Being Gay, is It Nature or Nurture?

By Wardah Elmunawwarah

Based on what I had read from a journal I got entitle, Early Education and Development, I discovered that parents behavior and family environments influence ones to be a gay. In the journal, it stated that When a familys relationship is not harmonious it will lead the children to a very poor behavioral outcomes. I do strongly agree with this statement. For me, these two factors do give a huge impact to children and also to their future. For example, when a young boy does not receive the exact love from his father, this will always make him searching for other love for fulfill the lost in his heart. By that, this particular person will engage a forbidden love and relationship with other men. Besides that, based on another statement from an article I found in a website which I also agree with is for instance, speculated that overprotective mothers and distant fathers helped make boys gay. This shows that when a mother gives an unbalance freedom to her child, it will contribute the child in becoming homosexual or gay. It does make sense when relate is with freedom. I definitely agree with this idea. This is because when a child develops lack of freedom in his early stage of life, it will make them feel rebellious and determine in seeking something else to fill the emptiness in life. So, I think it can also consider as a factor of being gay and homosexual. If we look into the biological perspective, there are a few reasons that show being gay or homosexual is not a choice or a "form of psychological deviance," but more

about biology and genetics. Based from the International Herald Times, it wrote that
there is a substantial evidence of various connections between genes, brain, hormones, and sexual identity and it is been supported by a statement from a an article I found from the net which is Hamer, a scientist who works at the National Cancer Institute, wrote

an article in the journal Science claimed to have found evidence for an unidentified gene on the X-chromosome that was passed from mother to son and had an influence on the child becoming gay. Furthermore, there are also other evidences that show gay or homosexual is consider as a genetic elements in ones life. According to

Swaab, he found out that a small portion of hypothalamus, termed the suprachiasmatic nucleas (SCN) was found to be found twice the size of its heterosexual counterpart. From the same net also, it states that the hypothalamus has an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. For me, this has a lot to do with the hormones that present during a fetus development which also be shown in the child early development in life. The child also will utterly show his behaviour towards femininity.
From what I know, this proves that there are many factors being homosexual that causes the issue of being born like that can be accepted to the society. Yet, I do think that

Hamer's evidence and research is too weak and broad to take it as a solid evidence from not being a straight person. It appears as though many other factors may be influencing each the individual, and that a more varied and repetitive research is needed. Every people all around the world have the right to make a choice which they think it is the best for them. Being gay is also actually a choice even though there are some people who claimed to be born liking the same sex. People has been given a brain to think either it is right or wrong based on knowledge and also their personal bases on religion. That is why every choice that you make can make a huge difference in your life. I had read a statement that relates to this issue from a book entitle Gay Marriage by Laurie S. Friedman. In one of the chapters in this book, there is a matter about Gay Marriage should Be Legal which really interests me the most. I found out that the state of Massachusetts had legalised gay marriage, couples flocked there from all over the nation to obtain the license that would finally legitimize their relationship. For me, these matters do not make sense at all. Even though, we know that the world gives freedom to everybody to do anything they want to do as long as they are happy and not disturbing the life of others. It is stand to a statement that the law is giving all possible rights that we should earn as a human in life. Yet, in this case, I really do not agree with that

statement which allowing gay people to get married. This can causes straight people to be influenced by this gay phenomenon especially to young generation who are still looking for their own strong identity in life. An individual can easily be influenced especially by someone who is always around them such as friends and society. By that, I suppose we should not accept this kind of marriage. It is obviously will not just affect the young generation in a long period of time but also the all the people who lives around us. This shows that everything which is happening around us do effect our way of life.
From the article I had chosen, it stated that Greece is well known for their men engaged who in same-sex relationships. Yet, these were not equal relationships; they were older men to young boys going through the transition to adulthood. Two instances where the culture is a causative agent of homosexual expression are in New Guinea and Crete. In some tribes in New Guinea, young boys ages 8-15 are inseminated daily by the young male warriors of the tribe. The writer believed that two souls are longing to be together, and the sexual desire alone is not strong enough to create homosexuality but that the cultural environment allows or forbids the relationship to occur. I really agree with this statement. When a society agrees with the culture around them, it will be very easy to influence ones act which is having interest towards the same sex to others. Obviously, culture and environments do affect the way we behave in life. As conclusion, I do accept that homosexuality is indeed biologically

inherited and not an option yet not forgetting that homosexuality does relate to
nurture as well. These both things work parallel together. Both of their factors can influence the person to be homosexual. According to Sigmund Freuds theory, there are three stages in life that made us the way we are as a human being. There are id, ego, and superego that help to develop our personality. Personally, young gay people always face the inevitable conflicts among id, ego and superego lead to the major sources of distress and tension. They always want to be the dominant child among themselves. They also learn motives, feelings and emotions that may be detrimental to personal adjustment which increases the chances in being a gay or homosexual. Our nature and nurture

do help us to be the great person we want to be in life. It depends on ourselves either we choose the right option or not. So, we should think forward and wise in every particular thing we do in life.

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