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from What do clinical studies say?
Researcher See Hair Whorl Direction As Indicator
Of Genetic Basis For Homosexuality
March 12, 2008 - Richard Lippa, Professor of Psychology at Cal State Fullerton, does research to find a genetic basis for homosexuality.
In one study, he claims he found that 21.3 of men at gay pride festivals had counterclockwise hair whorls; under 10% in the general population had clockwise whorls. Lippa appeared on the Tyra Banks show in October, 2007 to discuss his findings.
Lippa not only looks at hair whorls, but left- or right-handedness to discover patterns among homosexuals and heterosexuals. According to his study, approximately 13% more gay males are left-handed than heterosexual males; 11% of heterosexual males are left-handed. More lesbian woman (13%) are left-handed than straight women; 10% of heterosexual women are left-handed.
Lippa is currently working with two biologists on DNA research to discover if there is a gay gene or one that can prove that there is a bisexual gene.
Ali Mushtaq, a member of the Cal State Fullerton Queer Straight Alliance, supports such research if it dispels stereotypes about gays. Mushtaq is conducting his own research on sociological factors. He believes that if studies show a genetic basis for homosexuality, the general public will have a more difficult time discriminating against gays. He notes, however, that a genetic basis could be used to claim that homosexuals are "born deviant."
According to Lippa, men are more "biologically" determined than women, whereas women with high sex drives tend to desire both genders. "Women are more flexible and fluid than men, and tend to be bisexual," said Lippa. A CNN report from 2007 quotes Dr. Douglas Abbott on Lippa's claims:
There is no evidence of a "gay gene," says Douglas Abbott, Ph.D., Professor of Child and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska.
Abbott points to studies that look at the sexual orientation of the offspring of gay people. "If homosexuality was caused by genetic mechanisms, their children would be more likely to choose same-sex interaction," he says. "But they aren't more likely, so therefore it can't be genetic."
For Abbott, the answer to the nature-vs.-nurture question is very clear. "I think the primary causes of same-sex behavior are environmental and personal choice and free agency," he says. "Can someone change their orientation? The definitive answer to that is, "yes."
Lippa's most recent research was published in Archives of Sexual Behavior, April, 2007.
Additional Reading:
"Born that way" Theory - Is Homosexuality Genetic?
Updated: 13 March 2008
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