STUDY: Is there a gay gene?

Science is ending the age-long debate on whether an individual is born a homosexual or becomes one only by choice. Last October at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting in Baltimore, USA, findings were presented showing that there is a link between sexual preference and certain genetic markers that exist within an individual.

To arrive at this conclusion, researchers from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) studied 37 pairs of identical twins, wherein one in each pair was gay, and a control group made up of ten twin heterosexual pairs. Specifically, they examined the twins’ epigenetic tags (tags that when added or removed, can influence the DNA sequence.) Remarkably, the researchers were able to find five specific marks that were present in higher frequencies in gay men than in their twin straight brothers. Determining a person’s sexual preference by looking at the presence of these tags showed an accuracy of 67%.

Scientists clarified though, that it’s not all due to genetics. Environmental factors may also come into play. Further research is needed, but the notion that one can choose one’s sexuality is finally been outdated by science.