About the "gay gene" debate:

It is clear that no such "smoking gun" single gene has been found...see this article in Discover magazine (5 pages), or this one by an AP science writer....or many other articles.

But what IS becoming clear is that there is more & more evidence that a number of genetic , environmental AND some cultural factors do influnce humans in their sexual orientation. It is far from simple 'free choice'.

The various studies indicate statistically that DNA, brain chemistry, and other factors in heredity point to some degree of causative influences...and more evidence appears every year.

It has seemed to me for years that those who are repelled by homosexuality and/or were brought up in opposition to it..often in religious circumstances, will look for any justification for the claim that it is 'abnormal' or 'against nature' or 'perverted' or whatever phrase they prefer. In contrast, many of the researchers who are finding the evidence I refer to are NOT gay, and have only an interest in 'good science'.

Being 'straight',myself, I do not appreciate being targeted by a gay guy...though it has happened only a couple of times. But all I thought, even then, was that it was rude and awkward....not that they had any 'choice' to be the way they were. (Bear in mind that in Kansas in the 1950s & 1960s, it was not easy for gays & lesbians to find willing partners! Sometimes, they just made a bad guess.)

It is a loaded topic, and I suspect that no matter how much evidence is found, that many will never reconcile the idea that "those people" can't usually control what their sexual orientation is.