Homosexuality - curable or not?

[Loppan Torkel]

I haven't studied the subject like most other that has an opinion on it, but I've read that the odds of becoming homosexual increases with each older brother you have, because of some hormonal/cellular changes of the mother with each son being born. Hormonal therapy is possible nowadays - would it be morally wrong to use it to alter the odds if it was possible?

Beyond that I'm not sure - is it inheritable, based on your genes? Are the upbringing and childhood more important? Social influences? Choice?

If it's the genes - is it to be regarded a mutation and possibly cured with genetherapy when it becomes available? If it's the enviroment - Is it wrong of parents to actively steer their children to their preferences?

Since it's not a disease, it doesn't need a cure, but treatment/guidance does not seem impossible within a near future, and with new knowledge parents will have to choose either to have and bring up their children based on this knowledge or let coincidenses determine their childrens future.

This goes for all kinds of sexualities, I just picked homosexuality in this discussion for the sake of simplicity.

 

[Gelion]

"Nothing is impossible for a man with intellect" - Secretary (Film "Office Romance", Mosfilm,1977)

 

[Archbob]

This thread is evil.

 

[Agent Cooper]

Homosexuality has been a part of human sexuality for as long as the historybooks go back. The reason why some these days consider homosexuality inmoral and unnatural could possibly be traced back to Christianity and Islam taking over.

70 years ago some people in Germany tried to analyse and 'alter' the human inheritance with very primitive and cruel means, meaning cancelling those elements they believed to be unnatural and weak. It didn't turn out so well - thankfully. Lets not make the same mistakes just because technology is catching up.

 

[CurtSibling]

We can as much cure homosexuality as much as we can religion...It's impossible.

Sexual desire and intellectual traits are interlinked/genetic.

..

 

[GenMarshall]

I would not force a change of sexual orientation onto any individual human being.

 

[Shadylookin]

if ted haggard can be cured anybody can

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Homosexuality has been a part of human sexuality for as long as the historybooks go back. The reason why some these days consider homosexuality inmoral and unnatural could possibly be traced back to Christianity and Islam taking over.

Possibly. The morality depends on what your worldviews are, so discussing that seems pointless in this thread at least. I'm not sure what's natural to be honest, and I'm not sure what influences the sexual preferences. If someone has a good answer, other than a standard politically correct one, I'm all ears.

70 years ago some people in Germany tried to analyse and 'alter' the human inheritance with very primitive and cruel means, meaning cancelling those elements they believed to be unnatural and weak. It didn't turn out so well - thankfully. Lets not make the same mistakes just because technology is catching up.

But you would try to raise your children in some way, wouldn't you? teaching them to eat right, some manners etc. Say you found out that the coffee your pregnant wife drinks every morning alters the sexuality of your child. Would you disregard that info?

 

[LucyDuke]

Beyond that I'm not sure - is it inheritable, based on your genes? Are the upbringing and childhood more important? Social influences? Choice?

Nobody's sure. Except about that last one, we're sure it's not that last one.

It's wrong to interfere. Being gay isn't like missing a lung.

 

[FredLC]

It's not a disease, it's a trait.

It's like asking if left-handedness or big nose-ness or blonde hair-ness are curable.

Regards .

 

[Cutlass]

God made people gay. Pretty arrogant to screw with that.

 

[scherbchen]

Since it's not a disease, it doesn't need a cure, but treatment/guidance does not seem impossible within a near future, and with new knowledge parents will have to choose either to have and bring up their children based on this knowledge or let coincidenses determine their childrens future.

This goes for all kinds of sexualities, I just picked homosexuality in this discussion for the sake of simplicity.

This opens a Pandora's box. I will grant you that your question is one that needs to be asked, eventually, and it is one that will be asked but there can only be one answer to it: You do not even seek to determine things you will not know about your future child until you find out about them on your own, even if it were possible to preselect, as it were, traits you dislike or favour. Because if you do you will be tempted to meddle. Sexuality is one thing, orientation and preferences (if we were to one day understand these better) but we humans are pretty straight forward with these "methods". We exaggerate their use like there is no tomorrow.

Selecting a "normed" sexuality might evenbe beneficial for your child. They'll fit in better, will, maybe, have an easier time finding mates. But let's not even talk about the audacity of doing that. The question begs to be asked: what is next? Skin too dark? Nose too ethnic (insert any ethnicity)? Not good enough at sports?

Fast forward 100 years and you will have a nation of Brangelinas. *insert scene from Planet of the Apes* "What have you done??"

 

[GenMarshall]

blonde hair-ness are curable.

It is curable, just use hair dye. It also cures white or graying hairs .

 

[Rocko_el_loco]

To imply that being gay is curable would seem to imply that it is something bad, which it is not.

 

[warpus]

Since it's not a disease, it doesn't need a cure

Poor thread title!

 

[countrygrl]

homosexuals need to be cured? how gay.

 

[Ecofarm]

Change the title to avoidable (well, that's negative too)... maybe repressable... instead of curable?

Perhaps with less offense, people can discuss whether they would avoid caffeine, or teach something, or whatever to make their kid straight.

The moral implications of social engineering are more interesting than gay bash/defense.

 

[Ansar]

I would not force a change of sexual orientation onto any individual human being.

What if someone was a homosexual?

 

[azzaman333]

If anything, homosexuality should be encouraged to prevent over-population.

 

[nc-1701]

You can't cure something that's totally normal. Being Gay isn't a disease so it obviously can't be cured.