Sociologists Have Criticized Scientists Who Are Searching for a "Gay

question 82

Multiple Choice

Sociologists have criticized scientists who are searching for a "gay gene" for their narrow understanding of sexual orientation, because they do not take into account the way biology and the social environment interact to produce sexual behaviors. Which of the following theorists makes this point?

• A) Simon LeVay believes that "there's growing evidence to support the idea that biological and developmental factors before birth exert a strong influence on sexual orientation."
• B) Dean Hamer examined the DNA of forty gay brothers and found that thirty-three of them had a statistically significant similarity in the Xq28 region of the X chromosome.
• C) The historian Jeffrey Weeks points out that, while homosexual acts have been documented throughout history, homosexual identity as we know it today didn't exist before the twentieth century.
• D) Laura Allen and Richard Gorski, two scientists at UCLA, reported that a segment of the fibers connecting the brain's hemispheres is up to one-third larger in homosexual men.
• E) Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a German lawyer and an early advocate for the decriminalization of sodomy argued that, "male-male love was the result of a female psyche and physiology in a male body."

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Definitions:

Racial/Ethnic Identity

An individual's identification with a particular racial or ethnic group, influencing one's sense of self and belonging.

Self-Definition

The way in which a person characterizes or understands themselves, often in relation to their values, beliefs, and personal identity.

Rogers And Meltzoff

Reference to prominent researchers in the field of psychology and developmental science.

Prefrontal Cortex

The region of the brain located at the front of the frontal lobes, associated with complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior.