Xq24

Today homosexuality is a big issue. It is and has caused controversy throughout many cultures. It is important that people are informed before they make decisions or choose sides. Many people are certain that homosexuality is a choice and most of these people are not educated on the issue. Based on scientific evidence alone I believe that it is not.

We must first start out by knowing how many people are homosexual. There have been several studies to determine the percentage in men and women. Until recently it was assumed that homosexuality was around ten percent. In a recent 2000 U.S. Census homosexuality is a low 2.5 percent (364). Think about the number of homosexual people you know. It is a rather low number, and a consistent one at that. This is not something that just came out of the 1980s or 90s. It has always existed. There is even some speculation as to whether Shakespeare was gay.

Many scientists and researchers have spent countless hours in their labs. In 1991 researcher Simon LeVay began studying sections of the Hypothalamus taken from deceased heterosexual and homosexual people. He studied a specific cluster of cells which he thought might be of importance. After a nine month study he concluded that the cell cluster was larger in heterosexual men than in women and in homosexual men (366). Our brains differ with sexual orientation. It is proven that homosexual men and heterosexual women have