*Sodomy Ensues*

[Nintendarse]

Weltall, I think you're making an assumption that is simply inaccurate. You are assuming that choice/environment is the null hypothesis, while genetics is the alternative hypothesis. Because there is not enough evidence to disprove the null hypothesis, you assume that the null is correct. You must realize that by making choice/environment as the null hypothesis, you are biasing your opinion.

On the opposite side of the coin, if a person were to make hormonal/genetic the null hypothesis, there wouldn't be enough evidence on the choice/environmental side to refute the null. Simply by changing the null with the alternative, this person would come to the opposite conclusion.

I'm of the opinion that there is not enough information to conclude ANYTHING. Just as ABF is incorrect to spin this lack of reliable information into conclusions of a genetic explanation, it is incorrect to spin this lack of reliable information into conclusions of a choice explanation.

Here are more important aspects of the APA brief that Weltall seems to ignore:

C. The Development Of Sexual Orientation

Current professional understanding is that the core feelings and attractions that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge by early adolescence. [36] For some people, adult homosexual orientation is predictable by early childhood. [37] Developmental precursors of adult homosexual orientation, however, have not been consistently identified for the population as a whole. [38]

A number of researchers have found familial patterns and biological correlates of adult homosexual orientation, suggesting that genetic, congenital, or anatomical factors may contribute to its development.For example, recent studies have indicated a linkage between certain aspects of DNA and sexual orientation.[39] Studies of identical twins have found that "heritabilities were substantial under a wide range of assumptions." [40] Another study, as yet unreplicated, reported differences between heterosexual and gay men in the volume of a cell group in the anterior hypothalamus, a brain structure that is involved in sexual behavior.[41] A study published earlier this year suggests that women who had been exposed to certain prenatal estrogens are more likely to be lesbian or bisexual.[42] Another study has suggested an "interactionist" model, under which "genetic factors can be conceptualized as indirectly influencing the development of sexual orientation." [43]

The available studies of gay experience indicate that same-sex attractions generally emerge by early or mid-adolescence. [44] "By the time boys and girls reach adolescence, their sexual preference is likely to be already determined, even though they may not yet have become sexually very active."[45] The scientific literature thus strongly indicates that sexual orientation is far from being a voluntary choice.[46]

D. Can Sexual Orientation Be Changed?

The research and clinical experience of amici's members indicates that, once established, sexual orientation is resistant to change.Although there are some reports of therapy leading to changed sexual orientation, there is little evidence that treatment actually changes sexual attractions, as opposed to reducing or eliminating same-sex sexual behavior.Upon reviewing reports on "conversion therapy," one scholar concluded that -- entirely aside from the ethical concerns relating to any such therapy -- there is no reliable evidence that "sexual orientation is amenable to redirection or significant influence from psychological intervention."[47]

If you are curious as to the studies behind these conclusions (as referenced by the numbers), follow
this link and click on the corresponding numbers.