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[Frodo]

So basically gay people are X-Men. Nothing wrong with that.

So all the homosexuality metaphors in X-Men movies were legit?

This thread is giving me life already.


On topic: should we really care, though? I mean, it is not like homosexuality is a human construct anyway. It is observable in over a thousand species and every single one of them seems to be doing fine with it. We are the only ones killing and hurting LGBT+ people because a invisible being in the sky supposedly said so or bigotry or ignorance of some kind.

 

[Razmos]

When people say "environmental stimuli" in regards to the cause of homosexuality, what exactly does that mean? Like the way the person was brought up, where they live, ect?

 

[E92 M3]

This thread is giving me life already.


On topic: should we really care, though? I mean, it is not like homosexuality is a human construct anyway. It is observable in over a thousand species and every single one of them seems to be doing fine with it. We are the only ones killing and hurting LGBT+ people because a invisible being in the sky supposedly said so or bigotry or ignorance of some kind.

Personally, I like to know the biological process behind as much as possible. It's interesting from a scientific level. On a social level, people can do whatever they want.

When people say "environmental stimuli" in regards to the cause of homosexuality, what exactly does that mean? Like the way the person was brought up, where they live, ect?

Environmental stimuli consists of everything that is within the person's environment. So, yes, it encapsulates everything you mentioned and more.

 

[Frodo]

When people say "environmental stimuli" in regards to the cause of homosexuality, what exactly does that mean? Like the way the person was brought up, where they live, ect?

They saw two men holding hands when they were a baby.

 

[Fuchsdh]

So all the homosexuality metaphors in X-Men movies were legit?

I've always hated that angle of the X-Men, really. Because people who differ from everybody else solely by who they like to shack up with is not at all a comparable situation to people who can melt your brain, destroy your city with their bare hands, or shoot laser beams from their eyes. Ok, they were "born that way", I get that, but one is a threat to no one except religious conservatives and the other are a threat to every person on the same street. Mutant registration sounds A-Ok to me, especially if people on NeoGAF could practice what they preach on gun control.

On the subject of the study, this isn't too surprising, given the studies about homosexual frequency in families with multiple sons, etc., but I guess they've narrowed down exactly what the mechanisms are. Still more interested in the environmental factors that can cause this, though—in some ways it's kind of creepy that something so innocuous or invisible no one's made the connection yet can cause such significant changes to us.

Well being straight is considered the norm, I can't imagine anyone choosing to be gay. Plus there would be ridiculous things like parents choosing for their children.

For it to work like that being gay and being straight would have to be equal which they absolutely are not. And what about bisexuals? what about Asexuals? Even being optimistic it's still really bad.

Presumably we'll have laws on the books once such determinations are possible, although there's going to have to be a cultural conversation as well.

Look at it this way—if we get to the point where we can switch people gay or straight with ease, that means we could probably also screen and prevent cases of gender dysphoria before a child would ever have to deal with it, or wait years to get therapy and SRS. There's tremendous room for harm in the application of this sort of technology, but there would be a great number of people it would help too.

I've got even money we end up going down a Star Trek-caliber level of legislation which would prevent tampering save for actual medical disabilities or conditions.

 

[halfbeast]

how long till they build Sentinels to hunt us?

 

[Razmos]

Environmental stimuli consists of everything that is within the person's environment. So, yes, it encapsulates everything you mentioned and more.

Ah I see, thank you

I've always hated that angle of the X-Men, really. Because people who differ from everybody else solely by who they like to shack up with is not at all a comparable situation to people who can melt your brain, destroy your city with their bare hands, or shoot laser beams from their eyes. Ok, they were "born that way", I get that, but one is a threat to no one except religious conservatives and the other are a threat to every person on the same street. Mutant registration sounds A-Ok to me, especially if people on NeoGAF could practice what they preach on gun control.

Eh, It isnt supposed to be a 1:1 comparison. It's more about the idea and themes rather than the actual content. It reflected and was influenced by the way culture was at the time (with gay people fighting for acceptance)

When taken literally it can look a little bad though.

I highly recommend watching this if you are interested in those themes in X-men as it explores how they came about, how they influenced the comic ect
Important parts:
https://youtu.be/BvWDjHWgNgc?t=7m39s
https://youtu.be/BvWDjHWgNgc?t=21m46s

 

[Fuchsdh]

Ah I see, thank you


Eh, It isnt supposed to be a 1:1 comparison. It's more about the idea and themes rather than the actual content. It reflected and was influenced by the way culture was at the time (with gay people fighting for acceptance)

When taken literally it can look a little bad though.

Oh, I know, just being pedantic, really. I think it works better for me thinking about Bryan Singer using it sort of as an outlet for his own personal beliefs and sense of self. Mutants certainly were designed from the get-go to be a stand-in for the marginalized other.

 

[Lesath]

When people say "environmental stimuli" in regards to the cause of homosexuality, what exactly does that mean? Like the way the person was brought up, where they live, ect?

Genes can be regulated more transiently too. When scientists say epigenetic factors, they mean things that alter gene expression that are heritable: from cell to cell or parent to child. Such factors can also be transgenerational: how a grandfather ate during his teen years, for example, can effect the susceptibility of his grandchild to certain diseases. So while testosterone levels in the womb could be a candidate, there's a lot of others to rule out.

 

[Envelope]

.

 

[Mask]

I'm probably being stupid, but what about Bisexuality? Is that a combination of this gene and something else?

 

[DerangedHermit]

how long till they build Sentinels to hunt us?

When Kim Davis is elected.

 

[RustyNails]

As someone completely ignorant about the issue of biology as it relates to homosexuallity, wouldnt the confirmation that homosexuality is due to biology mean that it can be "cured" through the use of meds and stuff? Of course there should be no reason for people to do such things in the first place, but it brings up interesting questions.

 

[PSqueak]

I guess I'm a partly from the most secret tribe in Avatar The Last Airbender: the dick benders. I'll put my power to good use.

That sounds incredibly painful, im sure the avatar would not approve of such tactic O:

I'm probably being stupid, but what about Bisexuality? Is that a combination of this gene and something else?

Don't take my word for it, but it sounds like it's a bit of the same.

 

[Polip Fawn]

I like how the article directly admitted there was no conclusive evidence.

 

[ivysaur12]

As someone completely ignorant about the issue of biology as it relates to homosexuallity, wouldnt the confirmation that homosexuality is due to biology mean that it can be "cured" through the use of meds and stuff? Of course there should be no reason for people to do such things in the first place, but it brings up interesting questions.

There's a moral argument to that. But yeah, it's interesting.

And I'm not surprised by these findings, if they hold up to peer review. We've thought there was some link with epigenetics and sexual orientation for some time. It's nice to think that we're close to finding at least part of the source of sexual expression.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

So I'm a mutant? Cool. Does this mean I might have some latent superabilities I have yet to discover?

Far from it. Epigenetics modifies DNA expression without changing the DNA code itself. In other words, your DNA didn't mutate for you to become a homosexual. Your mother's environment resulted in certain segments of her gametes' DNA being methylated, phosphoryllated, or acetylated, but the genetic sequence is unchanged.

 

[SkeptiMism]

This thread is giving me life already.


On topic: should we really care, though? I mean, it is not like homosexuality is a human construct anyway. It is observable in over a thousand species and every single one of them seems to be doing fine with it. We are the only ones killing and hurting LGBT+ people because a invisible being in the sky supposedly said so or bigotry or ignorance of some kind.

I think it's absolutely important that we understand sexuality in its very core - it's important in many ways actually. It's not even just about what causes someone to be gay, but it's in a larger scale and homosexuality is just one aspect of it (and researching it will help understand sexuality as a whole).

Just a few good things I can think off the top of my head:
- The better we understand sexuality, the better we can help people who have problematic sexuality or things related to it, such as pedophilia or simply sexual addiction
- The better we understand sexuality, the better we can educate people about it - this will help both people struggling with their sexuality and other people coming to terms with the naturalness of the vast spectrum of sexuality.
- At least I consider it absolutely vital in long term that we understand human as thoroughly as possible, and sexuality is a core part of us - thus understanding sexuality
will also help us understand ourselves as a whole

It will certainly raise some big questions regarding ethics, but it's definitely worth it.

 

[Stormhammer]

damn mansato with their Gay Man Organisms