Ever wonder if that little girl of yours, who prefers to wrestle than wear frilly dresses, will grow up to be a lesbian? One new study thinks so.
Researchers from the Queen Mary University in London maintain that both sexual orientation and gender conforming traits are genetically prescribed, not learned, behaviours. In other words, like Gaga says: they were born this way.
The study claims that while there are “consistent differences in the psychological characteristics of boys and girls,” some boys naturally like to play house and some girls prefer to rough house. Researchers claim about one third of “gender nonconformity” in girls was a precursor to them becoming lesbians later in life.
“We found that there is a connection between these mental traits and how sexual orientation develops," said Dr. Qazi Rahman, co-author of the study. "One idea is that there is an association between these psychological traits and sexual orientation because they all develop under common biological drivers; like the development of brain regions under the influence of genes and sex hormones.”
This study seems to suggest, as many have long suspected, that sexual preference is hard-wired in the brain at birth. Boys and girls will obviously be gay or straight regardless of which toys they choose to play with, and whether we dress them in blue or pink.
Printer-friendly version