Frank McKown, co-chair of the Los Angeles Archdiocese's Catholic Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Persons, said he tries to teach people that being gay or lesbian “isn't a choice but an orientation and that we are all God’s children.” Yet, in “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” it states: “Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.” (CCC #2357) What I find most interesting and telling about this section is that the Church purposely used the term “psychological” not biological when referring to the possible origins of homosexuality. Therefore, the Church has clearly taken the stance that the root causes of homosexuality lies within the psyche not with genetics.
Some of the evidence:
From May 1989 through April 1990, 1001 adult homosexual and bisexual men attending sexually transmitted disease clinics were interviewed regarding potentially abusive sexual contacts during childhood and adolescence. 37% of participants reported they had been encouraged or forced to have sexual contact before age 19 with an older or more powerful partner; 94% occurred with men. Median age of the participants at first contact was 10; Median age difference between partners was 11 years.
L.S. Doll, “Self-Reported Childhood and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Among Homosexual Bisexual Men,” Child Abuse and Neglect 16, no 6. (1992) pp. 855-64.
The Archives of Sexual Behavior reports “One of the most salient findings of this study is that 46% of homosexual men and 22% of homosexual women reported having been molested by a person of the same gender.”
Marie E. Tomeo, “Comparative Data of Childhood and Adolescent Molestation in Heterosexual and Homosexual Persons,” Archives of Sexual Behavior 30 (2001): 539.
Since 1973, the APA (American Psychiatric Association) has revised their theory concerning the causes of homosexuality, and they chose not to re-list it in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Coincidentally, that same year, Marcel Saghir and Eli Robins MDs. published their landmark study: “Male and female homosexuality: a comprehensive investigation,” in it they found that 18% of homosexual men and 35% of lesbians had lost their father through death or divorce by the age of 10. The figures for heterosexuals were 9% and 4% respectively; up to 70% of homosexual adults describe themselves as having been “sissies” or “tomboys” as children; since the removal of homosexuality from the DSM, studies such as these have been difficult to fund and or get published. However, a new statement from the APA, which appears in a brochure called “Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality,” states the following: “There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors.”
Link to APA brochure: