The gender issue

Mr. Bush,

You appear to be misinformed about gender expression. My Doctoral Dissertation for the University of Washington Medical School was on the issues of sexual orientation and gendering of the brain in utero. Try reading Gunter Dorner’s Hormones and Brain Differentiation by Elsevier Press. You will find a copy in the Cal Poly Library. But, I would suggest you use a biomedical library data bases and references for a fuller understanding of the complex issues involved in the cross-gendering of the brain from that of the assigned sex at birth.

Augmenting decades old and contemporary research showing more homosexuals are born as the age of the mother increases, recent research implicates H-Y antigens (resulting from previous male births) increase the probability of adult homosexuality and lack of heterosexual cohabitation by as much as 33 percent. The sibling sex ration, without implicating H-Y antigen, suggests that approximately 10% of the variance in male homosexual behavior can be accounted for sibling sex-ratio. Androgen-insensitives (XY females) and partial-androgen insensitives, illustrate the power of genetics in creating a divergence of genetic gender from both behavioral and anatomic gender. XX females born with male genitalia and behavioral masculinization present a clear case for biologically induced cross gendering. Many chromosomal anomalies (e.g., X deletion ring, ring X or isochrome X, missing X, XXXX, XYY, XX/XY, X0/XY, XXY/XX, XXY/XY, X0/XX, Y supernumerary X, X supermererary Y (Klinefelters Syndrome), etc.) are contributing factors to sexual orientation, level of intellect, performance of tasks, etc. Identical twins are usually concordant in sexual orientation. Identical twins discordant for sexual orientation can be explained by biological events and reluctance of some to reveal their homosexuality. There is one study, dealing with 61 pairs of twins and three sets of triplets. In one case all the triplets were homosexual. Genetic linkage analysis, using extended families, of the X chromosome suggests some familial male homosexuality is likely genetic and passed down the maternal line. A recent study using only homosexual siblings, found through advertisements in Gay newspapers and magazines, using a limited number of markers without the comparisons in extended families called into question the genetic theory of homosexuality. Studies of the genetic contribution to homosexuality are often marred by poor subject selection, precise definitions of behavior, over generalization, inadequate methodology, etc. Based on many studies of male homosexual twins, using very conservative statistical formulae, heritable factors may account for 44 percent of cases. Research on twins, families, and the adopted implicates genetic or neurohormonal origins for sexual orientation.
The argument against genetic factors because homosexuals seldom marry is fallacious as 20% of Gays report being married and happy in their marriages with women. Male homosexuals, subjected to social pressure to marry, often have offspring. Even if homosexuals did not reproduce, the gene pool would still contain recessive traits, sport genes, and neuro-hormonal influences in-utero leading to cross-gendering.

Norman C. Murphy, Ph.D.