On Sexual Orientations

owaisis

Theory A:
We are all born with a flexible sexuality and end up somewhere in the homo-hetero spectrum influenced by social factors, and by the general flexibility in our personalities. This idea stems from the Freud's ancient notion of "innate bisexuality".

Theory B:
Sexual orientation is largely, but not entirely, based on biological factors which are not under our control. These factors include our genetics, and the chemical/hormonal atmosphere during our prenatal development... such that although some people will indeed be born as flexible bisexuals, most others will be born with somewhat binary orientations.

The Science:
Although science generally leans toward the latter theory, it hasn't reached a consensus yet. But here's an interesting bit: Women are found to be more likely to evolve their sexual orientation over their lifetime, as suggested by theory A, whereas men are more likely to stick to whatever orientation they are presumably born with. This idea is often discussed under statements like "Women have a more fluid sexuality than men", and is often presented as an argument by some for the claim that men do not "experiment" with their sexuality because getting penetrated by another man may challenge their masculinity. Science has little to say on this, unfortunately.

Bottom line:
Even though we're not yet very sure about the origins of our sexual orientations, we know that we do not exhibit sufficient voluntary control over the same. Nevertheless, a spirit to experiment with something against one's presumed orientation must always be encouraged, but the lack thereof must never be criticized. This had to be said because I've seen homosexuals and bisexuals to be increasingly critical over strict heterosexuality and I find that as unjustified as homophobia. So, as science does all the heavy lifting on these complex questions, we need to sit back and...

Respect.

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