<p>Disclaimer, we're in the fuzzy zone of psychology where nothing is certain, only likely to be certain, and "likely" is not that close to 100%. </p>

<p>Is homosexuality ...</p>

<ol>
<li>A psychological illness? No (although what's an "illness" is itself fuzzy, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria" rel="nofollow noreferrer">female hysteria</a>).</li>
<li>A natural disposition of a person? To some extent.</li>
<li>A voluntary choice? Probably not.</li>
<li>Something else? Partly.</li>
</ol>

<p>See a <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6456/eaat7693" rel="nofollow noreferrer">recent paper</a> published in <em>Science</em>. It studied 477,522 US &amp; UK participants and is the largest study performed to date. Its conclusions are, homosexuality is caused by multiple genes <em>and</em> "something else", with the former accounting for less than a third of the effect. The "something else" remains to be explored, but the obvious candidate is environmental factors, such as cultural norms.</p>

<p>If the <em>Science</em> paper is too dense to be understood, there are various summaries in the popular media such as <a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-08-29/there-is-no-single-gay-gene" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-30T04:48:23.227Z
2019-08-30T08:32:55.563Z
2019-08-30T08:32:55.563Z
Allure
<p>Homosexuals are oft criticized for their sexuality to which they would say they are just not attracted to the member of the opposite sex and that it's the other way round.</p>

<p>So, is this attraction to member's of the same-sex a (by-birth) psychological illness (that could be treated), a natural disposition, or just voluntary choice? </p>

<p>Or maybe something else?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-25T23:27:28.353Z
Regarding voluntary choice, do you believe you could choose to be attracted to someone of the same sex as you?
Justas
<sexuality>
Is homosexuality a psychological illness or a natural disposition of a person's sexual orientation?
Bleeding Fingers
# Is homosexuality a psychological illness or a natural disposition of a person's sexual orientation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-23)

Homosexuals are oft criticized for their sexuality to which they would say they are just not attracted to the member of the opposite sex and that it's the other way round.

So, is this attraction to member's of the same-sex a (by-birth) psychological illness (that could be treated), a natural disposition, or just voluntary choice?

Or maybe something else?

**Tags:** sexuality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Regarding voluntary choice, do you believe you could choose to be attracted to someone of the same sex as you?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-08-30. Score: 3

Disclaimer, we're in the fuzzy zone of psychology where nothing is certain, only likely to be certain, and "likely" is not that close to 100%.

Is homosexuality ...

1. A psychological illness? No (although what's an "illness" is itself fuzzy, see [female hysteria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria)).
2. A natural disposition of a person? To some extent.
3. A voluntary choice? Probably not.
4. Something else? Partly.

See a [recent paper](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6456/eaat7693) published in *Science*. It studied 477,522 US & UK participants and is the largest study performed to date. Its conclusions are, homosexuality is caused by multiple genes *and* "something else", with the former accounting for less than a third of the effect. The "something else" remains to be explored, but the obvious candidate is environmental factors, such as cultural norms.

If the *Science* paper is too dense to be understood, there are various summaries in the popular media such as [this one](https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-08-29/there-is-no-single-gay-gene).


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