Gay chromosome

Across cultures, 2% to 10% of people report having lgbtq+ relations. In the U.S., 1% to 2.2% of women and men, respectively, identify as same-sex attracted. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual habit to be an anomalous choice. However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than 450 species, arguing that same-sex behavior is not an unnatural choice, and may in fact participate a vital role within populations.

In a 2019 issue of Science magazine, geneticist Andrea Ganna at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues, described the largest survey to rendezvous for genes paired with same-sex conduct. By analyzing the DNA of nearly half a million people from the U.S. and the U.K., they concluded that genes account for between 8% and 25% of same-sex behavior.

Numerous studies have established that sex is not just male or female. Rather, it is a continuum that emerges from a person’s genetic makeup. Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversion, and leads to discrimination and persecution.

I am a molecular biologist and am interested in this new analyze as it further illuminates the

No single gene associated with being gay

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A genetic analysis of almost half a million people has concluded there is no single "gay gene".

The research , published in Science, used data from the UK Biobank and 23andMe, and found some genetic variants associated with same-sex relationships.

But genetic factors accounted for, at most, 25% of same-sex behaviour.

Advocacy group GLAAD said the study confirmed "no conclusive degree to which nature or nurture influenced how a same-sex attracted or lesbian person behaves."

The researchers scanned the genomes - the entire genetic make-up - of 409,000 people signed up to the UK Biobank proposal, and 68,500 registered with the genetics company 23andMe.

Participants were also asked whether they had same-sex partners exclusively, or as successfully as opposite-sex partners.

The Harvard and MIT researchers concluded genetics could account for between 8-25% of gay behaviour across the population, when the whole genome is considered.

Five specific genetic variants were found to be particularly associated with same-sex behaviour, including one linked to the physiological pathway for smell, and others to those f

Massive Study Finds No Unattached Genetic Cause of Lgbtq+ Sexual Behavior

Few aspects of human biology are as complex—or politically fraught—as sexual orientation. A clear genetic link would suggest that gay people are “born this way,” as opposed to having made a lifestyle choice. Yet some fear that such a finding could be misused to “cure” homosexuality, and most research teams contain shied away from tackling the topic.

Now a recent study claims to dispel the notion that a single gene or handful of genes make a person prone to queer behavior. The analysis, which examined the genomes of nearly half a million men and women, create that although genetics are certainly involved in who people choose to possess sex with, there are no specific genetic predictors. Yet some researchers interrogate whether the analysis, which looked at genes related with sexual activity rather than attraction, can illustrate any real conclusions about sexual orientation.

“The message should remain the same that this is a complex behavior that genetics definitely plays a part in,” said study co-author Fah Sathirapongsasuti, a computational biologist at genetic testin

A single 'gay gene'? Doesn't exist, says science

'Born this way'? Possibly, but there's no single gene to determine sexual orientation, a new study reveals

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News • Sexual orientation & DNA

Genes alone cannot be used to determine an individual’s sexual orientation. A new review found only five out of hundreds of thousands genetic variants occurred somewhat more often in people who had had homosexual partners. This suggests human sexuality is influenced by a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors, according to the researchers.

The study, which has been published in the journal Science, is based on data from the UK Biobank, the U.S. corporation 23andMe and the Swedish Twin Registry at Karolinska Institutet.

Prior research has shown that genetics is partly involved in sexual orientation but not been qualified to identify specific deeply interested genes. The current analyze involving more than 490,000 participants found five genetic variants that were more common in subjects who reported having had gay sexual partners. Two of the genetic variants occurred in both males and females while two were only identified in men and another
gay chromosome

Mom's Genetics Could Yield Gay Sons

The arrangement of a mother's genes could influence the sexual orientation of her son, according to a new study.

The conclusion, detailed in the February issue of the journal Human Genetics, adds fuel to the decade-long debate about whether so-called "gay genes" might exist.

The researchers examined a phenomenon called "X chromosome inactivation" in 97 mothers of lgbtq+ sons and 103 mothers whose sons were not gay.