New study ‘finds genetic links to same-sex behavior’: Three facts you need to know

LGBTQ advocates have long sought evidence for the claim that same-sex sexual attraction is genetically conditioned. “God made me this way” is a common claim.

If it could be proven that same-sex sexual attraction is inherited, many would find it even easier to liken homosexual persons to racial minorities and castigate those who affirm biblical sexual morality as prejudiced and homophobic. 

We should therefore not be surprised by the way a new study of same-sex sexual behavior is being reported. “Research Finds Genetic Links to Same-Sex Behavior” headlines the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times headlines the story a bit differently: “Many Genes Influence Same-Sex Sexuality, Not a Single ‘Gay Gene.’” 

If these headlines were all you read, you’d assume that the “God made me this way” claim has finally been proven. The opposite is actually true. 

Is homosexuality “part of who we are”? 

Researchers studied 408,000 men and women from a large British database and nearly 70,000 customers of the genetic testing service 23andMe. They found that common genetic variants account for between 8 percent and 25 percent of same-sex sexual behavior. They then estimated that another 7 percent might involve genetic effects they could not measure. 

These findings are what led the Times and the Journal to make their announcements. We can expect them to be used by others to make the case for genetic causation of same-sex attraction as well. 

For instance, Benjamin Neale is a geneticist at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard and one of the lead researchers on the international team that published the new study. He is quoted in the Times: “I hope that the science can be used to educate people a little bit more about how natural and normal same-sex behavior is.” He adds: “It’s written into our genes and it’s part of our environment. This is part of our species and it’s part of who we are.” (Much later…