Which part? That I know nothing about harmones or that I am a dreamer? And don't give me: both LOL

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May your awareness be perfection

It seems to me that the reason you find it hard to believe that sexual preference could have anything to do with our genes is because you don't really think that "we" have anything to do with our physical brains. Correct me if I'm wrong.

But most of the science world thinks profoundly otherwise -- and sexuality, as it turns out, is actually made up of a number of things: our physical gender (and there are cases where that is ambiguous); our internal sexual identity (do we identify primarily with one gender or the other); and the object of our sexual attraction. So it is possible to be:

• a physical male, with a male sexual idenity, attracted to females
• a physical male, with a male sexual identity, attracted to males
• a physical male, with a female sexual identity, attracted to females
• a physical male, with a female sexual identity, attracted to males
• a physical female, with a female sexual identity, attracted to males
• a physical female, with a female sexual identity, attracted to females
• a physical female, with a male sexual identity, attracted to males
• a physical female, with a male sexual identity, attracted to females.
• a physical hermaphrodite, with all the variations above

Pretty confusing, eh? And that's not the end, because there are asexuals and bisexuals and transgendered and oh my the list goes on.

Our physical gender is almost completely controlled by our genes, which produce all the appropriate hormones at the appropriate times to shape the developing embryo. Roughly the same material is turned into either the vagina or penis, either the testes or ovaries, etc., depending on the hormones activated at various times. It is occasionally possible for some confusion during development, leading to ambiguous physical development, caused either by the wrong mix of chromosomes (instead of XX females or XY males, some are born XXY females and some are born XXY males), with the outward appearance differing in each case.

The other two are more variable, but are still to a large extent controlled genetic, but may be affected by the in utero environment. Thus, if a woman has had sons before, she may have developed chemical markers of her own that alter the bath of hormones in which the developing brain a later sons forms. This is thought to be one of the reasons that the incidence of homosexuality increases with the number of older male siblings a boy has.

Our sexual identity and sexual attraction now appear to be very largely driven by physical differences in our brains. There are areas of the male homosexual brain that more closely resemble the female heterosexual's brain than a male heterosexual's, for example, leading to a male, identifying as a male, but attracted to other males.

Anyway, see the very good book "The Sexual Spectrum: Exploring Human Diversity" by Olive Skene Johnson

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

Yep, E.H. You are right. I don't believe in Genes, Harmones, medication or vitamins. These are all things of the physical realm. As science goes deeper and deeper into matter they are seeing that the smallest particle seen with the physical eye is popping in and out of this world. Where do they appear when not in this world is what scientist are now asking themselves? (Movie: What the bleep do we know?) They don't appear anywhere. There are popping in and out of existence. Everything here is an Idea, an Idea based on the belief in a sepration from that which we in Reality are. Since this is merely an Idea, everything we see here in this physical realm has a beginning and an end. But we are spirit. Not even spiritual beings, but have our being in spirit not in the physical.

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May your awareness be perfection

Then why eat? Isn't the need for food energy just as much a part of the "physical realm" as hormones, medication and vitamins? If you don't believe in the latter, why do you believe in the former?
I would not give too much credit to "Ramtha's School of Quantum Flapdoodle." Even people featured in it have written to complain how they were completely misrepresented. David Albert, a professor at the Columbia University physics department, has accused the filmmakers of warping his ideas to fit a spiritual agenda.
Or perhaps for a more realistic look at "the science" you might check out this review.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

Food appears as the body is hungry. I take no thought for my body. If I did I would have to go to the doctor, watch out what I eat and when I eat and how much I eat. I partake in life...as a witness. My life is solely in God's hands. Whatever happens ....happens.

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May your awareness be perfection

There's evidence that our social nature, which includes altruism, love, compassion, etc., is genetically determined to a large, but incomplete, degree. We see these characteristics in all human societies, but there can be some fluctuations to a certain extent from one society to another and from one person to another (even bacteria have their "criminals" which, for one reason or another, just don't follow the norm).

To contrast with us, take a look at orangutans, which only are "social" when it's time to mate (although you've probably met some men who exhibit much the same behavior ).

Shalom,
Vern

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

we can make fruitflys be homosexual by altering their hormones.

there was also one study that found when pregnant rats are stressed their hormone levels change. when you stress these rats their litters has varying sexual orientations of gay, straight, bisexual (I think this was only found in males), and asexual ones.
the doctor who conducted the story stated that more gay people are born after and during war than in times of peace.

so perhaps its not just genetic. I could really see their being genetic predispositions combined with the uterin environment and how it relates to hormones.

There is a new study that shows that there are striking similarities between the brains of gay men and heterosexual women, and between lesbians and heterosexual men. More on this in a National Geographic article from June 16, 2008.

Note, the study does not confirm whether the brain differences cause homosexuality, or are a consequence of it. Those studies continue, but so far, this, along with many other studies -- along with the anecdotal evidence from both straight and gay people that they "didn't choose," but rather were just suddenly aware of being attracted to either the same or opposite sex -- seems to suggest that sexuality is laid down prior to birth.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

Thank you for the article EH. I have heard many gay people say that they had feelings for the same sex early in life and were not aware that it wasn't normal. In other words they thought everyone felt that way. Then at some point these people learn that they are gay and different from heterosexuals. This may happen when the pressure is put on to date or marry the opposite sex.

I still have the same question about hormones. If hormones is the cause of homosexuality then why won't hormone therapy make a person heterosexual?

I found it very interesting that gay men and heterosexual women and lesbians and heteroxexual men had similar brain activity. Hopefully, there will be more studies on this.

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Eating lots of tofu and other soy products will raise ones estrogen levels.