1 Same Love There is a terribly prevalent belief in modern society that being gay or lesbian is a choice.

The belief often attributed to the conservative wing of the political spectrum is that people choose their sexual orientation; that they make the choice to go against God and act in an immoral fashion. The extent to which these people are wrong is hard to grasp, and at the same time it is saddening that some can believe such a thing so vehemently without any experience in the issue. Whenever I hear someone comment that it is a choice, I cannot help but be astounded. Do they truly think that someone would chose a life that due to the pressures of society today involves harassment, bigotry, segregation, and unconstitutional treatment; do they think that people would choose to lead a life where basic tenets of law are denied to them and they cannot love who the please without displeasing someone else? To save some faith in those of you who believe this, I must assume that you do not even get that far in your thoughts; I truly assume that you assert what you are told as your own beliefs. One of the most influential supporters of this idea is Herman Cain, who has repeatedly reaffirmed his belief that being gay is a choice. In a 2009 interview with CBS, he stated, I believe homosexuality is a sin, because I am a Bible-believing Christian and then went further to say I believe it is a choice. In 2011 he addressed the issue again in an interview on CNN with Piers Morgan asserting that homosexuality is not like the race issue because I was born [this way], referring to being black, this doesnt wash off, his implication that being gay or lesbian is only superficial and does wash off. He has also repeatedly stated that he has yet to see any science behind the idea that being is a choice. From his claim to be a Bible-believing Christian to the vast amount of scientific data on the issue, Herman Cain is comprehensibly wrong. There are no concessions for this issue. The extent to which this misconception holds sway is vast, from former presidential contender Herman Cain delivering his comments to Michigan

2 State representative Tom McMillin commenting to Fox News that being gay is akin to smoking cigarettes. With groups like the Westboro Baptist Church condemning everything from military casualties to the Newtown Shooting as being the fault of people who choose to be gay, the controversy of the idea that sexual orientation is a choice holds an underlying assumption. This assumption is that being gay or lesbian is a heinous thing. I urge those who think this way to consider statements like that, and question how they could be true. If being homosexual were universally accepted, then there would be no controversy; there would be no misconception. What is the origin of this idea? People believe so forcefully in this misconception because of the only thing that can invoke emotional responses from millions, religion. The common thread of those who believe in this flawed ideal is that they are ultra-orthodox. The root of this idea comes from the Old Testament, and frankly that is where it should stay. As the popular rapper Ben Haggerty aka Macklemore says in his song Same Love, which advocates for gay rights, [Americans] paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago. In his powerful song he comments America the Brave is afraid of what we dont know, referring to the lack of knowledge about being gay. As Macklemore says, pop culture today is referencing ideas written in the Leviticus, which centers around Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. (Leviticus 18:22) They must have forgotten the verse Who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:12) If this concept from the Old Testament is adopted because people view that the Bible must be right and followed, then must Herman Cain be wrong, because he does not consider many other Biblical rules that are conveniently ignored. In addition to condemning gays, according to A.J. Jacobs, who spent a year following every law of the Bible to the fullest, the Bible also condemns swearing, shaving, adultery, being in the presence of women on their period (and sitting on anything they sat on for a week), lying, gossiping, and very strangely, mixing wool and

3 linen in clothing (look at the tag of what youre wearing). Not only is this the case, but one may also be stoned for homosexuality, adultery, astrology, being a disrespectful child, being a drunken son, blasphemy, breaking the Sabbath, perjury, incest, bestiality and witchcraft." If all of these can be ignored, then why does this one rule persist? Where is the proof? To this misconception and the simultaneously underlying and overarching hate that the misconception embodies, there is no proof that it is a choice. The opposite is the case. Studies upon studies have proven that it is not a choice, that there are intrinsic biological differences between homosexual and heterosexual humans. This is in no way to say that one is better than the other, just that they are different, implying a complete lack of choice. In a 1993 study headed by Dr. Dean Hamer through the National Institute of Health, on 114 families of homosexual men, they came to the unequivocal conclusion that there is a statistical confidence level of more than 99 percent that at least one subtype of male sexual orientation is genetically influenced. This link involves the Xq28 chromosome marker, and has been under scrutiny since this study, but such statistical certainty is hard to dispute (although it has been disputed none the less). Prior to the study by DH Hamer, other studies were conducted in other regions of biology to confirm a link between genetics and being homosexual. In a 1991 study conducted by S LeVay through the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a study of the hypothalamic region of the brain indicated that there were concrete differences in the brains of homosexuals and heterosexuals, specifically in the size of particular areas. Their data suggested that sexual orientation had a biological substrate, i.e. it had origins in the intrinsic biology of humans. One no more chooses to be gay than to increase the volume of certain portions of their brain. The science is there, and it cannot simply be ignored.

4 Hamers study not only provided a link between being gay and a specific gene, but also initiated research into the idea that male siblings are more likely to be gay if one of their brothers is gay. This has since been proven to be statistically be true, and I can personally attest to it with my family. Two of my uncles are brothers and are both gay. Having talked to them and been around them all of my life I can attest that being gay for them was certainly not a choice. Growing up in Midland, Texas, they had to deal with a lot of harassment in high school and throughout their life, and as such one of them struggles with severe depression even today. According to my mother, both of them realized that they were gay in middle school or high school and kept it from many throughout their teenage life. My mother (their older sister) certainly knew because they had told her, as did their other brothers who all lovingly supported them with their mother as well, but it was not until they were into their early twenties that they finally told their father face to face. Of course he was completely supportive, but this speaks to the environment that a homosexual grows up in. No one would willingly choose that, especially the younger brother watching what his older brother had to go through. Another argument brings the entire issue back to the nature versus nurture debate, with many people arguing that people are raised to be gay, and it is the way that their parents raised them. This cannot be logical, when you consider that in many families with gay children, many of their children are straight as well. For my mothers family, three of the five children were straight, while two were gay. If only one or two of the children of the family are homosexual, then how can groups like Exodus International and Homosexuals Anonymous argue that people are raised to be gay, and that it can be fixed? Choosing to act on your feelings is another common phrase in the literature of those who believe in this misconception. Their argument stems from the claim that everyone has sexual feelings that may seem alarming to them or out of the ordinary. It is then up to the

5 individual whether or not to act on those feelings and pursue those of the same gender. This assertion is entirely baseless and has no support in fact. Additionally if that was true, then by definition, one chooses to be straight because they are choosing to act on those impulses. There are no statistics anywhere of gay and lesbian people coming out and saying that they chose to be gay. A search of the web yields no results of groups of homosexuals admitting that they chose this life. There are no surveys that have come to this conclusion. It is all a misconception. Often times people incorrectly attribute being gay or lesbian (although more often being lesbian) to being fed up with the opposite gender and finding someone who understands them. This is a common idea all over the web, especially in blogs and other free-for-all commenting areas. You might say that these are not reputable sources for evidence to debunk, but are they not exactly what should be focused on? These blogs are mainstream America and the people at large; they are the people who believe what they hear, but do not read into the research. They believe in misconceptions because it is easier than finding out for themselves. To those who believe in misconceptions and have yet to understand that sexual orientation is not a choice, stand on the right side of history because 3-8% of the population according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is still between 210 and 560 million people around the world that you are unwittingly showing a great lack of respect. To put that in perspective, the population of the United States is 310 million people. Consider this the next time you spout what is not right. Sexuality is not a choice, and instead of asking a preacher, ask someone who is gay, see what they have to say.

7 Works Cited

Cain, Herman. Interview by Brian Montopoli. "CBS NEWS - Herman Cain Interview." Project VoteSmart. CBS . 9 June 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://votesmart.org/publicstatement/629939/#.URhvsKXyhUQ>.

"Exodus International." Exodus International. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

Ford, Zach. "Herman Cain Doubles Down That Being Gay Is A Choice, Washes Off." ThinkProgress. Ed. Judd Legum and Igor Volsky. Center for American Progress Action Fund, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

Gladstone, Neil. "The Toughest Laws in the Bible." Asylum. AOL, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

Hamer, D., S. Hu, V. Magnuson, N. Hu, and A. Pattatucci. "A Linkage between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation." Science 261.5119 (1993): 32127. PubMed. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

"The 14 Steps." Homosexuals Anonymous. The Lockman Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

"King James Bible Online." KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

LeVay, S. "A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure between Heterosexual and Homosexual

8 Men." Science 253.5023 (1991): 1034-037. PubMed. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Same Love ft. Mary Lambert. The Heist. DGC, 2012. CD.

Robinson, Jennifer. "What Percentage of the Population is Gay?." Gallup. Gallup, 8 Oct. 2002. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.