Human Sexuality, as with anything to do with our intriguing and sometimes infuriating species, is complex. Let us look at the nature of human sexuality through the unbiased prism of science and appreciate each emerging ray equally, irrespective of its colour in the spectrum. Before we proceed any further, we must know the terms and labels of identification to address this topic reasonably, namely "Gender identity" and "Sexual orientation."

The Preliminaries

"Gender Identity" is about who you are, how you feel inside, and how you express those feelings. People whose assigned sex at birth is in line with their gender identity are called ‘cisgender’, whereas people who feel their assigned sex at birth doesn't match their gender identity are called ‘transgender’. Not all transgender people share the same identity. On the other hand, "sexual orientation", or "sexuality", is about attraction - be it romantic*, emotional or sexual.

*Apart from this, the term romantic orientation is sometimes considered separately, which describes an individual’s pattern of romantic attraction based on a person’s gender(s) regardless of one’s sexual orientation. The relationship between romantic orientation and sexual orientation is not fully understood at the moment.

Both of the terms defined above are different and describe particular aspects of our identity. Sexual orientations include gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, and asexual. It's also important to note that some people don't think any of these labels describe them accurately or don't like the idea of labels at all, which is entirely normal. Now that we are aware of the terminologies, let us look at the sciency stuff.

A Gay Gene?

In 1993, a study published in the journal Science showed that families with two homosexual brothers were very likely to have certain genetic markers on a region of the X chromosome known as Xq28. This study led to media headlines about the possibility of the existence of a "gay gene." However, this debate was closed by the most extensive genetic investigation of sexuality ever, published in August 2019 in the journal Science, which showed that although genes do play a small and limited role in determining sexuality, there is no single "gay gene" or "straight gene" responsible for it. Moreover, the researchers found that sexuality is polygenic — meaning hundreds or even thousands of genes make tiny contributions to the trait. So, are biological factors solely responsible for our "sexual orientation"?

The Nature vs Nurture Debate

This question leads us to the "nature vs nurture" debate, that is, The Lady Gaga hypothesis! Let’s look into this a little further. The idea that "homosexuality is something you are born with" reached critical mass in pop culture, first with Lady Gaga's 2011 Born This Way and one year later with Macklemore's Same Love. Over the years, scientists have published many findings, strengthening the claim of biological influence on sexuality. In 1991, neuroscientist Simon LeVay published findings that showed that the hypothalamus, which controls the release of sex hormones from the pituitary gland, is smaller in homosexual men than heterosexual men. PET and MRI studies performed in 2008 have shown that the two halves of the brain are more symmetrical in homosexual men and heterosexual women than in heterosexual men and homosexual women. Regarding our gender identity, research indicates that trans men with early-onset gender dysphoria and who are gynephilic have brains that generally correspond to their assigned sex, but that they have their own phenotype with respect to cortical thickness, subcortical structures, and white matter microstructure, especially in the right hemisphere.

But the question to be asked is, "Are we actually born this way?" Were the brain structures like this at birth? One major point to consider is the brain's innate plasticity, or its ability to rewire itself in response to experience. LeVay himself pointed this out to Discover Magazine in 1994: “Since I looked at adult brains, we don't know if the differences I found were there at birth or if they appeared later.” Brain development does not stop at birth; a large amount of it occurs during childhood when we learn many new things – including how our family and the society around us react to certain behaviours and what they deem acceptable. The education we receive as a child, the people we meet, and the friendships we make strongly affect the way our brain develops and this could be a reason for the differences in the brain structures. Thus, we cannot conclude that our sexuality is "innate", and we should be open to the possibility that our life experiences too shape our sexuality.

Now What?

To sum up, sexuality cannot be pinned down solely by biology, psychology, or life experiences because human sexual attraction is decided by all these factors. There is indeed no clear winner in this "nature vs nurture" debate. Sexuality is a process of self-discovery, and it is our responsibility as a society to empower every individual with the right to go through this process and provide a safe space for the same. This discovery can happen and even later change at different stages of our lives, and we as a community must work towards accepting the change. As science further probes into the nature of sexuality, we must keep in mind the primary purpose – to give validation and acceptance to every ray of life irrespective of its colour in the spectrum. Happy Pride Month!!

- By Rahul Krishnakumar

Author's note :

Writing this piece has been a journey of discovery for me in terms of learning more about the LGBTQ+ community and the struggles they face in just being identified for who they truly are. I hope this was worth your time. Thank you!

References :

1. Is Homosexuality a Choice? - Scientific American Blog Network
2. There is no ‘gay gene.’ There is no ‘straight gene.’ Sexuality is just complex, study confirms
3. ‘I am gay – but I wasn’t born this way’ | BBC
4. The complex circumstances that defined your gender | BBC
5. What is Sexual Orientation? | Sexual Orientation vs Gender