Homosexuality

[Shogun]

trust me... i'm familiar with the newly-autonomous behaviour of the new freshman crop of recently graduated high schoolers looking to bust out of the confines of their parents roof and all the drugs, drinking and sex that goes with it. Sure, there are probably some statistic of gals who go on to play for the other team. However, I'm betting that there is more nature at play than nurture in that decision... Not that such a stark minority of girls kissing girls means anything to the rest of em making out with a chick in order to get it out of their system.

So, in correlation, are the girls in every girls gone wild video going to choose porn as a post-collegiate profession? There is a lot more NURTURE than nature going on at college.

 

[mattskramer]

And yet no one has answered my question up front. Could you, mattskramer, choose to be sexually attracted to another man?

Hmmmm. Honestly, I doubt it – not naturally – there has to be something there, a spark of attraction, to begin with - not unless I was really really driven to force myself to be attracted to someone. As I explained before, I think that with enough of an incentive, you can condition yourself to change your preferences, but such activity is difficult and not “natural”. Still, in answer to your question – I’d say – not without a lot of disclaimers.

I’ll try to explain my position a little bit differently. I could point to someone that I am not attracted to and tell myself that I will become attracted to him. Then, with enough effort, conditioning, and activities, I may become attracted to him.

 

[Gem]

Ironically, the vast majority of experimnting college gals go on to go right back to their straitness as soon as the ATMOSPHERE that is college passes. Strangely, the same thing happens with binge drinking, casual sex, drugs and attendance records. One might have to ask if the dominant variable in your example is the fresh autonomy of COLLEGE LIFE or anything even close to a pattern of choosing sexuality.

Nothing ironic about it, this was EXACTLY my point...I apologize for expressing it poorly.

I think that sexuality is a complex issue - one that we don't fully understand yet...for some, their sexual orientation is something that never changes. They are interested in members of the same sex, the opposite sex for their entire lives. For others, environment or life experience causes them to temporarily decide to seek out members of the same or opposite sex for a relatively brief period of time, and then they change...for others still, they spend a lifetime being interested in either sex interchangeably.

This is why I think that asking if homosexuality is a choice is a bit like asking when you stopped beating your wife.

For some, homosexuality is most certainly a choice - as it was for two of my roommates, one a girl who decided that men were slime and she would try women for awhile - dating another girl for a year and a half before breaking up, dating several girls before meeting a man who she is currently living with...and another, a guy who, after a great sexual experience with another guy as a freshman, dated men throughout college before marrying a woman he met at work. Both state that at the time - homosexuality felt perfectly normal and right, and now, heterosexuality does...for them, their sexuality was fluid...changing with age, experience, environment.

For others, homosexuality certainly does not seem to be a choice - as it was for a close family member of mine who ruined his marriage and hurt his child by coming out of the closet. Or, friends I know who have been gay for as long as they can remember. All state that they were aware of their attractions since childhood.

I guess my bottom line is, separating this issue into "yes, its a choice" or "no, its not a choice," is a gross oversimplification of one of the more complicated aspects of human nature...

 

[Shogun]

I can swim in that pond, Gem!

Kudos!