Letter: Nothing new in predicting sexual orientation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: I am prompted to write in response to the woolly analysis presented as wise and considered opinion in your leading article ('Gay genes do not exclude choice', 16 July). No distinction is made between sexual orientation and sexual behaviour. It goes without saying that the latter is always subject to choice and judgements on consenting sexual behaviour belong in the realm of morals.
Sexual orientation is quite another matter. It is easy to measure a person's instinctual and involuntary sexual responses by wiring them to a polygraph, presenting them with erotic imagery and measuring the body's level of sexual arousal in response. This technique will allow scientists to ascertain exactly how strongly particular genes predetermine their bearer's sexuality, independent of considerations of lifestyle, behaviour or an individual's self-conception.
The sexual orientation of children as young as two and a half years has been determined in this way in research conducted at the Institute of Sexology in Indiana, and has thereby shown it to be fixed even at that age, and certainly beyond the individual's choice or control. Hence the indefensibility of discriminating against anyone on grounds of sexual orientation per se should be well established by now, and the fact that orientation may be under genetic control does not really have any new ethical or legal implications.
Yours faithfully,
P. RICHARDSON
Cambridge
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments