Quote:
Originally Posted by Botnst
Normal heterosexual men and women who are incarcerated may turn to each other for that which is deprived as a characteristic of incarceration. This includes sexual gratification and tenderness.
Also, men and women may change their sexual preference as they get older or as a consequence of moving into a different social circle.
In both cases the facts seem to indicate that sexual preference has a strong environmental component.
Have you any proof that sexual preference is "inherent and immutable"?
I can offer some personal observation: I know several men and women in my age group who believe they have always been homosexual. I also know a bunch of men and women who believe they have always been heterosexual. And I know a smaller number who shift back and forth.
I think the expression of sexual preference is far more complex than science or society can explain at this time.
|
I completely agree with your theory. I'd adopted the position that sexual preference is "inherent and immutable" because I think that more accurately portrays the broadly held and promoted cultural meme best described as "born this way", as in "my sexual preferences are beyond my control and I am not responsible for feeling the way I do,and any disagreement is intolerance!" a vocal if not widely held attitude by a particular group of forum participants.
It is excedingly difficult to devine the ratio of predisposed attitude and learned adaptation, but I feel it is absurd to conclude that both are not impactful.
I have heard it opined that there is wide spread evidence that gender separate devlopment of human sexual preferencs toward homosexuality was one result of Victorian morality. Horny adolecents relegated to predominately same sex opportunities will conform and adapt resulting in a larger than statisically normal variation towards homosexual behavior. It has been theorised that such conditioning contributed to the British Officer Corp's disperate predisposition towards Arabs and against Israel, due to the British military education system's culture of acceptabilty of homosexual behavior and how that is more closely congruent with Arab/Islamic tolerance of male homosexual relationships, ala` Lawrence of Arabia!