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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                Chris Elliott                        Zach Lee                  Christian Palmer
                Geronimo Rodriguez       Blake Whitaker       Kristen Young

Score one for Nature in homosexuality debate

A recent study found that mothers with multiple gay sons have more than PFLAG memberships in common, and as a result, scientists are one step closer to singling out the root causes of homosexuality.

Those root causes have been the subject of heated debates for years and will likely continue to elicit starkly different responses for quite some time -- regardless of whether the true causes are ever discovered. Some argue that homosexuality is written into the DNA, and others argue that it is a choice affected heavily by a person's environment.

It could be Nature, or it could be Nurture.

The study, published in February's issue of Human Genetics, researched the way in which mothers of gay sons dealt with their extra X chromosome, and it found that mothers of multiple gay sons are more than six times more likely than other women to process those chromosomes in a certain way. 

However, researchers found that only 25 percent of mothers of multiple gay sons process chromosomes in that way -- something that puts an unmistakable damper on the importance of the study. 

The study's findings are a far cry from the discovery of a homosexual gene, but they do give credence to those who would argue that homosexuality is rooted in genetic codes.

At the very least, the study offers new facts to a debate often fueled by speculation, and it should play an important role in shaping the modern conception of homosexuality. 

People on both sides of the Nature/Nurture divide have valid points and moving arguments, but, especially in the wake of Brokeback Mountain, both sides need to be sure they base their evolving arguments on facts, not whatever stylized images popular culture conveys.

The value of the findings themselves is debatable and that debate, like the debate which pushed researchers to first examine the topic, should be fought intellectually and respectfully with facts.

Of course, attractive men in cowboy hats may be a little more appealing to the general public.