Homosexuality is a weighty topic for many different reasons. It causes debate on a legal level, raising questions about whether people should be able to choose their sexuality. However, a more pressing question addresses whether individuals are innately capable of choosing their sexuality. Is it a choice, or are homosexuals wired that way from birth? Homosexuality may be appropriate or it may be inappropriate, but one thing is certain. Although some people seem to think it is so, no one is born gay.

Many normal citizens are under the impression that homosexuals have no say in their choice of same-sex attraction, having their sexuality determined by their genes. This is not true. More often than not, those who hold these beliefs make assumptions based simply off of things they have heard from other people or from magazines and other unreliable news sources. It is understandable that many people would be influenced by these sources, as they are some of the most commonly interacted with. Although it is true that there might be some premonition of homosexuality in many people’s immature minds, there comes a point where children are able to make a decision of whether to live a homosexual or a heterosexual lifestyle. Said A. Dean Byrd, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah, “There is no support in the scientific research for the conclusion that homosexuality is biologically determined.” This sums it up quite well. There is no solid scientific evidence that proves the idea of genetic homosexuality. Rather, there are many other factors that contribute to the development of a homosexual lifestyle. For those who end up living such a life, it always involves some element of choice, rather than being based solely upon what the individual’s genotype happens to look like. The general population is being led to believe that homosexuality is genetic, when it clearly cannot be so.
In all children, there is a period in which the framework for the rest of their life is determined. One of the many things that can be altered during this period is the sexual preference, be it heterosexual or homosexual. In their collaborative article printed in the December 2000 issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior, Gilbert Herdt, PhD, and Martha K. McClintock, PhD, stated, “The development of sexual attraction may commence in middle childhood and achieve individual subjective recognition sometime around the age of 10.” Thus, there is a period of about 10 years at the beginning of an individual’s life in which the sexual orientation can be changed, regardless of whether there were some inklings of homosexual tendency at the beginning of the life. This idea was backed up in a study published on June 26, 2006 by Timothy J. Dailey, PhD, a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Family and Marriage Studies. In conclusion to his research, Dailey claims that “The causes are complex but are deeply rooted in early childhood development.” As evidenced by these studies, most of the development, including sexual orientation, is determined in the childhood, not in prenatal development. Additionally, it cannot be a gene that is triggered later in life, as Dailey states that the development of homosexuality is mainly contingent on the environment the child grows up in and the manner in which it is reared. If the development of homosexuality occurs during early- to mid-childhood, it cannot possibly be determined prior to birth.
Surely, many people have had flashes where they, very briefly, considered homosexuality. Of course, most people give no credence to it, but does the fact that it crossed their mind make them homosexual? No, it does not. We are not defined by what goes on inside our heads. We are defined by how we react to the thoughts we have. Thus, homosexuality must be something that is manifested through outward actions. Consider the example of a man or woman who grows up feeling as though he or she is attracted to a member of the opposite sex. If this individual chooses not to act on those feelings and grows up to be a part of a healthy heterosexual relationship, should he be regarded as a homosexual? Beyond all doubt, the answer is a resounding no. In fact, many experts in the field of gender and sexual identity are of the opinion that homosexuality is caused by the individual’s decision that they are gay or lesbian, rather than that they were ‘born that way.’ In his book Sexual Orientation and Analysis, MD Richard C. Friedman, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, stated, “Sexual orientation of any type…is best conceptualized as part of the psychology of men or the psychology of women.” When it comes down to it, homosexuality is a personal choice that may be influenced by inklings of same-sex attraction. To be sure, many homosexuals seem to be different in appearance or in attitude from heterosexuals. However, this does not mean that everyone who possesses said traits is destined to be gay or lesbian. No matter the way one feels, no matter the way one thinks, no matter the way one views other people, there is always the choice to be different.
Homosexuality is a simple idea, but its causes are complex and numerous. Significantly contributing factors of homosexuality include the individual’s experiences as a child, the way his parents raised him, and the individual’s personal choice. Not included among these is genetics, a factor that simply carries no weight in determining sexuality.