[Grem] A massive study confirms no one ‘gay gene’ controls sexual preference

[KEA]

A massive study confirms no one ‘gay gene’ controls sexual preference

Popular Science, 2019.08.29.
https://www.popsci.com/genes-cannot-predict-same-sex-sexual-behavior/


Genetics can’t predict whether a person will engage in same-sex sexual behavior, 
according to new research published in the journal Science. The study, which 
tested nearly half a million people, found that while there are some genes that 
contribute to sexual behavior, they each only play a tiny role—social and 
environmental factors make up the rest.

“This is is the largest and most thorough investigation into the genetics of 
same-sex sexual behavior to date,” says study author Ben Neale, geneticist at 
the Broad Institute and associate professor in the Analytic and Translational 
Genetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, in a press conference. The 
study notes the small role genetics plays—but also the complexity of the 
biological factors involved.

“This study puts to rest the notion that there is a ‘gay gene,’ ” says Darren 
Whitfield, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University 
of Pittsburgh studying LGBTQ health, who was not involved in the research.

The authors said that they worked with LGBT advocacy groups to discuss the best 
way to communicate their work to the public, and that those conversations 
affected the way they wrote the paper. Whitfield noted that the study avoided 
some of the problems of past research on sexual behavior and genetics, and was 
conscientious of the fact that this kind of work does not happen in a vacuum. 
“It seemed that the scientists were mindful of the message it might send,” 
Whitfield says. “In the past, researchers working in genetics in this area 
really did not think about the consequences work like that might have.”

However, Whitfield continues, that doesn’t entirely counteract the risk that 
this type of work can pose, and there are concerns that this data could be 
weaponized against the LGBTQ community. “These things do have the potential to 
reinforce homophobia,” he says. “It can reinforce the idea of any abnormality 
[connected] to same-sex attraction.”

The study analyzed the genes of nearly 500,000 people who’d contributed DNA in a 
handful of different ways, including to UK Biobank, which collected data from 
volunteers in the United Kingdom, and the direct-to-consumer genetics company 
23andMe, which asks customers if they want their data to be used in research 
(and included an additional consent form to participate in this particular 
study). The dataset only covered people of European ancestry. The team then 
looked for associations between the genes of the participants and their reports 
of same-sex behavior—which, for the purposes of this study, was defined as ever 
having had sex with someone of the same sex. Those behaviors, they noted, are 
not equivalent to sexual orientation or identity: a person who reported having 
same-sex sex may be bisexual, gay, pansexual, or any number of other identities, 
and that was not reflected in the research. The study also did not include 
people who were transgender, intersex, or otherwise did not identify with the 
gender they were assigned at birth.

In that analysis, the study found that between 8 percent and 25 percent of 
same-sex sexual behavior in the study population could be explained by genetics. 
Environmental and social factors contribute the rest. “I think it underscores 
that there is an element of biology and it underscores that there’s an element 
of the environment,” Neale says. “And it underscores that this is a natural part 
of our species.”

The genes associated with same-sex sexual behavior overlap with those involved 
in mental health disorders like schizophrenia and depression, which the authors 
write could be due to discrimination faced by people who have sex with others of 
the same sex. “For the U.K. Biobank data, for example, the participants came of 
age at a time and place where same-sex sexual behavior was criminalized,” Neale 
says. “And other studies have clearly shown the impact on mental health that . . 
. kind of othering or exclusion or even criminalization of behavior [can have].”

The findings also called into question the Kinsey scale, a common metric that 
describes a person’s sexual orientation on a measure from zero (entirely 
homosexual) to six (entirely heterosexual): The study reflected more diversity 
in individuals’ sexual behaviors than that. “[The Kinsey scale] is really an 
oversimplification of the diversity of sexual behavior in humans,” Neale says.

As well as contributing data to the project, the 23andMe research team worked 
actively on the study itself. The company has expressed interest in studying the 
genetics of sexual behavior and orientation since 2012. “As a company we are 
committed to representing the full diversity of human populations, and sexual 
behavior is just one component of that,” says Fah Sathirapongsasuti, senior 
scientist at 23andMe, during a press conference. “We hope that this new study 
marks a starting point for additional research on this important aspect of human 
behavior.” He added that customers have contacted the company asking for them to 
do this type of research.

“I think we’ve learned some really important things, and I think those things 
that we’ve learned include the idea that there is more diversity out there in 
the world,” Neale says.

As the new study went live, the Broad Institute posted a series of essays from 
other scientists on the social and ethical issues involved in pursuing research 
of this kind, which could potentially be harmful to LGBT communities and be used 
in arguments for discrimination against them. “I am not satisfied with the 
authors’ justification for performing this study; they are ultimately 
jeopardizing the perception and safety of the LGBTQIA+ community,” wrote Meagan 
Olive, a research associate at the Broad Institute.

It’s important to critically think about what can be gained from these sorts of 
studies, Whitfield says. “At the end of the day, we’re still looking for a 
genetic component for sexual behavior. The question I would have is—why? What is 
the purpose?”

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