CT Poll: Can You Change Your Sexual Orientation?

[Totenkindly]

More gas on the fire... here are the results of the current poll

Is it possible to change your sexual orientation?

40% -- Yes.
19% -- No.
22% -- It's possible but rare.
3% -- It's possible but dangerous.
16% -- I don't believe in sexual orientation as a construct.

Total Votes: 1104

What I find fascinating is that, even in the literature that CT Magazine itself publishes by homosexuals who are attempting to live a heterosexual orientation, they almost exclusively claim (i.e., I cannot recall a counter example, although I will allow that one might exist) that the orientation does not really change and that they continue to struggle with the temptation regardless of their beliefs.

But 40% of readers give an unqualified "yes" and another 25% think it's possible but simply more rare or dangerous.

 

[Sahara]

Bigots. :steam:

 

[Totenkindly]

Bigots. :steam:

ha ha ha... I almost was willing to add that option to the poll when I saw this, but I didn't want to mess up the whole thing!

 

[Sahara]

I am just kidding, I think it shows a lack of education to be honest, or at least a lack of informed education, rather than what parents, religion and peer stereoptyped attitudes teaches them.

I think whilst there are cases of some people engaging in homosexual activities out of a lifestyle choice, I personally believe the majority of them do not have a choice in the matter and are just naturally geared towards that sexuality, which they can't change and shouldn't have to.

 

[Sahara]

ha ha ha... I almost was willing to add that option to the poll when I saw this, but I didn't want to mess up the whole thing!

It felt necessary to say that for some reason lol

 

[booyalab]

I'm kind of confused on the efforts by some Christians to get homosexuals to become attracted to the opposite sex. The Bible states that sodomy is wrong, but it doesn't state that the temptation is wrong. If a homosexual wants to refrain from engaging that compulsion for religious reasons, that's all fine and dandy, but I don't see why they can't just choose celibacy.

that the orientation does not really change and that they continue to struggle with the temptation regardless of their beliefs.

Technically, you could say a similar thing happens with straight people. Would any straight married man say, with all honesty, that he is never attracted to any other women more than he's attracted to his wife?

 

[Totenkindly]

If a homosexual wants to refrain from engaging that compulsion for religious reasons, that's all fine and dandy, but I don't see why they can't just choose celibacy.

Some do, I think. They just have to come to terms with themselves in the meanwhile.

Henri Nouwen, a fairly well-known Catholic spiritual adviser, struggled with homosexuality and was celibate. I wonder if he took on that religious position partly because it helped give a socially acceptable excuse for his celibacy.

Technically, you could say a similar thing happens with straight people. Would any straight married man say, with all honesty, that he is never attracted to any other women more than he's attracted to his wife?

Uh huh. The desires might diminish over time if not fed regularly; but sometimes not. They continue to exist.

 

[Lateralus]

I don't know if it's possible. I've never tried to change my own orientation (and don't want to try). While I can imagine possibilities, it seems that it depends on how deeply ingrained sexual orientation is in our minds. I don't think anyone knows the answer to that, with any certainty.

 

[FFF]

If you wanted to live a perfect Christian life, you can't do much of anything sexually besides marrying someone of the opposite sex and sleeping with them only and masturbating without thinking of anybody. The amount of people that end up where they can do this is very few. You've gotta realize, though, that under the new covenant not sinning isn't established as terms of acceptance. If you understand that no amount of good behavior or refraining from bad behavior can save you, then you have to assume the opposite is also true. That is to say no amount of bad behavior or lack of good behavior condemns you. With only that in mind, you think that I'm saying you can go ahead and sin all you want and do whatever. You must also consider maturity and purity and other issues such as that. You will end up regreting much in this life and after this life if you stay in your immature state, and it'll end up hurting yourself and other people.

Anyway, I'd like to say that heterosexuals are guilty of a lot of the same crap as homosexuals. I also don't really care about politics and what the gov't recognizes as marriage and what people think. I don't believe God will honor homosexual marriage as if the two same sex people aren't fornicating.

 

[Wolf]

Sometimes I wish I could, as only homosexuals ever seem to like me quite like that... However, even though I have occasional minor curiosity, I have no drive to try it and I don't think I could ever change that.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I don't know if it's possible to change sexual orientation, but I'm not willing to rule it out. I think the ironclad "sexual orientation cannot be changed" position is more a political opinion than a scientific one. It's not in the gay community's best interest for there to be a way to change orientation. After all, it's not a large leap from "can change" to "must change".

There are several psychological phenomena which make me think that it's at least possible. Multiple personality disorder, hypnotism, and amnesiacs that completely change personality all suggest that there might be a way.

I don't really think it's worth any effort to find out, and I certainly don't think anyone should be made to. It might even be dangerous. But it's enough to make me think any blanket declarations that it's impossible are blustery attempts to stake out an identity.

 

[ptgatsby]

Yes, to the degree that individual responds to their wiring and that the wiring has environmental influences. Bell curve warning here too - not all can change as easily as others, etc.

It's a bit easier to change bigotry than latent biological programming, or so I hear.

 

[Totenkindly]

Sometimes I wish I could, as only homosexuals ever seem to like me quite like that... However, even though I have occasional minor curiosity, I have no drive to try it and I don't think I could ever change that.

What a great idea for a new poll!

 

[Crabapple]

What I was taught, and now feel is accurate from my own experience, is that someone cannot be forced to change sexual orientation. It's hardwired in the brain during development in the womb; nonetheless, sexual orientation can change during one's lifetime. It's like orientation is on a scale from gay to bi to straight- one's orientation can change from hormonal changes and maturity(?).

My orientation seems to have changed from strict lesbianism to bisexuality. It came as a great shock to me in my late twenties, when I began to be attracted to men. One of the men I was attracted to sat me down and gave me the above ideas- however, I still don't look or act (somehow ) straight, and still get a lot of aggravation from my homophobic community.

 

[Totenkindly]

Final Results of the CT poll:

Is it possible to change your sexual orientation?

43% -- Yes. (+3%)
18% -- No. (-1%)
22% -- It's possible but rare. (0% change)
2% -- It's possible but dangerous. (+1%)
14% -- I don't believe in sexual orientation as a construct. (-2%)

Total Votes: 2304

 

[lastrailway]

I haven't read all the answers, but the question makes me wonder: do most of you believe that sexual orientation is mostly innate or not? If it's innate then probably we cannot change it by will. If not, then maybe yes.

 

[ptgatsby]

I haven't read all the answers, but the question makes me wonder: do most of you believe that sexual orientation is mostly innate or not? If it's innate then probably we cannot change it by will. If not, then maybe yes.

It cannot be changed by will, however it is not purely innate... well, except to say that it is innate in all of us. It's not a "condition" that one is born with, it is conditioned in some way (from hormonal stuff during gestation all the way to later on). The triggers that prompt preferences can be environmental - that much is certain - but it does mean, in theory, it could be reversed. Maybe.

I think the easiest way to decrease the homosexuality population would be to have 1 man for 10 women. Who's with me? (One factor that is known is the ratio of available sexual partners). It's not like female homosexuality is bad, right? Party on. :rolli:

In any case, historically, homosexuality is a common theme. It's not exactly something "new"... it's just part of being human.

 

[lastrailway]

.....
I think the easiest way to decrease the homosexuality population would be to have 1 man for 10 women. Who's with me? (One factor that is known is the ratio of available sexual partners). It's not like female homosexuality is bad, right? Party on. :rolli: .....

What are you talking about??!?!


To the rest of your post :
I have really never been able to find a convincing answer in whether sexual orientation is a purely hormonal thing.
And, as far as I can understand psychology, if it is something environmental, then there must be a way to change it, should you want to? Isn't it true that most tendencies developped during late childhood (such as sexuality issues), can be changed, if the person cares to change them? Isn't this the whole point of psychology?
(Having said that, I should probably add that I know almost nothing about psychology, that's simply how I understand the whole thing)

 

[Totenkindly]

I have really never been able to find a convincing answer in whether sexual orientation is a purely hormonal thing.

Well, I think the point was that the genetics are only blueprints: EVERYTHING that occurs as far as implementation of the human being goes, from the egg onwards, is basically interaction with the environment in some way. Sometimes hormonal. Sometimes physical. Sometimes emotional. Etc.

It's a difficult topic to discuss because (1) you can't study a homosexual until you can identify the homosexual, and (2) environment and biology cannot be separated cleanly.

As far as studies go, there's a much higher percentage of homosexuals in identical twin populations than in the general population of siblings. But again, is homosexuality wired, or is it just a "neutral" genetic setting that the identical twins share that is responding similarly to the same environment (more than two different genetic patterns would), or is it environmental?

Boys who act in more stereotypically feminine ways as children, even if they act more boyish later, are statistically more likely to identify as gay later in life, according to Michael Bailes' studies.

And, as far as I can understand psychology, if it is something environmental, then there must be a way to change it, should you want to? Isn't it true that most tendencies developed during late childhood (such as sexuality issues), can be changed, if the person cares to change them? Isn't this the whole point of psychology?

It's not nearly that cut and dried, and you can't assume everyone who presents as homosexual has the same underlying root causes in their orientation either.

I think sexual issues are more easily changed before the individual hits adulthood. There seems to be a window after which sexual interest (in people or objects or whatnot) is difficult to change.

But what you describe is another issue: If the root causes of homosexuality CAN be distinguished enough to allow modification, SHOULD people pursue it? Especially in the case of a child who is not old enough to make his own decisions, whose parents would basically be forcing a particular choice upon him? That is where things get heated.

 

[lastrailway]

...
But what you describe is another issue: If the root causes of homosexuality CAN be distinguished enough to allow modification, SHOULD people pursue it? Especially in the case of a child who is not old enough to make his own decisions, whose parents would basically be forcing a particular choice upon him? That is where things get heated.

I take it you are not asking "is homosexuality a problematic tendence which should be corrected?" but rather "does anybody (parents included) has the right to force a child to change any type of behaviour, no matter how dangerous/problematic does the parent consider this behaviour?"

I am strongly against that, for the same reason I am against imposing religion to children: this is moral/ethical stuff, the "correct-ness" or not is simply a point of personal opinion, and can be right/wrong or both, as all kinds of personal opinion. So I believe a parent has no right to influence any choise of his children, be it religion, sexual orientation, beliefs, etc.

On the other hand, I realise that what I said above is my personal opinion, and it might falls in the category of personal morals, so everything I said about personal opinion applies to my own statement above. I 'd like to listen to other people's points of view