Are we all born a sexual?

Research is still ongoing.

I suspect that there are genetic and developmental aspects to sexuality—it’s neither purely nature nor purely nurture, but a combination of both.

I agree. The deeper issue is if we are born “a-sexual” and our sexual birth is written towards a homosexual or heterosexual orientation, can it be rewritten?

Personally I don’t think so but I am still curious to observe opinion.

I don’t think one’s orientation changes—it’s like handedness.

On the other hand, I think behavior can be changed. Just as a left-handed person can be taught to write right-handed, a gay person can be taught to have straight sex. I just don’t think it’s likely to bring much satisfaction or happiness in a relationship.

Anyone can be taught anything, it might not feel like their nature.

I think there’s a lot of things that have to do with testosterone in the body in my osteology professors opinion. This isn’t an absolute. Its just that testosterone is connected to depth of voice. Testosterone has to do with the size of the adams apple. When its rushing through a boys system in puberty it effects the cartilage around the hyoid and stimulates a ton of growth. That growth pushes against the voice box. He finds the connection between what we consider to be effeminate qualities and the amount of testosterone.

Personally… I don’t know. I think its a VERY subjective thing. I don’t think its anything that you can ever solidify. Please don’t think that i’m basing it on a totally biological thing. But I think parts of it all might be. :)

Confusing effeminacy with homosexuality is a common mistake—but it’s just that, a mistake.

There are effeminate straight men and masculine gay men. They’re independent variables.

with the exception of my choice in high fashion, no one could tell I’m gay but I am fascinated by the theory of testosterone.

Cwilbur: I wasn’t connecting them absolutely. That’s what I meant by it being subjective. I’m just saying that its something that might contribute in some cases. Its just some biology information that I find to be interesting.

I REALLY don’t want to offend. I just thought the data was interesting.
I know that its important not to take it as an absolute. Nothing is ever that clear cut.

Sexuality is not an “On or Off” phenomenon. It is a place on a continuum, one end of which is “extreme feminity” and the other end is “extreme masculinity”. We are born someplace in the middle – with genes determining the likely direction we will move as we go through the psycho-sexual development; and environment will determine how far we go towards one extreme or the other.

Except that neither masculinity nor femininity has a damn thing to do with sexual orientation.

I think hormones might have something to do with it in some cases. No need to be so aggressive.

I understand both sides although the hostility expressed by cwilbur is probably because this is over the Internet. Its hard to tell someone’s emotion by just reading their responses.

Honestly, no. The “hostility” displayed by cwilbur is the result of having to repeat himself and becoming more emphatic the second time to get the point across.

Masculinity and femininity and sexual orientation are independent variables.

There are masculine straight men and effeminate straight men.
There are masculine bisexual men and effeminate bisexual men.
There are masculine gay men and effeminate gay men.
There are masculine straight women and feminine straight women.
There are masculine bisexual women and feminine bisexual women.
There are masculine lesbian women and feminine lesbian women.

You’ll get a LOT farther in your speculations on other people’s sexuality if you recognize this, and if you figure out whether you’re trying to discuss a person’s comfortable place on the masculine/feminine continuum or a person’s sexual orientation.

I’m aware of all this. I don’t speculate on other people’s sexuality. I have plenty of friends on all areas on the continuum. I’m just stating that the physiological element might be an interesting way to look at things. You’re acting like i’m making a judgement. I’m not at all. I was just stating something interesting. I work in a body lab… such things make as much sense physiologically as race does. But its still an interesting way to look at it. (And once in a while it helps to identify someone when most of the other things are missing… the same way that we make ‘race’ assumptions when we have a corpse that has very pronounced features. Its all very superficial, but it doesn’t mean that its not interesting and might once in a while be a new perspective to look at). Masculinity and femininity are cultural ideas, and I wish that i had a biological word for it. I seperate the biological and cultural senses of the words.

very well said, both of you.

Cwilbur I hope you didn’t think I was misunderstanding you. I caught on to the fact that most, with the exception of Delerium, were not understanding what you were saying. I can relate to your frustration. I have been told numerous times because I don’t have a lisp I’m obviously not gay. That upsets me but everyone has their own notions based on humble opinion.

Thank you for making this discussion interesting.