Does Too Many Brothers Make You Gay?

I firmly believe that it is important to study and learn as much as possible. Ignorance is not bliss. I also hold to the idea that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Case in point - a recent study was released that suggested that a potential factor in determining homosexuality was the quantity of older biological brothers - the greater the number, the greater the chance that the youngest would be gay. This information was further "processed" into the idea that this could prove that homosexuality develops in the womb and that women may develop an immune response after having "too many" boys. All sides of the gay rights debate appear to be grabbing onto this overblown idea - the anti-gay rights side are even claiming that this proves that homosexuality is not a normal condition.

Really. Of course, while the study is interesting, it provides a small piece of the puzzle, not a causative factor or proof of anything. You see, just opening your eyes and looking around provides a better backdrop to this matter. Notice that Michael Jackson has a lot of older brothers, does that explain anything? Mr. Jackson's family has also been rumoured to be somewhat disfunctional, perhaps abusive. Donny Osmond also has a lot of older brothers, and one younger one, yet no member of his family is rumoured to be gay or deviant in any way. They are all married with children of their own and their family is rumoured to be stable. Then there is the fact that not all gay men have any older brothers, much less a large batch of them - George Michael (singer/songwriter) has sisters. Then we can always look at our own families and friends - my mother's family had seven older brothers in a row, then a string of sisters, and then one more brother - none are gay and the family is fairly normal and well-adjusted, all the children were wanted and loved. I know a family from my old neighbourhood, where one son was gay, but while he did have brothers, he also had an abusive father and disfunctional family. I know another who comes from a smaller family, but was the product of an affair - he was rejected by both his biological father and husband of his mother. Then there is basic biology, if a mother is having an immune response to her child, the immune response is to attack and destroy the perceived invader, not mutate it into a gender confused individual; further, the biological imperative is to produce, not place barriers to future reproduction for the offspring.

There is a lot of misinformation that is floating around out there and this is the cause of much confusion and resentment in the matter of homosexuality and gay rights. There are elements of truth in both sides of the equation and it is important that all aspects be considered in the discussion and the develoment of gay rights issues. For example, homosexuals do not choose to be gay, nor are they born that way. They are made that way from a very early age (after birth), through no fault of their own. There is also so much more that needs to be considered before claiming a particular stance on gay rights issues. And much more to be learned. I am thinking that Europe has some better options than our current approach in Canada.