuality. While I do admit that there are certain cases where a boy or girl has been so sexually and emotionally traumatized by someone that they never again feel safe around that gender, and thus veer over to the other one through aversion therapy and personal choice due to psychological damage, I do not think these are the majority. I think maybe these kind of people are less than 10% of the whole.

I think the gay gene is probably a population control, as mentioned earlier. This would explain why it is common in the animal kingdom. The gene is probably recessive, which means that the straight brothers and sisters of gay siblings could still pass it on to their children, but not be gay themselves, getting around the whole "if they don't reproduce, gays don't exist anymore" argument. There have also been some statistically significant studies that show the more sons a woman has, the higher chance the younger ones will be born gay (probably due to hormonal accumulation in the mother's body and exposure in the womb). They've also done studies with rats that show that exposing the pregnant mother to stress while pregnant multiplies the chance the baby rat will end up gay. These things seem to point to biological mechanisms that attempt to cap a population to maintain the gender balance (or those fighting for access to females and males), or that preserve overall resources in the face of stress.

Mentally, my feeling is that gay men and gay women have the wiring of the opposite sex. I've lived and worked around far too many gay men and women to ignore the fact that gay men tend to act and think in many ways just like women (and sometimes like to try on their mother's and sister's closthes), and gay women, just like men, including being rude or insensitive like men. I think that perhaps if sex changes were a more viable option at a young age here in this country, you might find out a lot of gays are actually transgender, Cher's gay daughter, case in point. This is probably why countries like Thailand, where transgender folks have some rights (but not full rights), and let you have the hormones and surgery early in life, have so many transgender people in society.

Instead, I think a lot of gay men and women hit puberty not really knowing that becoming transgender is an option (and seeing the harsh life that awaits a transgender person in the U.S. and Europe), see the sexual changes from puberty that pretty much cement their body form in either a masculine or feminine shape, and decide to make the best of what they have. And this is why you see extremely masculine men who are in good shape but sound like Tinkerbell when they talk, and women with wide hips and large breasts who tape them down and try to act like guys. In another society, they would have gone the route that would have made them something else, but they got the option too late in life, and only the most dedicated go the transgender route after the full onset of puberty.

Okay, I'm throwing my 2 cents in. After reading alot of crap and alot of very good arguments, here I go.

First, I'm 32... if you want to label me I'm gay, I have a 12 y.o. daughter and we both have AS. As far as I can tell, she will not be gay, but who knows.

Second, if nature wanted population control (or God if you belive in such) then said person would be sterile. This happens to men, women, gay and straight.

Third, if you CHOOSE not to reproduce you may. This happens to men, women, gay and straight. I know many.

Fourth, if you wish to reproduce, go for it. Anyone who isn't aflicted with #2 can, and if they are they can adopt.

Fifth, when I'm in a relationship, i'm in a relationship with the person. Not the sex of the person. Now granted there are some activities I enjoy more then others and yes, most of my relationships have been with men but as you can tell from #1, it hasn't been 100% men.

Sixth, I know a pair of identical twins who are both gay, and i know this for sure. So do I think it's 100% genetics, no; but I do belive they play a huge part.

So in conclusion, what I guess I'm say is, being gay is not a form of population control. To control the population you must not be able to reproduce, i.e. sterile. Do I think genetics play a part? Yes. It is the rest of the population and your internal demons that you struggle with that determine if you label yourself as gay, are closeted or try to lead a life other then what you are wired for.