Scans see 'gay brain differences'

[Deckard]

The brains of gay men and women look like those found in heterosexual people of the opposite sex, research suggests. The Swedish study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, compared the size of the brain's halves in 90 adults.

Gay men and heterosexual women had halves of a similar size, while the right side was bigger in lesbian women and heterosexual men.

More here.
(excuse the icky stock photo they've used at the top - it even makes me nauseous, and is almost on a par with that other BBC cliche, two men viewed from behind with hands in each other's back pockets)

Anyway...

I have to say, what continues to amaze me is the number of hetero people who comment on mainstream forums/blogs like the BBC, Daily Mail, Sky, Guardian, etc still insisting that being gay is a choice. Not the choice to be honest to oneself. Not the choice to live a certain lifestyle. But the actual path of sexual attraction itself.

Repeatedly I've calmly and carefully tried to point out that any such choice would have to have happened at either such an early age or at such an unconscious level as (to all intents and purposes) negate the very idea of it being any kind of choice in the sense that we usually understand that word.

But it's like some of these people don't want to believe that, which always puzzles me.

Personally, from what I've read on the subject, my best guess is that it's likely a combination of things... a genetic predisposition (ie. not a fixed certainty), possibly combined with factors after birth and during childhood, all making it more likely that the person will end up gay. I think it's a probability thing.

Who knows though. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how scientists follow this up.

Hmmm... I have a girl's brain. Call it sexist cultural conditioning if you like, but suddenly that doesn't sound like something I want go round telling people.




(j/k ladies )

[cacophony]

this isn't the first time a study like this has been done. in fact the first time i heard about a study addressing the actual structure of the brain in homosexuals resembling that of the opposite sex was years and years ago.

it comes up every now and then when the media has another juicy story (like gay marriage) to tie it to.

[Sean]

Yeah, I've read about previous scientific studies showing reasons other than the simplistic "choice" claim being behind people being gay. But then science has never been an obstacle to the desired conclusions of the ignorant, so why should it suddenly be different in this case?

[BeautifulBurnout]

Originally Posted by Deckard

Hmmm... I have a girl's brain. Call it sexist cultural conditioning if you like, but suddenly that doesn't sound like something I want go round telling people.


(j/k ladies )

I can understand that - you wouldn't want your hetero male friends to suddenly realise how inferior they were in comparison....




I'll get my coat.

[Deckard]

Hahaha!

Either way, we both still leave the toilet seat up...

[dubman]

oh man this is great, next time i'm kickin it with friends i can just tell the gay guy to make the sandwiches.
oh wait all my friends are girls

OH WAIT-

[Deckard]

Don't ever tell a gay guy to "make a sandwich".

(Really... just don't. )

[dubman]

MANTRAIN CHOO FCKN CHOO ARE YOU IN OR OUT.

k im going to work now sorry everyone