The causes of sexual orientation, its determinants, or etiology are still a controversial field of science.

The debate over what causes someone’s sexual orientation is in some aspects a classic nature vs. nurture question. The issue is further clouded because almost any human, under extreme circumstances, will interact sexually with any human. (See Kinsey scale.)

Certain schools of thought often emphasize theories of or evidence for genetic determinants of sexual orientation. Opposing camps often emphasize theories of or evidence for environmental determinants, including upbringing, social pressures, and personal choice. Some people criticize the binary nature of "nature vs nurture", and emphasize interaction and other hard_to_classify influences like non_genetic biological factors and random chance. Some people also object to the classification of people into the three sexual orientations listed above. Indeed, such classification is at the very least complex and difficult in practice; see the article on sexual orientation for details.

The role, if any, of personal choice in sexual orientation is particularly important in the ongoing public debate. Those who consider the sexual behavior of gay men and lesbians to be violating their religious creeds believe sexual orientation is a conscious choice or the product of environmental factors, notably parental, which can and should be avoided. On the other hand, those who believe sexual orientation to be an immutable characteristic consider discrimination based on that attribute to be immoral and believe that people should seek healthy relationships with the gender(s) of their orientation.

To complicate matters, some people don't fall into either camp. Some who find homosexuality immoral distinguish those conscious actions from what might be an immutable and spontaneous erotic desire and some people who consider homosexuality to be a choice do not consider it immoral or that morality does not apply.

Beliefs about the empirical determinants of sexual orientation may influence a person's conception of morality, and moral beliefs do tend to influence one's perception of the empirical mechanisms.

Scientific research into the determinants of sexual orientation are described in the articles on genetic and environmental factors, as appropriate.

The relative frequency of various sexual orientations is another complex and controversial question. See the article on the demographics of sexual orientation.

See also

• Homosexuality
• Heterosexuality
• Bisexuality
• Ascribed characteristics (for a more general look at the morality of innate vs. non-innate characteristics)
• Homosexuality in animals

External link

• GLBTQ.com: Etiology (http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/etiology.html)