Provocative work on the biological origins of homosexuality by Simon LeVay; J. Michael Bailey and Richard C. Pillard; and Dean H. Hamer has caught the imagination of both the popular and scientific press (S. LeVay, Science, 253:1034-7, 1991; J.M. Bailey, R.C. Pillard, Archives of General Psychiatry, 48:1089-96, 1991; D.H. Hamer et al., Science, 261:321-7, 1993). In particular, the recent work of Hamer has caused some observers to conclude that homosexuality is truly genetic in origin. Even though the researcher himself is offering genetics only as part of the explanation for an unknown percentage of the homosexual population, many scientists and laypersons alike have jumped on the genetic bandwagon as a complete answer to the more cosmic question of sexual orientation.
For some, it merely confirms part of a larger belief in the overall power of genetics in determining human behavior; for others, it fits with a political agenda. Many gay ...
