AUGUST 2004

“THIS IS THE WAY GOD MADE ME”—

A SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE “GAY GENE”
Brad Harrub, Ph.D., Bert Thompson, Ph.D., and Dave Miller, Ph.D.

T he trumpets were left at home and

the parades were canceled. The press
releases and campaign signs were
quietly forgotten. The news was big, but
it did not contain what some had hoped
The human X and Y chromosomes (the
two “sex” chromosomes) have been com-
pletely sequenced. Thanks to work carried
out by labs all across the globe, we know
that the X chromosome contains 153 mil-
fight for the acceptance of homosexuality
often is compared to “civil rights” move-
ments of racial minorities. Due to Amer-
ica’s failure to settle fully the civil rights
issue (i.e., full and equal citizenship of racial
for. On April 14, 2003, the International lion base pairs, and harbors a total of 1168 minorities), social liberals, feminists, and
Human Genome Consortium announced genes (see NCBI, 2004). The National Cen- homosexual activists were provided with
the successful completion of the Human ter for Biotechnology Information reports the perfect “coat-tail” to ride to advance
Genome Project—two years ahead of sched- that the Y chromosome—which is much their agenda. Using this camouflage of in-
ule. The press report read: “The human smaller—contains “only” 50 million base nate civil liberties, homosexual activists
genome is complete and the Human Ge- pairs, and is estimated to contain a mere were able to divert attention away from the
nome Project is over” (see “Human Ge- 251 genes. Educational institutions such behavior, and focus it on the “rights.”
nome Report…,” 2003, emp. added). Most as Baylor University, the Max Planck In-
of the major science journals reported on stitute, the Sanger Institute, Washington
the progress in the field of genetics, but University in St. Louis, and others have CONTENTS
also speculated on how the information spent countless hours and millions of re-
would now be used. The one piece of in- search dollars analyzing these unique chro- ARTICLES
formation that never materialized from mosomes. As the data began to pour in, “This is the Way God Made Me”—
the Human Genome Project was the iden- they allowed scientists to construct gene A Scientific Examination of Homo-
tification of the so-called “gay gene.” maps—using actual sequences from the Hu- sexuality and the “Gay Gene”
Homosexuality has been practiced for man Genome Project. And yet, neither the
Brad Harrub, Bert Thompson,
thousands of years. Simply put, homosex- map for the X nor the Y chromosome
and Dave Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
uality is defined as sexual relations between contains any “gay gene.”
like genders (i.e., two males or two females). What is the truth regarding homosex- DEPARTMENTS
It was Sigmund Freud who first postulated uality? Too often, speculation, emotions,
Note from the Editor
that parental relationships with a child ul- and politics play a major role in its assess-
ment. The following is a scientific inves- Introducing Our Second Spanish-
timately determine the youngster’s sexual Language Translator: Michael Cortez
orientation. But this “nurturing” aspect tigation of human homosexuality.
Bert Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
has effectively given way to the “nature”
side of the equation. Can some behaviors RESOURCES
(e.g., alcoholism, homosexuality, schizo- BEHAVIORAL GENETICS AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Intersexuality Fails to
phrenia) be explained by genetics? Are
I
Support Homosexuality . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-R
these and other behaviors influenced by n an effort to affect public policy and
nature or by nurture? Are they inborn or gain acceptance, the assertion often What Giraffes Will do for a Drink . . . . 30-R
learned? Some individuals believed that is made that homosexuals deserve equal Question & Answer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-R
the answer would be found hiding amidst rights just as other minority groups—and
In the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-R
the chromosomes analyzed in the Human should not be punished for, or forbidden
Genome Project. from, expressing their homosexuality. The
 The argument goes like this: “Just as a gene, but neither would we allow him to REAL STATISTICS
person cannot help being black, female, or act upon that rape disposition. Neil Risch
Asian, I cannot help being homosexual.
We were all born this way, and as such we
should be treated equally.” However, this
and his coworkers admitted:
There is little disagreement that male
homosexual orientation is not a Men-
A nyone who has tuned into prime-
time television within the past few
years has observed an increasing trend of
argument fails to comprehend the true “ci- delian trait. In fact, a priori, one would shows featuring characters who are homo-
vil rights” movements. The law already pro- expect the role of a major gene in male sexual—and proud of it. It seems as though
tects the civil rights of everyone—black, homosexual orientation to be limited
because of the strong selective pres- modern sitcoms require “token” homo-
white, male, female, homosexual, or het- sures against such a gene. It is unlikely sexuals in order to be politically correct.
erosexual. Homosexuals enjoy the same that a major gene underlying such a The perception is that these individuals
civil rights everyone else does. The con- common trait could persist over time share the same apartment buildings, of-
tention arises when specific laws deprive without an extraordinary counterbal- fices, clubs, etc., with heterosexual people,
all citizens of certain behaviors (e.g., sod- ancing mechanism (1993, 262:2064). and that we need to realize just how prev-
omy, etc.). We should keep in mind that Evan S. Balaban, a neurobiologist at the alent homosexuality is. So, exactly what
these laws are the same for all members of Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, not- fraction of the population do homosex-
society. Because of certain deprivations, ed that uals actually represent?
homosexuals feel as though “equal” rights the search for the biological under- The famous Kinsey Institute report of-
have been taken away (i.e., marriage, tax pinnings of complex human traits has
a sorry history of late. In recent years, ten is cited as evidence that 10% of the pop-
breaks, etc.).
Skin color and other genetic traits can researchers and the media have pro- ulation is homosexual. In his book, Is It a
be traced through inheritance patterns and claimed the “discovery” of genes linked Choice?: Answers to 300 of the Most Frequently
to alcoholism and mental illness as Asked Questions About Gays and Lesbians,Eric
simple Mendelian genetics. Homosexuals well as to homosexuality. None of the
are identified not by a trait or a gene, but Marcus used the Kinsey studies to demon-
claims…has been confirmed (as quoted strate that one in ten people is homosexual
rather by their actions. Without the action, in Horgan, 1995).
they would be indistinguishable from all Charles Mann agreed, stating: “Time and (1993). In truth, Kinsey never reported fig-
other people. It is only when they alter their time again, scientists have claimed that par- ures that high. The Kinsey Report clearly
behavior that they become a group that is ticular genes or chromosomal regions are stated that: “Only about 4 percent of the
recognized as being different. If we were associated with behavioral traits, only to men [evaluated] were exclusively homosex-
to assume momentarily that homosexu- withdraw their findings when they were ual throughout their entire lives…. Only
ality was genetic, then the most one could not replicated” (1994, 264:1687). It appears 2 or 3 percent of these women were exclu-
conclude is that those individuals were not that the gay gene will be added to this cat- sively homosexual their entire lives” (see
morally responsible for being homosexual. egory of unreplicated claims. Reinisch and Beasley, 1990, p. 140). How-
However, that does not mean that they are The real issue here is homosexual ac- ever, there is good reason to believe that
not morally responsible for homosexual tions that society has deemed immoral the real percentage is not even this high.
actions! Merely having the gene would not and, in many instances, illegal. Since no While no one has carried out a door-to-
force one to carry out the behavior. For study has firmly established an underly- door census, we do have a fairly accurate
instance, if scientists were able to document ing genetic cause for homosexuality, ar- estimate. Interestingly, these statistics came
that a “rape gene” existed, we certainly would guments suggesting “equal rights” are both to light in an amicus curiae (“friend of the
not blame an individual for possessing this baseless and illogical. court”) brief filed with the U.S. Supreme
Court on March 26, 2003, in the Lawrence
Reason & Revelation is published monthly by Apologetics Press, Inc., a non-profit, vs. Texas case (commonly known as the
tax-exempt work dedicated to the defense of New Testament Christianity. Copyright © Texas sodomy case). On page 16 of this legal
2004. All rights reserved. brief, footnote 42 revealed that 31 homo-
sexual and pro-homosexual groups ad-
Editor: General inquiries, changes of mitted the following:
Bert Thompson, Ph.D.* address, or international callers:
The most widely accepted study of sex-
(*Microbiology, Texas A&M University) Phone: (334) 272-8558
ual practices in the United States is the
Fax: (334) 270-2002 National Health and Social Life Sur-
Associate Editor:
Orders: vey (NHSLS). The NHSLS found that
Brad Harrub, Ph.D.* 2.8% of the male, and 1.4% of the fe-
(*Neurobiology, University of Tennessee) Phone: (800) 234-8558
Fax: (800) 234-2882 male population identify themselves
ISSN: as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (Laumann,
1542-0922 On-line Web store/catalog, subscrip- et al., 1994).
tion order/renewal form, current issues, The study also found that only 0.9% of
Annual Subscription Rates: archives, and other information (all or- men and 0.4% of women reported having
ders processed on a secure server): only same-sex partners since age 18—a fig-
$10.00 Domestic
URL: www.ApologeticsPress.org ure that would represent a total of only 1.4
$ 7.50 Domestic Bulk E-mail: [email protected]
(5+ to same address) million Americans as homosexual (based
$16.00 Canada & Overseas Airmail Discovery—Scripture & Science on the last census report, showing roughly
for Kids is a sister publication for chil- 292 million people living in America). The
Mailing Address: dren. For more information, please con- resulting accurate figures demonstrate that
Apologetics Press, Inc. tact our offices or visit the Discovery significantly less than one percent of the
230 Landmark Drive Web site at: American population claims to be homo-
Montgomery, AL 36117-2752 URL: www.DiscoveryMagazine.com sexual. The NHSLS results are similar to a
survey conducted by the Minnesota Ad-
olescent Health Survey (1986) of public reinforces in their clients the false be-
school students. The survey showed that lief that homosexuality is a disorder
only 0.6% of the boys and 0.2% of the girls and needs treatment (2003, 32:403).
identified themselves as “mostly or 100% Thus, the stage was set for the appearance
homosexual.” of a “gay gene.”
The 2000 census sheds even more light SIMON LEVAY—BRAIN DIFFERENCES
on the subject. The overall statistics from
the 2000 Census Bureau revealed:
• The total population of the U.S.
is 285,230,516.
T he first “significant” published study
that indicated a possible biological
role for homosexuality came from Simon
• The total number of households LeVay, who was then at the Salk Institute
in the U.S. is 106,741,426. landmark Kinsey report was produced us- for Biological Studies in San Diego, Cal-
• The total number of unmarried ing the sexual histories of thousands of ifornia. In 1991, Dr. LeVay reported subtle
same-sex households is 601,209. Americans. While that report consisted of differences between the brains of homo-
Thus, out of a population of 106,741,426 a diverse sample, it was not a representa- sexual and heterosexual men (1991). LeVay
households, homosexuals represent 0.42% tive sample of the general population (Kin- measured a particular region of the brain
of those households. That is less than one sey, et al., 1948, 1953). In 1994, Richard Fried- (the interstitial nuclei of the anterior hy-
half of one percent! man and Jennifer Downey published a re- pothalamus—INAH) in postmortem tissue
But since most people are not mathe- of three distinct groups: (1) women; (2)
view on homosexuality in The New England
maticians, we would like to make this point men who were presumed to be heterosex-
Journal of Medicine. In reviewing Kinsey’s ual; (3) and homosexual men.
in a way that most individuals will be able work, they noted:
to better comprehend. If we were to start LeVay’s Reported Findings
a new television sitcom, and wanted to ac- Kinsey reported that 8 percent of men
and 4 percent of women were exclu- LeVay reported that clusters of these neu-
curately portray homosexual ratios in so- rons(INAH) in homosexual men were the
sively homosexual for a period of at
ciety, we would need 199 heterosexual ac- least three years during adulthood. Four same size as clusters in women, both of
tors before we finally introduced one ho- percent of men and 2 percent of wo- which were significantly smaller than clus-
mosexual actor. men were exclusively homosexual af- ters in heterosexual men. LeVay reported
And yet modern television casts of three ter adolescence (1994, 331:923). that the nuclei in INAH 3 were “more than
or four often include one or more homo- With this “statistical information” in twice as large in the heterosexual men as
sexual actor(s). The statistics from the 2000 hand, some sought to change the way ho- in the women. It was also, however, more
census are not figures grabbed from the mosexuality was viewed by both the pub- than twice as large in the heterosexual men
air and placed on a political sign or Web as in the homosexual men” (1991, 253:1034).
lic and the medical community. Prior to
site to promote a particular agenda. These This difference was interpreted as strong
were census data that were carefully col- 1973, homosexuality appeared in the Diag-
nostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Dis- evidence of a biological link to homosex-
lected from the entire United States pop- uality. LeVay’s assumption was that homo-
ulation, contrary to the limited scope of orders (DSM), the official reference book
used by the American Psychiatric Associ- sexual urges can be biologically based—so
studies designed to show a genetic cause long as cluster size is accepted as being ge-
for homosexuality. ation for diagnosing mental disorders in
America and throughout much of the rest netically determined.
IS HOMOSEXUALITY GENETIC? of the world. Homosexuality was consid- Problems with LeVay’s Study

I t is one of the most explosive topics in

society today. The social and political
ramifications affect the very roots of this
ered a sickness that doctors routinely treat-
ed. In 1973, however, it was removed as a
sexual disorder, based on the claim that it
When looking at the methodology of
the LeVay study, one of the key problems
is that the study has never been reproduced.
country. But is the country being told the did not fulfill the “distress and social dis- AsWilliamBynenoted,LeVay’swork
truth concerning homosexuality? Is there ability” criteria that were used to define a has not been replicated, and human
really a genetic basis for homosexuality? disorder. Today, there is no mention of ho- neuroanatomical studies of this kind
Former democratic presidential candi- mosexuality in the DSM-IV (aside from a have a very poor track record for re-
section describing gender identity disor- producibility.Indeed,proceduressimi-
date and Vermont Governor Howard Dean lar to those LeVay used to identify
signed a bill legalizing civil unions for ho- der), indicating that individuals with this nuclei have previously led research-
mosexuals in Vermont. In defending his condition are not suitable candidates for ers astray (1994, 270[5]:53, emp. add-
actions, he commented: “The overwhelm- therapy (see American Psychiatric Associ- ed).
ing evidence is that there is a very signifi- ation, 2000). Additionally, of nineteen homosexual sub-
cant, substantial genetic component to it. Physicians treating patients for homo- jects used in the study, all had died of com-
From a religious point of view, if God had sexuality (to bring about a change in sexual plications of acquired immunodeficiency
thought homosexuality is a sin, he would orientation) frequently are reported to eth- syndrome (AIDS). AIDS has been shown to
not have created gay people” (as quoted ics committees in an attempt to have them decrease testosterone levels, so it should be
in VandeHei, 2004). Dean is not alone in cease. Robert Spitzer lamented: expected that those who suffered from that
such thinking. condition would have smaller INAH. Byne
Most people are familiar with the idea Several authors have argued that cli-
nicians who attempt to help their cli- continued his comments on LeVay’s work.
that research has been performed that al- ents change their homosexual orien- His inclusion of a few brains from
legedly supports the existence of a gay gene. tation are violating professional eth- heterosexual men with AIDS did not
However, that idea has been a long time ical codes by providing a “treatment” adequately address the fact that at the
in the making. Almost fifty years ago, the that is ineffective, often harmful, and time of death, virtually all men with
 AIDS have decreased testosterone lev- ual men. That is, the area was larger The inability to generate new neurons
els as the result of the disease itself or in some of the homosexuals than in might imply that the adult nervous
the side effects of particular treatments. many of the heterosexual men, and system is a static, “hard-wired” ma-
To date, LeVay has examined the brain smaller in some of the heterosexual chine. This is far from the truth. Al-
of only one gay man who did not die men than in many of the homosexu- though new neurons cannot be gen-
of AIDS (270:53). als.Thismeansthat,thoughthegroups erated, each neuron retains the abil-
Furthermore, in a scientific environ- showed some difference as groups, ity to form new processes and new sy-
there was no way to tell anything naptic connections (1994).
ment where controls and standards are a about an individual’s sexual orien-
necessity, LeVay did not possess a complete tation by looking at his hypothala- Interestingly, since Shepherd’s textbook
medical history of the individuals included mus (1997, pp. 95-96, emp. added). was published, additional research has even
in his study. He therefore was forced to Being homosexual himself, it is no sur- documented the ability of neurons to be
assume the sexual orientation of the non- prise that LeVay observed: “…[P]eople who generated within certain areas of the brain.
AIDS victims as being heterosexual, when think that gays and lesbians are born that This information must be considered when
some may not have been. In addition, bear way are more likely to support gay rights.” examining comparative anatomical exper-
in mind that he had no evidence regarding In a Newsweek article, LeVay was quoted iments such as LeVay’s. These cortical re-
the sexual orientation of the women whose as saying, “I felt if I didn’t find any [dif- arrangements that occur are not as simple
brains he examined. LeVay has admitted: ference in the hypothalamuses], I would as unplugging a lamp and plugging it into
It’s important to stress what I did- give up a scientific career altogether” (as another socket. The changes observed by
n’t find. I did not prove that homo- quoted in Gelman, et al., 1992, p. 49). Giv- researchers indicate that if the brain were
sexuality is genetic, or find a genet- en how (poorly) twisted LeVay’s data are, represented by a home electrical system,
ic cause for being gay. I didn’t show and his own personal bias, his abandon- then many of the wires within the walls
that gay men are born that way, the ment of science may have ultimately been would be pulled out, rewired to different
most common mistake people make of greater service. connections in different rooms, new out-
in interpreting my work. Nor did I lets would appear, and some would even
locate a gay center in the brain (as carry different voltages. Due to the colos-
quoted in Byrd, et al., 2001, emp. add- sal connectivity that takes place within the
ed).
brain, any “rewiring” is, by its very nature,
Many have argued that what LeVay dis- going to have an effect on several areas—
covered in the brains of those he exam- such as INAH3. Scientists understand these
ined was only a result of prior behavior, things, yet LeVay’s work is still mentioned
not the cause of it. Mark Breedlove, a re-
asallegedsupportfortheso-calledgaygene.
searcher at the University of California at
Berkeley, has demonstrated that sexual be-
havior has an effect on the brain. In refer-
ring to his own research, Breedlove com- BAILEY AND PILLARD—
mented: “These findings give us proof for Diagram showing INAH area. LifeART im- THEFAMOUS“TWINS”STUDY
what we theoretically know to be the case ages copyright © 2004 Lippincott Wil-
—that sexual experience can alter the struc- liams & Wilkins. All rights reserved. Used
ture of the brain, just as genes can alter it.
...[I]t is possible that differences in sexual
behavior cause (rather than are caused by)
by permission.
O ne of the most frequently cited stud-
ies used in promoting the genetics
of sexual orientation is a 1952 study by Kall-
differences in the brain” (as quoted in Byrd, mann. In this famous work, he reported a
Brain Plasticity—A Fact Acknowledged concordance rate (or genetic association)
et al., parenthetical item in orig.). Con- by All Neuroscientists
sidering this type of research, it makes sense of 100% for sexual orientation among mon-
that a homosexual lifestyle (and/or the Today, scientists are keenly aware of the ozygotic (identical) twins (1952, 115:283).
AIDS condition) could alter the size of the fact that the brain is not as “hard-wired” This result, if true, would prove nearly in-
nuclei LeVay was measuring. or permanently fixed as once thought—an surmountable for those people who doubt
What exactly did LeVay find? In actual- important factor that LeVay failed to ac- the biological causation of homosexual-
ity, not much. He did observe slight dif- knowledge. One of the properties of plas- ity. However, Kallmann subsequently con-
ferences between the groups—if you accept tic is flexibility—many containers are made jectured that this perfect concordance was
the method he used for measuring the size out of plastic so that they will not shatter an artifact, possibly due to the fact that his
of the neuron clusters (and some research- when dropped. In a similar manner, the sample was drawn largely from mentally ill
ers do not). When each individual was con- brain was once considered to be rigid, like and institutionalized men (see Rainer, et
sidered by himself, there was not a signifi- Ball® jars used for canning—but we now al., 1960, 22:259). But Kallmann’s research
cant difference; only when the individu- know the brain is “plastic” and flexible, opened the door to twin studies in regard
als involved in the study were considered and able to reorganize itself. Research has to sexual orientation.
in groups of homosexuals vs. heterosexu- shown that the brain is able to remodel its Michael Bailey and Richard Pillard, re-
als did differences result. Hubbard and connections and grow larger, according searchers at Northwestern University and
Waldcommentedonthislackofdifference: to the specific areas that are most frequently the Boston University School of Medicine,
Though, on average, the size of the utilized. Given that we know today that carried out a similar experiment, examin-
hypothalamic nucleus LeVay consid- the brain exhibits plasticity, one must ask ing 56 pairs of identical twins, 54 pairs of
ered significant was indeed smaller in
the men he identified as homosexual, if the act of living a homosexual lifestyle fraternal twins, 142 non-twin brothers of
his published data show that the range itself might be responsible for the differ- twins, and 57 pairs of adoptive brothers
of sizes of the individual samples was ence LeVay noted? Commenting on brain (1991, 48:1089-1096). Bailey and Pillard were
virtually the same as for the heterosex- plasticity, Shepherd noted: looking to see if homosexuality was pas-
sed on through familial lines, or if one of shared genetic material, would pre- In summarizing their findings, Byne
could point to environmental factors as dict similar concordance rates for DZ and Parsons stated: “Critical review shows
the cause. Their hypothesis: if homosex- [dizygotic] twins and nontwin bio- the evidence favoring a biologic theory to
uality is an inherited trait, then more twin logic brothers. Furthermore, the fact be lacking” (50:228). Commenting on Bail-
brothers would be expected to have the same that the concordance rates were sim ey and Pillard’s report, researchers Billings
orientation than non-twin or non-biolog- ilar for nontwin biologic brothers and Beckwith wrote:
ical brothers. (9.2%) and genetically unrelated adop-
tive brothers (11.0%) is at odds with a While the authors interpreted their
findings as evidence for a genetic ba-
Their Reported Findings simple genetic hypothesis, which would sis for homosexuality, we think that
predict a higher concordance rate for
• 52% of identical (monozygotic) biological siblings (1993, 50:229).
the data in fact provide strong evi-
twins of homosexual men were dence for the influence of the envi-
homosexual A more recently published twin study ronment (1993, p. 60).
failed to find similar concordance rates. When evaluated scientifically, twin stud-
• 22% of fraternal (dizygotic) twins ies fail to provide any valid support for
were likewise homosexual King and McDonald studied 46 homosex-
ual men and women who were twins. The the longed-for “gay gene.”
• 11% of adoptive brothers of ho- concordance rates that they reported were
mosexual men were homosexual 10%, or 25% with monozygotic twins—de-
DEAN HAMER—THE GAY GENE
• 9.2% of non-twin biological sib- pending on whether or not the bisexuals
ON THE X CHROMOSOME
lings reported homosexual orien-
tations (Bailey and Pillard, 1991,
“A Genetic Study of Male Sexual
were included along with the homosexu-
als. The rates for dizygotic twins were 8%
or 12%, again, depending on whether bi-
T wo years after Simon LeVay’s report,
a group led by Dean H. Hamer of the
National Cancer Institute allegedly linked
Orientation”) sexuals were included (King and McDon- male homosexuality to a gene on the X
• 48% of identical twins of homo- ald, 1992). Byne and Parsons commented: chromosome. His team investigated 114
sexual women were likewise ho- “These rates are significantly lower than families of homosexual men. Hamer and
mosexual those reported by Bailey and Pillard; in his colleagues collected family history in-
• 16% of fraternal (dizygotic) twins comparison of the MZ [monozygotic] con- formation from 76 gay male individuals
were likewise homosexual cordance rate, including bisexuals (25%), and 40 gay brother pairs as they searched
with the comparable figure from Bailey and for incidences of homosexuality among
• 6% of adoptive sisters of homo-
Pillard (52%)” (p. 230). They went on to relatives of gay men.
sexual women were likewise homo- observe: “Furthermore, if the concordance
sexual (Bailey and Benishay, 1993, In many families, gay men had gay rel-
rate is similar for MZ and DZ twins, the atives through maternal lines. Thus, they
“Familial Aggregation of Female
importance of genetic factors would be concluded that a gene for homosexuality
Sexual Orientation”)
considerably less than that suggested by might be found on the X chromosome,
Problems with Bailey & Pillard’s Study Bailey and Pillard” (p. 230, emp. added). which is passed from the mother alone.
While the authors acknowledged some Another factor that may have had a dras- They then used DNA linkage analysis in
of the flaws with their research, they still tic affect on the results of this study (and an effort to find a correlation between in-
were quoted in Science News as saying: “Our other similar studies) centers on method- heritance and homosexual orientation.
research shows that male sexual orienta- ology. Bailey and Pillard did not study a Their Reported Findings
tion is substantially genetic” (as quoted in random sample of homosexuals. Instead,
Becausemanyofthefamilieswithaprev-
Bower, 1992, 141:6). However, the most glar- the subjects were recruited through adver- alence of homosexual relatives had a com-
ing observation is that clearly not 100% of tisements placed in homosexual publica- mon set of DNA markers on the X chro-
the identical twins “inherited” homosex- tions. This method can be deemed ques- mosome, Hamer’s group assumed a genet-
uality. If there was, in fact, a “gay gene,” tionable because it is highly dependent on ic etiology. Of the 40 pairs of homosexual
then all of the identical twins should the readership of those publications and brothers he analyzed, Hamer found that
have reported a homosexual orientation. onthemotivesofthosewhorespond.Thus, 33 exhibited a matching DNA region called
And yet, in nearly half of the twins stud- it may lead to skewed results—for example, q28—a gene located at the tip of the long
ied, one brother was not homosexual. In a inflated rates of concordance in identical arm of the X chromosome. In summariz-
technical-comment letter in Science, Neil twins owing to preferential participation ing their findings, Hamer and colleagues
Risch and colleagues pointed out: “The (see Baron, 1993). Hubbard and Wald ob- noted: “Our experiments suggest that a lo-
biological brothers and adoptive brothers served: cus (or loci) related to sexual orientation
showed approximately the same rates. This lies within approximately 4 million base
latter observation suggests that there is no The fact that fraternal twins of gay
men were roughly twice as likely to be pairs of DNA on the tip of the long arm of
genetic component, but rather an environ- gay as other biological brothers shows the X chromosome” (1993, 261:326, paren-
mentalcomponentsharedinfamilies”(1993, thatenvironmentalfactorsareinvolved, thetical item in orig.). This discovery prompt-
262:2063). In fact, more adoptive broth- since fraternal twins are no more simi- edHamer and his colleagues to speculate:
ers shared homosexuality than non-twin lar biologically than are other biolog- The linkage to markers on Xq28, the
biological brothers. If there was a genetic ical brothers. If being a fraternal twin subtelomeric region of the long arm
factor, this result would be counter to the exerts an environmental influence, of the sex chromosome, had a multi-
expected trend. Byne and Parsons noted: it does not seem surprising that this point lod score of 4.0, indicating a
However, the concordance rate for should be even truer for identical twins, statistical confidence level of more
homosexuality in nontwin biologic who the world thinks of as “the same” than 99 percent that at least one sub-
brothers was only 9.2—significantly and treats accordingly, and who often type of male sexual orientation is
lower than that required by simple ge- share those feelings of sameness (1997, genetically influenced (261:321, emp.
netic hypothesis, which, on the basis p. 97). added).
 It is important to note that Hamer did GeorgeRiceandhiscolleaguesfromCan- often, going back and forth. One might
not claim to have found a “gay gene,” or ada looked intently at the gene Xq28. They inquire if the bisexuality denotes the ex-
even the set of genes, that might contrib- then observed: “Allele and halotype shar- istence of a “bisexual gene?”] Ironically,
ute to a propensity for homosexuality. Ac- ing for these markers was not increased ov- however, the removal of homosexuality
cording to Chicago Tribune staff writer, John er expectation. These results do not sup- as a designation from the Diagnostic and
Crewdson, what Hamer claimed to have port an X-linked gene underlying male Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders
found was “statistical evidence that such homosexuality” (1999, 284:665, emp. add- by the American Psychiatric Association
genes exist” (1995). ed). Rice, et al., included 182 families in has kept many physicians from attempt-
their study. They noted: ing to provide reparative therapy to homo-
It is unclear why our results are so dis- sexuals.
Problems with Hamer’s Study crepant from Hamer’s original study. Robert Spitzer conducted a study on
One of the most significant problems Because our study was larger than that 200 self-selected individuals (143 males, 57
with Hamer’s approach is that he and his of Hamer et al., we certainly had ade- females) in an effort to see if participants
colleagues did not feel that it was neces- quate power to detect a genetic effect could change their sexual orientation from
sary to check whether any of the hetero- as large as was reported in that study. homosexual to heterosexual (2003, 32:403-
Nonetheless, our data do not support
sexual men in these families shared the the presence of a gene of large effect 417). He reported some minimal change
marker in question! Would it not be use- influencing sexual orientation at po- from homosexual to heterosexual orien-
ful to know whether or not this “gay gene” sition Xq28 (284:667). tation that lasted at least five years (p. 403).
is found in heterosexuals? Even if only a That is a tactful way of saying that any Spitzer observed:
few of them possess the gene, it calls into claims of having found a “gay gene” were The majority of participants gave re-
question what the gene or the self-identi- overblown, if not outright false, and that ports of change from a predominantly
fication signifies. Additionally, Hamer nev- Hamer’s results are dubious at best. Com- or exclusively homosexual orientation
er explained why the other seven pairs of before therapy to a predominantly or
menting on the study of Rice and his col- exclusively heterosexual orientation
brothers did not display the same genetic leagues,IngridWickelgrenremarked:“…the
marker. If this is “the gene” for homosex- in the past year (p. 403).
Ontario team found that gay brothers were In summarizing his findings, Spitzer de-
uality, then one must assume all homo- no more likely to share the Xq28 markers
sexual individuals would possess that par- clared: “Thus, there is evidence that change
than would be expected by chance…. Eb- in sexual orientation following some form
ticular marker—and yet that was not the ers interprets all these results to mean that
case in Hamer’s study. of reparative therapy does occur in some
the X linkage is all but dead” (1999, 284: gay men and lesbians.” He thus concluded:
In a letter to Science, Anne Fausto-Ster- 571, emp. added).
ling and Evan Balaban pointed out some “This study provides evidence that some
In June of 1998, University of Chicago gay men and lesbians are able to also change
of the additional problems with Hamer’s psychiatrist Alan Sanders reported at the
study. They noted: the core features of sexual orientation” (p.
meeting of the American Psychiatric As- 415).
Despite our praise for aspects of Ham- sociation that he, too, had been unable Six years earlier, the National Associa-
er, et al.’s work, we feel it is also impor- to verify Hamer’s results. Looking for an tion for Research and Therapy of Homo-
tant to recognize some of its weaknes- increase in Xq28 linkage, Sanders’ team
ses. The most obvious of these is the sexuality (NARTH) released the results of
studied 54 pairs of gay brothers. As Wick- a two-year study stating:
lackofanadequatecontrolgroup.Their elgren indicated, Sanders’ team had found
study demonstrates cosegregation of “only a weak hint—that wasn’t statistically Before treatment, 68 percent of the
a trait (which Hamer, et al. have labeled respondents perceived themselves as
significant—of an Xq28 linkage among 54 exclusively or almost entirely homo-
“homosexuality”) with X chromosome
markers and the trait’s concordance gay brother pairs” (284:571). Commenting sexual, with another 22 percent stat-
in homosexual brothers. This coseg- on the validity of Hamer’s study, Wickel- ing that they were more homosexual
regation is potentially meaningful if gren quoted George Rice: “Taken together, than heterosexual. After treatment,
the mother is heterozygous for the Rice says, the results ‘suggest that if there only 13 percent perceived themselves
trait. In this case, segregating chromo- is a linkage it’s so weak it’s not impor- as exclusively or almost entirely ho-
someswithoutthemarkersshouldshow tant’ ” (1999, emp. added). Two indepen- mosexual, while 33 percent described
up in nonhomosexual brothers, but dent labs failed to reproduce anything even themselves as either exclusively or al-
Hamer, et al. present no data to that remotely resembling Hamer’s results. mostentirelyheterosexual(seeNicolosi,
effect (1993, 261:1257, emp. added). 2000,86:1071).
Fausto-Sterling and Balaban continued: CHANGEABILITY OF HOMOSEXUALS— The study also reported:
This sensitivity to assumptions about
EVIDENCE AGAINST GENETICS Although 83 percent of respondents
indicated that they entered therapy
background levels makes Hamer, et
al.’s data less robust than the summary
in their abstract indicates…. Finally we
A n individual born with diabetes has
no hope of changing that condition.
Likewise, a child born with Down’s syn-
primarily because of homosexuality,
99 percent of those who participated
in the survey said they now believe
wish to emphasize a point with which drome will carry that chromosomal ab- treatment to change homosexuality
we are sure Hamer, et al. would agree: normality throughout his or her life. These can be effective and valuable (p. 1071).
correlation does not necessarily indi- individuals are a product of the genes they These data are consistent with the on-
cate causation (261:1257).
inherited from their parents. Homosex- going research project of Rob Goetze, who
Inotherwords,Hamer’smethodologyleaves uality appears to be vastly different. Many has identified 84 articles or books that con-
something to be desired. One also should people have been able to successfully tain some relevance to the possibility of
keep in mind that Hamer’s sampling was change their sexual orientation. [Truth sexual orientation change (2004). Of the
not random, and, as a result, his data may be told, some individuals experiment with data reported, 31 of the 84 studies showed
not reflect the real population. a variety of sexual partners—male/female— a quantitative outcome of individuals able
to change sexual orientation. These are not causative agent in homosexuality. The avail- Hubbard, Ruth and Elijah Wald (1997), Explod-
studies that merely speculate on the ability able evidence clearly establishes that no ing the Gene Myth (Boston: Beacon Press).
to change; they actually have the numbers such gene has been identified. Addition- “Human Genome Report Press Release”
to back it up! All of these data come on the ally, evidence exists which documents that (2003), International Consortium Com-
pletes Human Genome Project, [On-line],
heels of warnings from the Surgeon Gen- homosexuals can change their sexual ori- URL: http: //www.ornl.gov/TechResources/
eral, The American Academy of Pediatrics, entation. Future decisions regarding pol- Human _Genome/project/50yr.html.
and all of the major mental health associ- icies about, and/or treatment of, homo- Kallmann, F.J. (1952), “Comparative Twin Study
ations, which have issued position state- sexuals should reflect this knowledge. on the Genetic Aspects of Male Homosex-
ments warning of possible harm from such REFERENCES uality,” Journal of Nervous and Mental Dis-
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Byne, William (1994), “The Biological Evidence 1037, August 30.
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disorder, and thus one should not seek to 55, May. in Transition,” Science, 264:1686-1689, June 17.
change. Yet, they contend that not enough Byne, William and Bruce Parsons (1993), “Hu- Marcus, Eric (1993), Is It a Choice? (San Fran-
studies have been conducted to determine man Sexual Orientation,” Archives of Gen- cisco, CA: Harper).
the effectiveness of reparative therapy. The eral Psychiatry, 50:228-239, March. NCBI (2004), “Human Genome Resources,”
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Robinson (2001), “Homosexuality: The gov/genome//guide/human/.
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told, we have not collected enough data to line] URL: http://www.sltrib.com/2001/ Changes in Homosexual Orientation: A
know if a person can safely change his or may/05272001/commenta/100523.htm. Consumer Survey of Conversion Therapy
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In situations where sexual orientation ment for the Existence of ‘Gay Genes,’ ” Chi- June.
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can change his or her sexual orientation ber 6. George Ebers (1999), “Male Homosexuality:
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from homosexual to heterosexual—some- rett,andMaryTalbot(1992),“BornorBred?,”
thing that would be an impossibility if ho- ers at Xq28,” Science, 284:665-667, April 23.
Newsweek, pp. 46-53, February 24.
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C
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Howe, Richard(1994),“HomosexualityinAmer-
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INTRODUCING OUR SECOND SPANISH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR: MICHAEL CORTEZ

In my “Note from the Editor” in the June issue of Reason & Therefore, when the time was “just right” (about 3-4 months
Revelation, I had the pleasure of introducing to you Moisés Pi- prior to his graduation in June—before anyone else discovered
nedo, our first new Spanish-language translator. Several months that he was available and could hire him), I wrote him a letter and
prior to that, we intentionally had set in motion a series of events, invited him to come to Montgomery for a job interview. By the
the end result of which was designed to allow us to eventually time that interview was over, I was convinced that Michael was
bring on board as full-time staff members two extremely talented the person we needed to serve as our second full-time Spanish
bi-lingual young men who could work with us to get all of our translator. I offered him the job—and he accepted. He and his
products—everything from correspondence courses, tracts, books, new wife Amelia joined us in early July, and Michael immedi-
and audio/video items, to the entire content of ately began his translation work.
our immensely popular Web site—translated in- The first task I assigned him was to proofread
to Spanish. all of the items that Moisés has spent the last three
Our research had established that Spanish- months translating into Spanish (specifically, our
speaking people represent the fastest-growing introductory-, intermediate-, and advanced-level
minority in the United States, and we therefore Christian Evidences Correspondence Courses). As soon
felt it was time for us to address what was rap- as Moisés and Michael complete the translation
idly becoming a pressing need. For more years of these materials and several others (including
than I care to remember, Christians in the His- the popular A.P. tract series), they will begin work
panic community—in this country and abroad on a complete Spanish-language mirror-image of
—have asked us if we had anything available in our Web site (which received a quarter of a million
Spanish, and we always have had to say, “no.” page-hits this past March!).
Now, with the addition of our two new transla- We are extremely proud—and excited—to have
tors, that is about to change—permanently! Michael (and Moisés) as a part of our staff. Both
In this month’s “Note from the Editor,” it of these young men are incredibly talented, and
is my pleasure to introduce to you Michael Cor- incredibly dedicated. Aside from being fluent in
tez, the second young man whom I have hired to Spanish, they also are well trained in biblical is-
assist us in translating all of our materials into sues (in addition to being terrific speakers). All
Spanish. Michael, who is 24, holds a B.S. degree of this has turned out to be an amazing combi-
in Spanish from Valdosta (Georgia) State Uni- nation for, and contribution to, our work! In so
versity. In addition, in June of this year he graduated from the many ways, we have been doubly blessed by having them in our
Memphis School of Preaching. Unbeknownst to him, I had had midst as a part of the ever-growing A.P. Family.
my eye on Michael for quite some time. I knew of the work of his As I close I would like to mention the fact that both Moisés
father, Lionel Cortez, who directs the Panama School of Preach- and Michael are available for speaking engagements at Spanish-
ing in Panama City, Panama, and I knew that Michael possessed speaking congregations of the churches of Christ. If they can
immense talent—not just in the area of public speaking, but also be of service to you in any way, please call on them. They—as all
in the area of Spanish. I had spoken to a number of people who
of us at Apologetics Press—are here to serve.
knew Michael, and each of them gave him an unqualified rec-
ommendation. Bert Thompson