Gay, Straight and the Reason Why - Essay Example

Introduction In the world of today there are the homosexuals and the heterosexuals who are forming a part of our society. Although met initially withresistance the society is gradually accepting that the homosexuals are a part of our society and are not going anywhere. Diversity in sexual orientation has been a subject that has been seen in different perspectives by the different people (LeVay, 2010). While some of the homosexuals are of the perception that their condition is one that is inbuilt and they are naturally born with it, other people feel that this is an adopted thing which the peoples input in their minds by themselves (LeVay &Valente, 2006). It is therefore a subject that has elicited a lot of debate and controversies, especially with the numerous scientific researches that has been done by the different scientists. Scholars have also attempted to come up with theories all in an effort to justify their ideas and explanations. So at the end of the paper we should be in a position to appreciate whether “Gay, straight and the reason why” by LeVay, S. (2010) offer answers to the origin and existence of homosexuality. LeVay did a study of the brain to ascertain the cause and the differences in the sexual orientation of the different people and had some interesting reports and facts to present (LeVay &Valente, 2006). The main focus of his study was the brain of the males who were gay and the men who were straight. His study was based on the fact that a part of the hypothalamus section of the brain of the males and the females is always different in size due to their differences in sex (LeVay &Valente, 2006). He therefore wanted to see if this part of the brain had any differences for the men who were straight and the men who were gay. He therefore studied several samples of the brain tissue collected from the men who had passed on and used this to do his studies (LeVay &Valente, 2006). Although his conclusion proved that there was quite a significant amount of difference, other people against his line of through felt that this was because his study was purely focused on the men who had died of the AIDS complications among other sexually transmitted diseases (LeVay &Valente, 2006). However, this was not entirely true as he used also the tissues of the people whose death was from other causes while others who died but in perfectly good health. This is why he later on noted that other research done after he also proved that he was right that there was a difference in the brain, especially the particular section of the hypothalamus which was responsible for the sex of people (LeVay, 2010). What factors seem most important in the development of sexual orientation(s)? There are a number of factors that LeVay highlights as important in the development of the human sexual orientation (LeVay &Valente, 2006). His studies focused on the hormones, parents and genes and the roles that they play in the determination of the sexual orientation. His focus also concentrated in the brain and how it contributes to the differences in the sexual orientation and how the differences can be determined using the brain (LeVay, 2010). All these factors are highlighted by LeVay as very critical in terms of how they contribute to the likelihood that a person will become gay or will end up straight. In his study, LeVay focused on the INAH3 of the hypothalamus part of the brain in the men who are homosexual is very much similar to that of the women something that point to their tendencies to behave like women as well (LeVay &Valente, 2006). In the paper the author argues that the brain orientation and sexual orientation as well is something that comes about in the prenatal stage of the development of a person (LeVay &Valente, 2006). The person’s sexual orientation is determined way in advance before they grow up so as they grow their sexual orientation becomes conspicuous and they start to show the traits. One of the important hinges for the discussion of LeVay’s arguments is the hormone called testosterone and its interaction with the brain. LeVay argues that the amount of testosterone in an individual is very important in determining the sexual orientation of the individual (LeVay, 2010). According to his research the brain is already gender determined of what a child would be although this may not be manifested until the child reached the puberty stage of his life. With the high amount of hormones the child’s sexual orientation is likely to be different from a child whose brain interacts with very small amounts of the testosterone hormones (LeVay, 2010). In the issue to do with genes, LeVay argues that there is a little amount of genes that are retained in the mother, which are likely to be passed on to the subsequent child when they are born. This is what he said I explaining the case where a brother of the same family are likely to be gay (LeVay &Valente, 2006). He is, however cautious in proposing this argument with him, adding that the chances that this would happen are very slim since the requisite hormones to constitute a change in balance or rather an alteration in the balance of a child is very slim. This points out to the fact that LeVay does not really feel that this is amongst the key contributors to such, although he feels it may be a point of argument and to further research more on the subject can be discovered (LeVay &Valente, 2006). Genes are ;lements that flow between the parents and their children something that forms the basis for the argument developed by LeVay that perhaps it is the retention of some of the genes of the preceeding children in the womb of the mother that are passed to the latter children and hence the homosexual attributes and traits. Based on the evidence, are there differences in the development of sexual orientation in males and females? There are differences in the development of the sexual orientation of the males and the females something that is attributed to the difference in the size of INAH3 of the hypothalamus part of the brain (LeVay, 2010). The size of this part of the brain largely differs from that of the woman and this could be attributed to the prenatal development and the levels of testosterone in the body and brain. In the determination of the sexual orientation the brain, which is highly gendered heavily relies on the presence and the amounts of testosterone in the body and in the brain (LeVay &Valente, 2006). Testosterone which is responsible for the male attributres of an individual are a critical consitunt of the argument that is developed by LeVay in his paper. Since they contribute to the male aspects their presence and amount are directly responsible for one’s sexual orientation (LeVay &Valente, 2006). When in higher amounts the body or rather the brain will align the body to take a specific sexual orientation, which is the male and this is what results to the INAH3 of the hypothalamus part of the brain being bigger in men than in women who have very low levels of testosterone in their bodies (LeVay &Valente, 2006). Clearly this point out to the fact that the development of the sexual orientation of the different sexes which are the male and the female is different and heavily reliant on the hormonal presence (LeVay, 2010).The difference in the size of INAH3 of the hypothalamus part of the brain could therefore be an important determinant of the likely sexual orientation of a fetus although the challenge is the sexual orientation may remain concealed in an individual until they reach the puberty stage when everything becomes fully blown out and someone’s sexual orientation is known (LeVay, 2010). How would an evolutionary psychologist, an evolutionary biologist or a sociobiologist account for the development of varying sexual orientation(s) among humans? LeVay takes a critical look into the psychological and social approach to the issues of sexual orientation and concludes that there are three major elements that could be hinged on and this are gender learning, learning and psychoanalytical ideas (LeVay, 2010). All these experiences have a part to play in the determination of the likelihood of what someone’s sexual orientation may turn out to be. For instance the learning process is one that is very instrumental in streamlining the line of through and development of an individual such that things like the first sexual encounter the child is likely to be involved in will have a significant impact on the sexual direction taken (LeVay &Valente, 2006). Psychologists have also found out through their research that some of the psychoanalytical ideas may have a part to play in determining the sexual orientation of an individual (LeVay, 2010). Apart from that the gender learning too has a role in the determination of the sexual orientation of an individual as well, although some of the people have argued against this line of thought. Of course, all the arguments developed above are also quashed by biologists who feel that this is an entirely biological process and that the other factors are minor contributors to the likely outcome of how an individual may end up with regards to their sexual orientation (LeVay, 2010). What can we learn about sexual orientation based on research on other animals including other higher primates? There is plenty of research that has been done on other animals with regards to the sexual orientation, especially reasons behind the likelihood that animals will turn out to be homosexual. One factor that clearly comes out in all this research is the fact that the eventuality of the sexual orientation is heavily reliant on the environment apart from other factors (LeVay, 2010). Take for instance the study of sheep which revealed that their tendencies to adopt the homosexual behavior is attributed to the lack of females in their surroundings such that when females are introduced, they also shift their preference and opt to engage the females more as their sexual partners (LeVay &Valente, 2006). This points out to the fact that sexual orientation is also something that is determined by the environment. In making this conclusion the ideas is that the more positive the surrounding environment, the better it is for the people in the environment. More straight people can be found in environments with more women than in environments where there are more men, but women are scarce (LeVay &Valente, 2006). This may trigger the homosexual relationships which may be opted into fill the void introduced by the absence of women. Sheep are victims of this, but perhaps they could also be representing trends of the human beings in the society (LeVay &Valente, 2006). What various kinds of scientific evidence exist that help us to understand the development of diverse sexual orientation(s)? LeVay argues that the amount of testosterone in an individual is very important in determining the sexual orientation of the individual (LeVay &Valente, 2006). One of the important hinges for the discussion is the hormone called testosterone and its interaction with the brain (LeVay, 2010). With the high amount of hormones the child’s sexual orientation is likely to differ from a child with small levels of testosterone hormones. The person’s sexual orientation is determined way in advance before they grow up so as they grow their sexual orientation becomes conspicuous and they start to show the traits (LeVay &Valente, 2006). In his study, LeVay focused on the INAH3 of the hypothalamus part of the brain in the men who are homosexual is very much similar to that of the women something that point to their tendencies to behave like women as well. In the paper the author argues that the brain orientation and sexual orientation as well is something that comes about in the prenatal stage of the development of a person (LeVay, 2010). According to his research the brain is already gender determined of what a child would be although this may not be manifested until the child reached the puberty stage. What factors might explain the persistence of different sexual orientations throughout evolutionary history? Persistence of differences in sexual orientation could be attributed to genes. LeVay argues that there is a little amount of genes that are retained in the mother, which are likely to be passed on to the subsequent child when they are born (LeVay, 2010). This is what he said I explaining the case where a brother of the same family are likely to be gay. He is, however cautious in proposing this argument with him, adding that the chances that this would happen are very slim since the requisite hormones to constitute a change in balance or rather an alteration in the balance of a child is very slim (LeVay, 2010). This points out to the fact that LeVay does not really feel that this is amongst the key contributors to such, although he feels it may be a point of argument and to further research more on the subject can be discovered. References LeVay, S. &Valente, S. M. (2006). Human sexuality. (2nd ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates. LeVay, S. (2010). Gay, straight and the reason why. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More