It is not uncommon to hear society say when one comes out and discloses their sexual orientation or gender orientation, that “you will come out of it. It is just a phase”, or “You were ‘okay’ when you were a child. The media has corrupted you”. Not only is this offensive and problematic but we are often left wondering and questioning our choices just because society has decided to tell us that it is not okay to be like this because it is not “natural”. Let us try to look at what truly does determine our sexual orientation and if it is truly determined by the environment or does genetics play a role in it too. Well, various researchers have tried to understand and determine the origins of a person’s sexual orientation. And it is not surprising that considerable recent evidence suggests that our biological makeup, plays a significant role in an individual’s sexuality. It is indeed a result of a complex interaction of cognitive and biological factors which are shaped at a very early age that determines one’s sexual and gender orientation. Also, numerous studies have demonstrated that sexual orientation tends to persist across different cultures, societies, and historical periods, indicating that it is not solely a product of socialization or cultural factors.
Generally, a lot of adolescents experiment at a young age but may not identify as LGBTQIA+ because of the stigma attached to non-heterosexual and non-cis gendered identities. This would suggest that sexual orientation emerges for most individuals around early adolescence. Sometimes, this could be before even having any prior sexual experiences. So people can be celibate all their lives and still know who they are attracted to. This indicates, it is not a conscious choice and hence cannot be altered or voluntarily changed regardless of what the conversion therapies and radical groups may promise otherwise.
We do need to be mindful that discrimination and stigma make coming to terms with one’s sexual identity a slow process. This does not mean that environment alone is shaping one’s sexual identity, but determinants that do influence the brain by way of social communication are also mediated by biological factors. So in easier words, when we are born, our brain is “born prepared” to complete its programming which then collects input from the environment that we grow up in. This simply means that both natural and environmental factors including psycho-social factors become responsible for one’s sexual and gender orientation.
It’s important to note that sexual orientation is a complex and multifaceted aspect of human identity and while the scientific consensus leans towards a biological basis for sexual orientation, the specific mechanisms and factors involved are still being actively studied.
References
Gooren, L., Fliers, E., & Courtney, D. O. K. (2012). Biological Determinants of Sexual Orientation. Annual Review of Sex Research, 1(1), 175–196.
Cook, C. C. H. (2020). The causes of human sexual orientation. Theology and Sexuality, 27(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13558358.2020.1818541
