Study: Gay brains resemble straight brains of the opposite gender in key areas…
Interesting!
The Religious Right (“Christians”) never, ever, ever wants you to see this study:
Brain scans have provided the most compelling evidence yet that being gay or straight is a biologically fixed trait.
The scans reveal that in gay people, key structures of the brain governing emotion, mood, anxiety and aggressiveness resemble those in straight people of the opposite sex.
The differences are likely to have been forged in the womb or in early infancy, says Ivanka Savic, who conducted the study at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
“This is the most robust measure so far of cerebral differences between homosexual and heterosexual subjects,” she says.
Previous studies have also shown differences in brain architecture and activity between gay and straight people, but most relied on people’s responses to sexuality driven cues that could have been learned, such as rating the attractiveness of male or female faces.
(…)
[T]hey used MRI scans to find out the overall volume and shapes of brains in a group of 90 volunteers consisting of 25 heterosexuals and 20 homosexuals of each gender.
The results showed that straight men had asymmetric brains, with the right hemisphere slightly larger – and the gay women also had this asymmetry. Gay men, meanwhile, had symmetrical brains like those of straight women.
Yet another death dagger for the so-called “ex-gay movement.” Guess they’ll have to start saying something new…Haha, fuck no, they won’t, they’re raising their kids to consider science the “enemy.”
June 18, 2008 at 2:31 am
No we’re not. We’re not raising children to think science is the enemy. We’re reminding them that men are ALWAYS wrong in the long run. Nearly every single thing we’ve ever touted as scientific fact has been shown to be mostly incorrect over the course of time. At least I know I’m teaching my children to question EVERYTHING, even the faith I’ll raise them in. Gravity? Sure. Who cares? Question it, how it works, what causes it, where it comes from… Our understanding of it in 20 yrs will be so different from what it is now that we’ll laugh at ourselves. And yet…what’s taught now is ‘fact’. Hmmph. Like the Neo Darwinian theory of Evolution, I’m not holding my breath because it’ll be so different in 10 years as we gain knowledge that it’s hard to keep up. We might even scrap it for a better theory, you know? We seem to love doing that. Really f with the public. lol.
Anyways, this study on the brain is fantastic. Thanks for showing it. It really is very interesting, though I’m not sure what it proves…? That gay men are really technically women concerning their brains? =)
Joe
June 18, 2008 at 2:57 am
What I think this study shows and what subsequent studies will probably show more clearly is this:
Psychologists/Psychiatrists have considered sexuality for a long time to be something that exists on a continuum. As in, there are those who are completely straight, and there are those who are completely gay, and then the rest of the population falls somewhere in between. That’s the premise of the Kinsey scale, where a 0 is completely straight and a 6 is completely gay. I’m about a Kinsey 5.5 or so.
Likewise, studies have been coming out lately that show that, with transgender people, that, indeed, in the womb, a brain can develop with one gender while the body develops with the other one.
My guess right now is that as they continue to study, they’ll start to find several things: One is that women have more leeway biologically with their sexuality, since women, by in large, aren’t visually stimulated. Likewise, men, by in large ARE visually stimulated. So I think they’ll find that mens’ sexuality is more fixed. However, I have known a couple of guys who are that genuine anomaly: who say they’re “bisexual” and they really truly ARE bisexual. This may also serve to explain why there seem to be more gay males than there are females. I also know from personal experience that many women who are gay don’t realize it at puberty like men do, because they don’t have that biological hormonal whatever the hell it is that engenders an immediate sexual response when they see something they want. I don’t know that there, in reality, ARE more gay males…I just think that, from a societal standpoint, especially in past generations, women have had to work harder, so to speak, to find their true sexuality. So many women will admit, in safe company, that they’ve never “enjoyed” sex particularly. Maybe this means their man sucks in bed, or maybe sometimes it means something else. Who knows? I have had several friends who have been married and divorced with children before they met that special girl and their whole world opened up.
The other thing I think they’re likely to find is that the brain’s gender may exist on a continuum in much the same way as sexuality does. If so, that would explain the distinct differences between a gay person and a transgender person. So let’s say a parallel scale to the Kinsey sexuality scale were formed for gender, and maybe a 6 is female and a 0 is male….this being completely apart from physical gender, of course…what they may find is that a gay man’s brain might be somewhere between a 3 and a 5, and that the transgender person, the person who truly believes they are the wrong gender physically, might be a 6. Likewise, a lesbian’s brain might be 1 to 3, and a transgendered woman might be below 1 on the scale.
*shrug*
I dunno. I do know the studies they’re doing are, indeed, fascinating. It would seem that genes play some sort of role, because with all other things being equal, if one in a set of identical twins is gay, the other is much more likely to be gay as well…but sometimes not. To my knowledge, they’ve never done studies which actually verify biological responses to stimulus with twins, so the sexuality of twins might be more consistent that we know, when the closet doors of a penile plesthymograph or whatever it’s called are opened. (They hook up to the penis and measure the SLIGHTEST sexual response…used in the study that showed that men who consider themselves homophobic are much more likely to be sexually attracted to men. Surprise.)
I look at this study as groundbreaking in that it opens the door to lots of new and more specific study…they’re definitely on to something with studying the brain.
June 18, 2008 at 3:06 am
The study of the brain is particularly exciting for me. It’s such a mystery how our intelligence comes together and how brains function. The human brain is definitely an amazing creation. This is all very exciting, regardless of the outcome.
June 18, 2008 at 3:13 am
I agree!
This, by the way, is why the anti-gay forces on the religious right trumpet over and over that a gay gene hasn’t been found. It’s a bait-and-switch. That’s why I said they (and when i say “they” i mean the “pro-family” political organizations/”ex-gay” businesses) don’t want people to see studies like this.
They want “they haven’t found a gay gene!” to be their argument winner. It’s not.
June 18, 2008 at 3:19 am
Even if they find a ‘gay gene’, it won’t matter.
They’ll say (and I’ve heard it said), well because of the Fall of Man and Creation (not necessarily a BAD premise to start with…but watch where it goes), you would expect gayness because it’s a fallen state and a consequence of the fall and all sorts of gene variations happen b/c of that. And it’ll be explained that way.
Either it’s a sin or not, don’t do mental gymnastics people.
June 18, 2008 at 3:20 am
What I mean is, people should be honest with themselves and be plain about what they believe and not dress it up w/ excuses.
June 18, 2008 at 3:29 am
Well, and isn’t that weird to you? Like, feel free to disagree from a theological perspective, but it seems to me to be nothing short of insane to suggest that, as the anti-gay movement does, homosexuality is some sort of “temptation from Satan” when every single study is pointing in the direction that it’s a completely biological phenomenon. It seems to me that, if a person believes in spiritual temptation, that’s one thing, but it’s a whole different animal when science is starting to show, little by little (as science does), that it’s just something that simply is, indeed, part of the natural order.
(ta-da!)
The mere fact that teh gay has been observed in over 1,500 species, across all genus/species/whatever else points to the idea that, for whatever reason, homosexuality is just part of creation.
So yeah, it’s really weird to me. Perhaps this is where a lot of my frustration with religious conservatives vs. science comes from…especially with the anti-gay movement, there’s such a naked disregard for whatever science tells us…and it’s gotten to the point where ALL anti-gay religious arguments actually fundamentally rely on a denial of available science. That’s part of the reason I can’t discuss it quite so plainly at crn.info. There is a certain contingent there that will bathe themselves in their interpretation of scripture, and I’m over here going “okay, well i’m over here in reality, if you decide to come visit.”
June 18, 2008 at 3:43 am
Well Evan,
I’m not SURE God created humans or animals with the intent of being gay, initially. It seems very clear from Genesis that the natural order for most higher animals was to be male/female, at least for reproduction, but I don’t think you’re arguing that. With that said, I wouldn’t say it’s beyond reasonable that things didn’t pan out that way in terms of relationships, and that naturally gayness happens. That’s all I’ll say on that.
The thing you have to understand about the guys at .info is that we’re all very diverse, but one thing that seems to bring unity to the regulars there, including myself, is understanding in our differences, yours included. I’d say most of them believe homosexuality to be a sin, but they’re not going to treat you like many of the fundies treat gays. I’m sure you’ve seen that. They are coming from the traditional exegesis of Scripture, and some of them smartly couple that with what’s seen in nature. The traditional viewpoint (it’s a sin, no different than any other, and sexuality is to be between a man and woman) is a hard one to argue against from the Bible and even from natural order, but I have seen good arguments against it. To be completely honest with you Evan, I’m still not sure, after years as a Christian, where I stand on the ‘issue’ of homosexuality as a sin or not. I feel like I’m in limbo, trying to pray, study, and get as much experience and info as I can about it. Many would condemn harshly me for being on the fence, trying to reach out, and not shy away from having gay friends in my life. I’m being honest here because I believe a man is only as good as his word, and I believe I’ve gained your trust enough not to betray it by hiding my thoughts.
One thing I know though is that the majority of Christian treatment of gays and many other groups of people is abhorrent and not godly at all.
I don’t think all anti gay religious arguments fundamentally rely on a denial of available science. I think, at least in Christianity, it starts with the Bible, and shreds out from there. The science can easily swing both ways (no pun intended) on this I feel. You can make it fit whatever worldview really.
Bottom line, I’m willing to be wrong. God will always be right, but I don’t know all his thoughts and all his intents. I have to stay open. Jesus doesn’t stop loving me just because I’m trying to figure out where I stand on such a secondary issue to my faith. I hope you get what I’m saying all in all.
My Celtics are about to win the Finals, and have completely embarassed the Lakers, beating them by like 40 pts with 3 min left in the 4th. w00t.
Joe
June 18, 2008 at 3:48 am
The most important thing is that you’re willing to question your assumptions.
I try to do that in ALL areas of my life.
Speaking of the Bible, though, if you haven’t been there yet, you ought to read the arguments about homosexuality at Sisterfriends-together & Soulforce (links on the right sidebar) as well as at Gaychristian.net.
The arguments that the “traditional” exegesis is flawed are actually QUITE compelling.
June 18, 2008 at 3:53 am
I’ve seen Gaychristian.net, and the arguments are good, but I have learned very well in the last few years that every good argument has a good counter argument. I would submit you are enraptured by the arguments so much because you’re a bit biased
, but hey, so I am.
June 18, 2008 at 3:55 am
Well, actually gaychristian offers two opposing viewpoints.
They have an interesting thing going on over there.
June 18, 2008 at 3:57 am
I know. That’s what I was talking about by ‘counter arguments’. I guess I really wasn’t anymore convinced one way or another by either argument.
Wat 2 do what tew do?
June 18, 2008 at 3:59 am
I actually found the Side B argument to be extremely flawed.
Not that there weren’t a couple stretches in the Side A argument, but as a whole, the Side B argument…eh…I tend to be looking out for clues that an argument is made from a place of some sort of self-loathing. I see that a bit in their Side B argument.
June 18, 2008 at 8:21 pm
[...] hand, homosexuality seems to be caused by genes as well! Studies coming out all the time. I posted the other day about a study which found that gay male brains share characteristics with straight [...]