Biology Forums - Study Force

hi! This question has been on my mind lately. I am wondering if gay people are actually nature's way of keeping the population under control. I think everyone knows that procreation is impervious for the survival of our species but too much of it could lead to overpopulation which can very well lead to our demise. So to make it short, do gay people fulfill a certain role in nature? I keep asking myself this, because i strongly believe that nothing in nature exists or happens randomly without reason. I would be extremely happy to hear other people's opinions on this topic.
Thank you!

Nature doesn't have ulterior motives.

According to research, there aren't any genes that cause people to be gay, so technically gay genes can't be passed down.

If that's the case, is homosexuality a choice? Maybe, maybe not.

However, also according to research, homosexuality begins while the child is its mother's womb. Apparently, if a male fetus is exposed to little testosterone during prenatal development, the child is more likely to have feminine qualities (personality, etc). I'd assume the opposite for female fetuses. If a female fetus is exposed to too much testosterone, the child is more likely to have masculine qualities (personality, etc).

As a result of this discovery, it suggests that there will always be gay people on this planet. I'm not sure how hardwired it is, but it makes sense.

but if homosexuality isn't caused by any genes, what causes it actually? If procreation is he main objective of any living thing, why is there an exception from this rule? Because gay people clearly cannot procreate (naturally)

i do not believe that gay people exist for a purpose. I believe we all come out the same as babies. You do not know if your going to be gay when you get older. Its just the way some people are. They either want to be intrested in girls/guys or their same gender. Some homosexuals pick to be the way they are because the same gender know how to do it better & they understand their feeling and stuff & some gay people just have hatred towards the opposite gender.

What causes this unnatural variation in testosterone during pregnancy? There are many factors that could cause this. I'm not sure what, but I'm sure research has been conducted. Teratogens are everywhere (teratogens are substances or environmental agents which cause the development of abnormal cell masses during fetal growth). Could it be some sort of teratogen that alters the mothers hormonal level? Sure.


Cool, so you're saying that people choose to be homosexual? I believe in this to an extent because being picked on as a young person and being called gay can really influence a teenager to re-evaluate his/her sexuality. However, the research I mentioned in my first post makes sense too.

One of the leading explanations is called the maternal immunization hypothesis. According to Ray Blanchard of the University of Toronto, when a woman is pregnant with a male fetus, her body is exposed to a male-specific antigen, some molecule that normally turns the fetus heterosexual. The woman’s immune system produces antibodies to fight this foreign antigen. With enough antibodies, the antigen will be neutralized and no longer capable of making the fetus straight. These antibodies linger in the mother’s body long after pregnancy, and so when a woman has a second son, or a third or fourth, an army of antibodies is lying in wait to zap the chemicals that would normally make him heterosexual.

This idea is being challenged now.