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I’m pretty confident I know a decent amount about homosexuality :) At no point did I say that it was uncommon for homosexual children to have homophobic parent

I’m pretty confident I know a decent amount about homosexuality :) At no point did I say that it was uncommon for homosexual children to have homophobic parents. That obviously happens all the time. But I think you are trying to use overly precise ideas to analyse human sexuality. It’s complex and messy and the result of many different factors. You can’t completely isolate sexual attraction from identity or social background; indeed it seems blindingly obvious to me that upbringing would have an effect on an individual’s willingness to think about, accept or acknowledge any latent same-sex attraction they experience. It can be hard for an individual who is raised to reject same-sex sexual activity as perverted or morally wrong to even consider the possibility that it’s something they might experience themselves. People ignore or reject aspects of themselves all the time. I can’t be certain, but my experience suggests that human sexuality is probably much more fluid than we generally expect as a result of long-standing social conventions. This is something that might change as same-sex relationships lose their taboo. And maybe I’m totally wrong; maybe homosexuality is just the result of a bunch of physiological changes. I find it hard to reconcile though.

bayesian_horse 7y ago
Some of the most important things to know about homosexuality is that it's neither a choice, curable nor preventable. There indeed seems to be an immutable difference between those who are primarily/exclusively attracted to the same or the opposite sex. But actual behavior, affected by culture and circumstances, does make all of this more difficult. Homosexuals are often perfectly able to "function" in heterosexual intercourse, and heterosexuals in homosexual intercourse. But the study didn't ask for that, they asked for the underlying preference. They may even have used physical measurements. Yes, there are studies where the participants are exposed to different stimuli and their arousal is measured physiologically.
bayesian_horse 7y ago
I didn't want to offend you, so I have to apologize. Many homosexuals really don't like the Idea of their sexual identity being "fluid". It doesn't seem to be the case that people "find out" they are homosexual later in life. They usually know it in puberty, even if they may not be able to clearly articulate it. Talking about sexual identity as fluid is very close to saying it is a choice, curable or preventable, and that idea is causing a lot of harm. Bisexual behavior or identity is something different again. And it's not clear to me if these are homo/heterosexuals also being able to "function" in the other way, or if it is a third kind of sexual orientation. From what I know it seems to be that a lot more heterosexuals are able to feel homosexual attraction/arousal than we may think. And homosexuals, especially in the past, have led opposite-sex relationships with all the "trappings".

bayesian_horse 7y ago

Some of the most important things to know about homosexuality is that it's neither a choice, curable nor preventable. There indeed seems to be an immutable difference between those who are primarily/exclusively attracted to the same or the opposite sex. But actual behavior, affected by culture and circumstances, does make all of this more difficult. Homosexuals are often perfectly able to "function" in heterosexual intercourse, and heterosexuals in homosexual intercourse. But the study didn't ask for that, they asked for the underlying preference. They may even have used physical measurements. Yes, there are studies where the participants are exposed to different stimuli and their arousal is measured physiologically.

bayesian_horse 7y ago

I didn't want to offend you, so I have to apologize. Many homosexuals really don't like the Idea of their sexual identity being "fluid". It doesn't seem to be the case that people "find out" they are homosexual later in life. They usually know it in puberty, even if they may not be able to clearly articulate it. Talking about sexual identity as fluid is very close to saying it is a choice, curable or preventable, and that idea is causing a lot of harm. Bisexual behavior or identity is something different again. And it's not clear to me if these are homo/heterosexuals also being able to "function" in the other way, or if it is a third kind of sexual orientation. From what I know it seems to be that a lot more heterosexuals are able to feel homosexual attraction/arousal than we may think. And homosexuals, especially in the past, have led opposite-sex relationships with all the "trappings".