And then there are the cases of But Not Too Gay or the Bait-and-Switch Lesbians, where creators manage to get the romance going but quickly avoid showing it in detail by killing off one of the relevant characters.Īlso known as Dead Lesbian Syndrome, though that name has largely fallen out of use post-2015 and the media riots about overuse of the trope. The AIDS crisis also contributed to this narrative, as the Tragic AIDS Story became its own archetype, popularized by films like Philadelphia. However, as sensitivity to gay people became more mainstream, this then transitioned into the Too Good for This Sinful Earth narrative, where stories would tackle the subject of homophobia and then depict LGBT characters as suffering victims who die tragic deaths from an uncaring world. Even somewhat sympathetic characters would usually receive punishment, as their sexuality was perceived as a negative trait (similar to how one would write a sympathetic drug addict). This, conversely, meant that most of them would either die or be punished by the end. For a good while, it was because the Depraved Homosexual trope and its ilk pretty much limited portrayals of explicitly gay characters to villainous characters, or at least characters who weren't given much respect by the narrative. The reasons for this trope have evolved somewhat over the years. Indeed, it may be because they seem to have less purpose compared to straight characters, or that the supposed natural conclusion of their story is an early death. In aggregate, queer characters are more likely to die than straight characters. In this way, the death is treated as exceptional in its circumstances. If, on the other hand, you consider someone to be gay only if they act on their same-sex attraction then being gay can be considered a choice depending on an individual's behavior.īut the real question is, does this really matter? If a person is an adult, is it anyone's business whom he or she is attracted to or has sexual relations with? Whether science can ultimately prove the biology of being gay or not, it's important to support all adults in their choices no matter how they identify.This trope is the presentation of deaths of LGBT characters where these characters are nominally able to be viewed as more expendable than their heterosexual counterparts. It very much appears that same-sex sexual attraction is not a choice but acting on it is so if you define gay as the mere presence of same-sex attraction, then from everything we understand, being gay is not a choice. Is Being Gay a Choice?Ĭonsidering whether people choose to be gay is complex. While psychological factors may increase the likelihood that someone is gay, no single factor is known to cause homosexuality. Adherence or deviance from conformity to gender roles.A female-dominated upbringing in a gay man's past, with an absence of a male role model.According to, what makes people gay may include: 5
Psychological reasons also appear to be part of why a person is gay.
4 Why Are People Gay? – Psycho-Social Reasons The connections in the amygdala and the corpus callosum have both been shown to be different depending on the sexual orientation of the individual.
The precise genes involved in the causes of being gay have not yet been identified but they appear to come from the mother.Īdditionally, some studies have found that the brains from homosexuals differ from the brains of heterosexuals. Study of family history reveals that homosexual men have more homosexuals in their family tree than do heterosexuals." "In recent years, evidence has accumulated that a homosexual orientation is inherited. Modern science is working to show that genetics is one of the causes of being gay, although some science conflicts in this area. (read: Cure the Gay: Gay Conversion Therapy – Real or Hoax?) The reasons people are gay are both physiological and psychological. No one knows for certain why any individual is gay, but the current thought is that being gay is not a choice. In other words, 5-10% of people experience same-sex sexual attraction or behavior of course, this doesn't speak to what makes people gay. "Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex." The simplest answer is to look at the definition of the word "gay." The term gay is a synonym for homosexual, which is defined as, 1,2 Estimates as to the number of gay people in the population range from 1-in-20 to 1-in-10, so why are some people gay? Are they gay by choice or is being gay genetic?