[rootusrootus]

That would be ideal, but some people need to be convinced that it is not a choice before they will consider treating gay people with respect. So long as they think it's just a behavioral decision, they can rationalize their bigotry.

[bzb6]

If anything this headline means the opposite, right? That you are not born a homosexual, at least from a genetic perspective.

[btilly]

It is much more nuanced than that.

What they found was 5 areas of the genome that had predictive potential for people being gay or straight. Combined, they were able to predict about 25% of what makes someone gay. The other 75% is environmental.

Note that some "environmental factors" may still be genetic in nature. For example there is strong evidence in animals that the prenatal environment has an impact on homosexual behavior. Which means that a mother's genetics can be correlated with her children's sexuality. Therefore a gene could impact homosexuality through changing the environment in the mother's womb. In that case the child having that gene would be correlated with the child being homosexual and the gene would show up in this study. But the differences between the child's genetics and the mother's would be an environmental factor.

[rootusrootus]

I don't think it's making that strong a claim. They can't identify a specific gene. That's not quite "you are not born a homosexual." Plenty of studies over the years have shown statistically very significant genetic links. We just can't explain the exact mechanism yet.

[exporectomy]

Those people are going to be bigots regardless, towards all the other things that are behavioral, such as most mental illness, addictions, sports accidents, drug convictions, political persuasion, religion, etc. So many ways to be judgmental of people's behaviors.

[throwaway2245]

Bigots can accuse you of being genetically defective just as well as they can accuse you of sinful behaviour.

Pandering to what bigots need is not productive or helpful.