Homosexuality; If you could choose...

I believe, based on what I have read and a few people that I have spoken to, that many gays feel they are born that way. They felt that pull at an early age, without understanding what was going on or being exposed to alternative viewpoints. So I think for most, it's not a choice. It's hardwired into their system. Just like I can't think myself gay. It's not going to happen. Except for Brad Pitt. Or Chris Hemsworth. But they are so good looking that it goes beyond gay, they are just beautiful. And I'm good with that. You can't help the way that you are made.
But my question is, if a pill was developed that removed whatever biological component made you gay, without any other side effects or issues, would you take it? Because if did not at that point you would be making a choice.

 

Man, I would love the casual meaningless sex homosexual men enjoy! I have a female friend who told me she's on okcupid. She said that she finds a super hard time getting girls to respond to her and she still gets messages from guys despite being listed as gay.

So if there was a pill that made me bisexual, I'd pop it instantly. Till then, I remain straight.

 

Forgive me if I'm wrong here, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to be a gay male in order to have lots of casual, meaningless sex.

As far as the question at hand goes, yes I probably would take the pill. I say that based on several conversations I've had over the years with different gay men who've told me they never would have "chosen" to be gay. So that leads me to believe they would wish that too.

That's a hard question to answer though, being unable to know what being gay feels like.

 

I'd pass on the offer, because I don't need to know what getting rejected by the other 50% of the population feels like.

 

Right, you could also be a heterosexual woman. Or, you could be a super-attractive or persuasive heterosexual man.

For most heterosexual men, to have a casual, meaningless sexual encounter is called "getting lucky" for a reason.

I know a cook who makes a pot roast, which is said to be so good that it would "turn a straight man gay, or a gay man straight." I never had the opportunity to try it.

I'm bisexual, so I don't think the pill idea applies to me.

 

Kind of hard to answer from a non-homosexual standpoint. I can't imagine the kind of pressure, awkward feelings, and confusions that may have arisen from a homosexual's standpoint. Would homosexuals opt to be straight if they had the choice? I can't answer that.

Would I pop a pill that would make me homosexual or bi-curious? No. I like the female form too much. They're just so soft and cuddly.

 

You are indeed patently wrong. Only women and gay men enjoy casual meaningless sex.

/bitter.

 

Oh, I think others enjoy it, when they can find it.

But @RedSneaker referred to "lots of casual, meaningless sex". Few hetero males have access to that.

 

This is not about choosing to become gay via a pill.
Where I approach this idea is from an evolutionary standpoint, that all creatures are programmed to propogate their DNA and the species as a whole. Homosexual activity has been observed in many many species, but those encounters are very unlikely to produce offspring. The vast majority of humanity is hetero, from a biological standpoint being gay is outside the norm. Just like being born blind or a dwarf or with downs syndrome is outside the norm and is going to affect your ability to propogate the species. And I know people are going to totally misinterpret my comments and say well he thinks that being gay is like being crippled. Well, yeah, from a biological standpoint it seems to me it is. My exwife and I had to go through ivf to conceive, it took medical intervention to have children.
So like I said, I think gay people don't have a whole lot of choice in their programming. But if you had the choice would you choose to reprogram. To bring yourself back to the norm.

 

I'm sorry Omega, I honestly can't answer that, seeing as I don't know what it's like for a homosexual and wanting to switch over.

Unrelated note: I also have a friend who says he chooses to be gay. His words. Now as far as me believing him? I don't. I think the attractions he experiences when he looks at women are the same you and I experience when we look at Chris Helmsworth. It's just appreciation of beauty and/or curiosity. Not a distinction between orientation. I have certainly heard from both ends of the spectrum that homosexuality is inherent programming. I believe the only reason we don't pursue further research in the matter is because the question is irrelevant. Until we link homosexuality to something like polio or cancer then it is not important to distinctly categorize humans according to their orientation. Until then, nothing comes out of this conversation except a giant, uncomfortably unforgiving microscope on the homosexual community.

 

Yeah I could certainly see someone who was in a loving relationship choosing not to make a change. And the pressure that would come from religious wackos would also be tremendous. "The only man you should love is jesus".

 

I think it's a bit of a loaded question really. There's many aspects to it, because what does it mean to be straight? As @omega pointed out, it could be the ability to naturally produce children. Would the question be the same one if you offered a pill to somehow allow gays to naturally procreate vs a pill to be attracted to the opposite sex? For a person who lives in fear of being outed, would it be the same question if you offered the straight pill vs a hypothetical magic button that meant they would never be judged or persecuted because of their sexual orientation?

As has been pointed out above, I wouldn't want to take a pill to make me gay. I love women, I love the female form and the joy of making love to them. I've felt this way all of my life. So even if I was reassured that post-pill I would feel all of that about men, and be just as happy, I would be reluctant. Because why would I want to change the way I am, if I'm already happy?

I would assume that many gays would be just as reluctant, if you could somehow magically erase societal stigma and persecution. They've always felt this way, some of them have found it to be a wonderful experience, and why should they change?

The children thing is what makes it a little more complicated, I admit. While I couldn't deny that it might not be the same experience of bringing life into the world that a straight couple has, adoption is certainly something that is needed in our society. And ultimately, strangely, I don't know that sexuality can be boiled down to the ability to produce children. There are perfectly sexually active sterile people, and there are people like me who are perfectly capable of producing children (as far as I know) who have no desire to do so.

 

And that's why I think this is an interesting discussion. @xerxes says this question is irrelevant so no one is reseaching this. I think this could be relevant in 20 years, given advances in gene therapy. Some scientists isolate the precursors, the next thing you know fundamentalists are giving it to all the children in their church just to make sure their flock is straight. How many parents would say lets be on the safe side, Timmy was just trying on his sister's clothes.

 

Here is an example. My brother-in-law's father is gay. This is after he had five children in a catholic rooted household. I believe all five kids were still at home when he left. There may have been other reasons why he left as well, but I think his coming out was the defining part of it. Since he is a practicing catholic, there was probably a bit of self loathing. I'm sure his kids weren't happy about him breaking up the family as well. And I'm willing to bet that he probably didn't like that aspect of his life taking him away from his family. In his situation he might have decided in his twenties that given the current situation, he would prefer to become straight rather than play straight. But that was 25 or 30 years ago. Things are much different in certain parts of the U.S. than even ten years ago. I guess I'm going to have to watch X-Men 2 and see what they did about the cure.

 

I don't just mean gay or bi sex. I can appreciate a male form, I looked at bodybuilding magazines for at least ten years. I'm sure I could get off from a guy blowing me. But to develop emotional feelings and a bond is beyond me.
As for me, I would be very leery of any drug like this getting out or being developed. It's just another situation where potentially bad intentions could be applied. I've always maintained you can't help the way that you are made, you just have to work with what you have. I wish I didn't have ADD, and that my limbs were proportional to my torso. (5'9" with a 28 inch inseam). And really the "problems" with gayness come from other people, like family, or church, or "moral watchdogs". But at the same time, some drug could be coming down the pipeline in a couple decades. Same thing with changing intelligence, or physical prowess in your kids. Or changing skin tone, or hair.

 

This is a very odd question. I don't think I would want to switch, but would consider taking one that would make fully bi if only that it would open my options to the other 50% of the population.

Otherwise, I don't really want to switch my orientation. I am content with being a hetero.