Question: Is homosexuality proven to be genetic? I read in the newspaper about a study done on this.
Answer: No, homosexuality is not genetic. A study done in 1995 by Dean Hamer of the U.S. National Institute of Health purported to find a homosexual gene. Hamer claimed that this "homosexual gene" was responsible for a person's sexual orientation. His study at the time was criticized within the scientific community for containing numerous flaws. In addition, the fact that Dr. Hamer himself was a practicing and an activist homosexual caused many to wonder about the objectivity of his research. At the time, he bragged about the ease with which a person could manipulate the press. According to Presbyterian Pro-Life News, he told a meeting of parents and friends of lesbians and homosexuals: "If you tell the press what to write about a scientific study, they'll write it."
However, another study has been done since then by Dr. Alan Sanders, also from the National Institute of Health. He replicated Hamer's study in order to verify his conclusions, and Dr. Sanders found no evidence to validate Hamer's findings or his theory. It's a well-known scientific law that a finding must be replicated by other researchers before it can be considered valid. The study by Dr. Sanders did not reproduce Hamer's results or conclusions.
In addition to Dr. Sanders findings, another study at the University of Western Ontario by neurologist Dr. George Rice has been published in the April 1999 edition of the Canadian Journal of Science. Dr. Rice also tried to reproduce Hamer's study and researched homosexual brothers from 48 families. He found that they were no more likely to share similar genetic patterns than would have been the odds from pure chance.
These two recent scientific reports have proven that homosexuality is not caused by genetics and that the 1995 study by Dean Hamer was skewed due to his biased research.
Source: "Life Issues" July 27, 1999 http://www.lifeissues.org
If you are struggling with homosexuality, you can be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus loves you in spite of your sin and wants to change your life. If you would like to visit with someone who can help you, we recommend that you contact Another Chance Ministries http://www.anotherchance.org
blue