On The Many Variables Affecting Sexual Orientation

The human brain, as is well known, is a remarkably complex organ. It is, in fact, the most complex object currently known to mankind. In addition, it has the distinction of driving and directing the activity of every single human being on this planet. Enter into this complex organ a tangled web of attractions and drives that pushes nearly every one of us to complete our most basic biological function: passing our genes on to the next generation. Layer atop this millennia of social customs, expectations, mores and taboos, and you have the fantastically misunderstood and oft-disdained subject that is sexual orientation.

The topic has taken up new meaning and prevalence over the last few decades in the West. According to Gallup polling, in 1978, only 13% of U.S. citizens believed sexual orientation was a condition one was born with or into. Yet, as of 2013, that number has increased to 47%. This change comes in lieu of remarkable social change on the subject, and substantial scientific advancement in understanding of it. It is now commonly believed, as this paper will argue, sexual orientation is a product of complex interactions between genetics, developmental hormones at various stages, and various degrees of social constructs and interactions that inform those determining and understanding their own orientation.

According to the American Psychological Association, "Sexual orientation is an enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction that one feels toward men, toward women or toward both. Although sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, it is generally discussed in terms of heterosexual — attraction to the other sex — homosexual —attraction to the same sex — and bisexual —attraction to both sexes." This topic, by its very nature, is a complicated one. Sexual orientation doesn’t even require sexual activity, and those that have had same-sex encounters very often consider themselves heterosexual, and vice versa. It is a very personal and subjective subject, made all the more difficult to define by the lack of any one obvious culprit for these discrepancies.

Many differing theories exist around sexual orientation, and how it manifests as it does. Back in the 90s, and to a degree continuing to this day, the talk was heavily focused around a “gay gene” or group thereof that led to one being born bi or homosexual. Evidence has mounted around either ‘traditional’ genetics or epigenetics, how the genetic code is expressed in a given individual, being a major component of sexual orientation, but no specific group or common answer has been found. In addition, it is now commonly held genetics is only one part of the overall picture.

According to Scientific American, “What you have learned about homosexuality as you were growing up will affect whether you consider engaging in homosexual acts to be desirable or disgusting. Some people might argue that if you are “genetically gay” but the thought of homosexuality nauseates you, then you just haven’t accepted the fact that you really are gay. That argument is based on the assumption that sexual preference is purely biological; therefore, it has no place in a discussion about the possible causes of homosexuality." This thought-process rings true to an extent, in cultures where bi-or-homosexuality is common, accepted or expected, such as Classical Greece, such behavior was much more common. Yet, in all recorded cultures at all known times, there have always been a sizable portion of the adult population that was exclusively heterosexual, and a smaller portion solely homosexual.

So, we are left with both genetic influences and social contributors as components of one’s discovered sexual orientation, but lack a conclusive or final culprit. Into this arena enters hormones and neurotransmitters, and the pivotal role they play in physical and sexual development during several key phases of human growth. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America rather plainly stated, “A role for serotonin in male sexual preference was recently uncovered by our finding that male mutant mice lacking serotonin have lost sexual preference. Our results indicate that serotonin controls sexual preference." So, at least in mice, serotonin appears to have a notable effect on sexual interest.

Meanwhile, during a separate series of tests, LiveScience claims, “When the researchers injected a compound into these mice to restore neurotransmitter levels, they found that the animals mounted females more than males. But too much serotonin reduced male-female mounting, suggesting that the amount of this chemical must stay within a certain range to foster heterosexual rather than homosexual behaviors." Thus, serotonin appears to have a substantial sway over sexual interest and behavior. Once again, however, this was only tested in mice.

Another potent theory surrounding the issue regards what is known as the Fraternal Birth Order Effect, possibly increasing the likelihood of homosexual behavior by approximately 30% per older brother a young male has. According the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “Later fraternal birth order (FBO) is a well-established correlate of homosexuality in human males and may implicate a maternal immunization response in the feminization of male sexuality. This has led to the suggestion that FBO may relate to other markers of male sexual orientation which are robustly sexually dimorphic."

At the end of the day, the current scientific landscape points to sexual orientation being a mixed and complex issue. During embryonic development, the human body has several ‘sensitive phases’ that allow the body to be told how to develop, sexually and otherwise. This may very well play a large role in determining long-term sexual orientation. Then again, so may underlying genetics, and epigenetics, childhood experiences, and culture. In all likelihood, all of these elements play a role in shaping a given individual’s expression of sexuality.

So, what we are left with may seem something of a frustrating hodgepodge of leads that ultimately lead nowhere, but that isn’t strictly-speaking true. It is commonly understood that genetics influence predispositions, and epigenetics how this is expressed. Neuroendocrine influences likely pull more than their weight in this category, while society and psychological development may often fill in the blanks. A fuller picture has thus begun to emerge, and looks far more satisfying in this light.

Regardless of the reason, however, a more important point should be made here. As was elegantly said in Scientific American, “Just as gay people who are happy as they are should not be forced to change their sexual orientation, gay people who want to be straight should have the right to change if they can – and the correct word is “change” – not “cure." In my view, as saddening as it is to need to say, this is exactly as it should be.

Resetting the American Dream: Back to the Basics

Update: This post is rather out-of-date at this point, but I will leave it up as something of a comparison to where I began with this blog.

As Republican primary candidates release their job plans, bash Obama and each other, and incite the greatness of America at every opportunity, the economy is taking center stage. This is completely expected, of course. With sluggish domestic growth potentially leading to a 'double dip', an unemployment rate nearing 10% nationally, the euro crisis looming across the pond, and the apparent lack of effective leadership, all eyes have turned to the importance of getting our economy back on track with sustainable growth and meaningful job creation and retention.
As a 22 year-old college student, I have a special interest in seeing our economy improve, and improve soon. That is not to say those younger or older than myself necessarily care less than I, merely that I am part of a generation whose potential is intimately tied to the success or failure of our economic recovery.
It is into this environment that I have decided to begin a series detailing economic reform I believe will dramatically and relatively quickly turn our economy around. My core philosophy involves my belief that we can simultaneously reform and  streamline a number of industries while spending less money, and integrate private investment with limited government leadership and regulation to ideally produce a more efficient economy and equitable jobs market.
This will be a series about renewing and reviewing our economic machine, resetting the march of the traditional 'American Dream,' and bringing our nation's focus back to the basics that allowed us to soar to the cultural, military, and economic heights we have achieved in less than 300 years.
Achieving this will involve discussing such issues as: streamlining the government and changing the economic climate of our nation through federal regulations and policy changes; the healthcare industry from restructuring insurance to adjusting medical training and standards; reforming our public education system through refocusing on how we prepare teachers, teach various learning styles, and prepare students for college and the jobs market; reworking the criminal justice system to create a more efficient industry that costs less and works better for more people; completely overhauling social welfare and entitlements to increasingly privatize retirement and medical care, develop a welfare system that helps more of the right people, while preventing those who do not require such services from taking advantage of the system, all for a lower cost than we currently expend; restructure certain aspects of the financial sector to encourage responsible lending and growth, and prevent another scenario like that of the 2008 housing collapse; reviewing industries that would benefit America the most, from bringing back efficient manufacturing on a larger scale to retooling our service, financial, energy, and manufacturing sectors to work more efficiently individually and collectively; expanding and diversifying our energy sector to not only create more jobs and become increasingly independent in the short-term, but encourage gains in renewable sources and cooperation of various companies and specific industries to produce a drastically more cost-effective and efficient system in the long-term; reform of our tax code to create a system that is not only more simplistic and easily understood by the common citizen, but is also far more cost effective and beneficial for individuals, companies, and even the government; and likely a few other issues I have not laid out here.
As daunting as this list is, I plan on tackling each issue separately, each with its own full-length entry. Social issues that are either important to me, or are of economic importance may sneak their way into this series as well.
I must warn you I am a registered Republican, and will likely be writing slightly from the right of the political mainstream. Nonetheless, I plan on being as moderate, rational, and pragmatic as possible regardless of traditional viewpoints. Each entry in this series will be thoroughly researched and contemplated, and though I have many of my own ideas from the start I will input plans and ideas from both sides of the political spectrum if available.
I am writing this as much for myself as anyone reading, and in fact would not particularly mind if this remained something of a journal exclusively for my own thoughts. My curiosity for different viewpoints and desire for healthy debate have motivated me otherwise, however, and I hope to interest at least a few passing individuals over time.
In any case, I look forward to this ride, whether the following ideas affect policy-makers and power players, or just myself. One way or another, good times will roll.

Edit: Though I still find politics just as interesting as I did when I wrote this, school has taken up much of my time, and I have decided to write about simpler, lighter topics as I choose. For example, I just wrote about my perspective on animated films, and I plan on continuing in that vein as opposed to more serious and research-heavy posts that politics would require. I may still write about politics, but for now they will be independent and outside of any organized series.