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Science and Religion on Sexual Orientation A Sexual Orientation Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2015-Spring 2016 |Volume 3 Science and Religion on Sexual Orientation A. N. Scout Department of Biology; College of Arts and Sciences Abilene Christian University An analysis of scientific and religious perspectives on sexual orientation will show that the scientific data support a biological origin of sexual orientation that is influenced but not determined by environmental conditions. Religious perspectives will show values affirming equality and integrity are of greater importance than the conditioned attitudes that condemn homosexuality. As a result, forgiveness and acceptance are paramount in dealing with others as they struggle to know Christ. Commitment within a relationship is paramount regardless of the couple’s orientation. Few arguments are as polarizing as Scientific research regarding the those regarding human sexuality. Many causation of homosexuality has been cultures have wrestled with the subject ongoing for the past several decades and has resulting in various social, cultural, and provided society with many factors that may religious positions, sometimes changing or may not play a role in orientation, but has views from one generation to the next. found no definitive answers. The primary Regardless of position, scientific studies are fields of research on which scientists have almost always called upon, and subsequently focused and found leads are in genetics, twisted, in order to support a specific stance neurology, endocrinology, and psychiatry. on the matter. Typically committing Each discipline has fathered a plethora of Moore’s naturalistic fallacy, these tortured research and intensive studies on the subject, concatenations of scientific understandings perhaps the most impactful being the studies regarding human sexuality, particularly done by the geneticists. homosexuality, have encouraged prejudice, Researchers have been searching for rejection, and hate toward subgroups of the the ever elusive ‘gay genes’ for the last forty population. Often, these conflicts arise years and have had remarkably little success between conservative religious groups and in locating them, if they exist at all. Two of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender the most significant studies done regarding a (LGBT) community. An ethical response, genetic factor influencing sexual orientation and some common ground for dialogue, and were done by J. Michael Bailey and Richard perhaps resolution, should be sought. Pillard in 1991 and 1993. Together, the pair coauthored a study examining male and Scientific Investigation female sets of monozygotic and dizygotic The scientific theories on the twins, as well as non-twin and adoptive development of sexuality are abundant and siblings of the same sex. The two scientists varied. By examining the most prominent were examining the rates of concordance theories, as well as the responses of these (i.e. the probability that a pair of individuals groups to the topic of sexuality, a place of share the same characteristic given that one mutual understanding may be reached that of them has the characteristic) between these can promote peace between people. sets of siblings. Pillard and Bailey’s results showed concordance rates for males were 52 Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2015-Spring 2016 |Volume 3 1 Sexual Orientation Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2015-Spring 2016 |Volume 3 percent for monozygotic twins, 22 percent study, Hamer and his team performed for dizygotic twins, 9.2 percent for non-twin pedigree analysis of 76 men taken from an brothers, and 11 percent between adoptive AIDS treatment program. Reports from this brothers1. The concordance found in females pedigree analysis indicated that these men were similarly high at 48 percent between displayed a strong pattern of homosexual monozygotic twins, 16 percent between orientation in their maternal relatives, while dizygotic twins, 14 percent for non-twin little to no pattern in their paternal relatives. sisters, and 6 percent for adoptive sisters2. From this first pedigree analysis, Hamer’s Statistically speaking, the results for both research team was able to begin a second the male and female studies show a strong study, which included a DNA linkage conclusion that there is some heritable factor analysis of brothers from the previous that helps to explain the variances in sexual sample who displayed maternal transmission orientation. These results are made even of homosexual orientation. This study of the more impactful due to another study done by subsample found a concordance of the Whitman, Diamond, and Martin on over 60 “Xq28 sub-telomeric region of the long arm sets of twins and triplets that produced of the X chromosome”5. similar rates of concordance3. This study has been replicated twice Other studies have challenged the by American research teams which findings of Bailey and Pillard’s work, produced similar results, as well as once by including the Minnesota Twin Project, a Canadian research team which did not. examining twins raised apart since birth, There has also been a meta-analysis of the which proposed far lower rates of data available that showed a substantial, but concordance4. Along with these studies, not exclusive, connection between the Xq28 others have speculated that the estimates of sub-telomeric region and homosexual heritability that were generated are far too orientation6. high, as the researchers involved in the study One of the most compelling recent were forced to estimate the base rate of studies done by post-doctoral researchers at homosexuality in the nation, as well as error UCLA and published in 2015 is on rates into their model. Another critique epigenetics and how tags are able to latch focused on the 50 percent concordance rate onto genes, effectively regulating their between male monozygotic twins. If these expression.7 In saliva samples taken from 37 two individuals share 100 percent of their male twin pairs in which one twin was genetic code, and are reared in the same heterosexual and the other was homosexual, environment, how is this high concordance and an additional 10 pairs in which both rate to be explained? This phenomenon will twins were homosexual researchers studied be explained further later in the reading 400,000 methylation marks. The research when discussing endocrinology. team found five that were significantly Another major experiment done different between homosexual and regarding the genetic origin of sexual heterosexual twins. Despite the successful orientation is Dean Hamer’s 1993 study identification of these five methylation where he discovered a ‘sexual orientation marks and the genes they regulate, other gene’ that so many were looking for. For the researchers are concerned with the influence 1 Bailey & Pillard, 1991, 1089-96 5 Hamer, Hu, Magnuson, Hu, & Pattatucci, 1993, 2 Bailey & Pillard, 1993, 217-23 321-27 3 Whitman, Diamond, & Martin, 1993, 187-206 6 Jones & Yarhouse, 2000, 94 4 Eckert, Bouchard, Bohlen, & Heston, 1986, 421-25 7 Balter, 2015, 148 Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2015-Spring 2016 |Volume 3 2 Sexual Orientation Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2015-Spring 2016 |Volume 3 of the genes on orientation. The accuracy of These studies are awaiting replication, but the study is also called into question, as the their findings are as follows. differences in markers between homosexual Swaab and Hofman found in their and heterosexual twins may have been due 1990 study that the suprachiasmic nucleus to chance due to the small sample size. The (SCN) of homosexual men had a greater research done by the team at UCLA must be volume and greater neuron density than replicated and with a larger sample size in heterosexual men8. There are no significant order for it to be more impactful. differences in area or neuron density Moving past genetic research into between genders in the SCN, however the neurology, one is able to find a host of shape of the area is similar in homosexual studies. These will be examined as a men and females. The SCN, through further separate category of studies rather than as an examination, appears to have little to no extension of genetics, or as a factor of effect on sexual orientation or behaviors. developmental processes, hormone levels, or Another major study on anatomical disease for simplicity. differences between brains by Simon LeVay Neuropsychological studies have inspected the third interstitial nuclei of the suggested a variety of different things anterior hypothalamus (INAH 3).9 Through regarding the way that homosexual brains this examination he was able to determine differ from those of their heterosexual peers. that the INAH 3 of homosexual males is In one study, a research team was able to more similar to females than to heterosexual suggest that there was a laterality shift in males in regards to structure. The INAH 3 homosexuals, such as with handedness. also varied greatly in size, with the region in Another study called into question the heterosexual men being over two times as differences in mental abilities between large as in homosexual men. The significant homosexual and heterosexual men. This difference between heterosexual and study, performed by Green and his research homosexual males led to LeVay concluding team reported that male homosexuals, on that INAH 3 in males was dimorphic with average, performed in a manner that was sexual orientation. unlike their heterosexual peers and not However, there are problems with substantially different than females. The LeVay’s research. The neuroscientist Green research team suggests this contrast in admitted that exceptions to the findings may abilities may be due to the difference in be possible, and may be a result of technical brain structures. limitations. One such weakness is that all While there have been studies done proclaimed homosexual subjects had died of to show the differences of homosexual and AIDS, which may have affected and/or heterosexual brains’ response to hormone produced the anatomical variances as there injections (e.g. estrogen injections), most is research indicating that AIDS suppresses modern findings on the physical differences testosterone levels which can directly affect of the brain come from dissections.
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