Sexual Identity Hard-wired By Genetics

**Infested Cats** · 10-23-2003, 07:03 AM

Just for the sake of posting some news: It has been confirmed that SEXUAL IDENTITY IS GENETIC!

SOURCE

Study: Sexual identity hard-wired by genetics

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Sexual identity is wired into the genes, which discounts the concept that homosexuality and transgender sexuality are a choice, California researchers reported on Monday.

"Our findings may help answer an important question -- why do we feel male or female?" Dr. Eric Vilain, a genetics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Sexual identity is rooted in every person's biology before birth and springs from a variation in our individual genome."

His team has identified 54 genes in mice that may explain why male and female brains look and function differently.

Since the 1970s, scientists have believed that estrogen and testosterone were wholly responsible for sexually organizing the brain. Recent evidence, however, indicates that hormones cannot explain everything about the sexual differences between male and female brains.

Published in the latest edition of the journal Molecular Brain Research, the UCLA discovery may also offer physicians an improved tool for gender assignment of babies born with ambiguous genitalia.

Mild cases of malformed genitalia occur in 1 percent of all births -- about 3 million cases. More severe cases -- where doctors can't inform parents whether they had a boy or girl -- occur in one in 3,000 births.

"If physicians could predict the gender of newborns with ambiguous genitalia at birth, we would make less mistakes in gender assignment," Vilain said.

Using two genetic testing methods, the researchers compared the production of genes in male and female brains in embryonic mice -- long before the animals developed sex organs.

They found 54 genes produced in different amounts in male and female mouse brains, prior to hormonal influence. Eighteen of the genes were produced at higher levels in the male brains; 36 were produced at higher levels in the female brains.

"We discovered that the male and female brains differed in many measurable ways, including anatomy and function." Vilain said.

For example, the two hemispheres of the brain appeared more symmetrical in females than in males. According to Vilain, the symmetry may improve communication between both sides of the brain, leading to enhanced verbal expressiveness in females.

"This anatomical difference may explain why women can sometimes articulate their feelings more easily than men," he said.

The scientists plan to conduct further studies to determine the specific role for each of the 54 genes they identified.

"Our findings may explain why we feel male or female, regardless of our actual anatomy," said Vilain. "These discoveries lend credence to the idea that being transgender --- feeling that one has been born into the body of the wrong sex -- is a state of mind."

**blackhatknight** · 10-23-2003, 09:14 AM

Nature or nurture?

I honestly believe, contrary to your article, that instinct only provides us with the desire to procreate, and rest is nature. If we take a text book definition of prevision and fetishes homosexuality, leather, oral, and countless other practices would fall under this, though there is a definite need from some bodies to prove that some sexual practices, especially homosexuality are genetically gained, I can’t see how, if we did prove this it would change anything, maybe some of you have ideas on this???

**ilw** · 10-23-2003, 09:47 AM

I'm not sure the article IC posted is really about homosexuality per se, though of course, homosexuality is a very likely outcome in people who feel they are in a body of the wrong sex. I suppose in some way its a subset of homosexuality.

I personally don't know how it would change anything if we did know the causes of homosexuality, I suppose that will become clearer as we learn more. However, understanding the phenomenon is definitely preferable to blind ignorance. If the causes are understood it will no doubt open up the question of whether homosexuality is valid or not, but I suspect that will be probably end up being down to the parents and may depend on our genetic manipulation abilities.
As far as understanding transgender issues, this has obvious advantages because being born in a body of the wrong sex (or feeling that way) seems bound to cause psychological stress/problems. With further understanding these problems could be avoided or alleviated.

**Billy_Dean** · 10-23-2003, 10:29 AM

What if they found a "cure" for homosexuality, and it became a treatable illness?

What then for "gay rights"?

What would the argument be for special treatment?

Would they just say "take the pills and be like the rest of us"?

What if people refused to be treated?

What if Manchester United lose and Stuttgart win?

Is this post going anywhere?

Wha.......

**ilw** · 10-23-2003, 10:49 AM

What would the argument be for special treatment?

By special treatment do you mean special laws to ensure they get equal rights?

I don't think theres really much of an discussion to be had about the 'rightness' of homosexuality until we actually understand a lot more about it, theres too many possibilities.

**Billy_Dean** · 10-23-2003, 10:53 AM

Isn't making laws especially to suit sexual orientation "special treatment"?

And what if it became treatable, by taking a few pills, wouldn't you take them?

**ilw** · 10-23-2003, 11:04 AM

Well its not really special treatment since there are lots of laws that are designed to only be relevant for a section of society. you could probably argue that the old, the sick, the young, the poor, the rich, the mentally ill, the disabled, people of different races etc all get 'special' treatment, but by that point its not really all that 'special' is it, its just normal laws protecting people who are not sufficiently close to the mean (or mode) of the population.

And what if it became treatable, by taking a few pills, wouldn't you take them?

I wasn't aware i needed to

Or do you know something i don't