It’s time to get past ‘born this way’, says developmental psychologist

[Andy McQueen 4,484]

A really interesting article:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22730310-100-s-xuality-is-fluid-its-time-to-get-past-born-this-way/ 

I always believed that s-xuality is fluid among many people. 

 

[gagzus 22,937]

I believe she's just adding fuel to the homophobic fire and is derailing decades of gay rights activism tbh

[DietCoke 386]

I understood and agree with her views on fluidity, but I don't really understand her argument against the 'born this way' tagline? Can someone please explain?

[gagzus 22,937]

I understood and agree with her views on fluidity, but I don't really understand her argument against the 'born this way' tagline? Can someone please explain?

she's essentially saying you're not born with your s-xuality it develops 

[Red 99,106]

I am not really into this "s-xuality is fluid" concept tbh, it is just a politicly correct way for straight people to say that they had homos-xual experiences but are not homos-xual or just a way to overcomplicate bis-xuality

[AgusPop 4,162]

Sorry, but that is exactly the kind of things the homophobic people think.

We were born this way. that's all.

Gay people can't be Hetero and vice versa. in that case they were born bis-xuals.

We were born in one point of this scale, called Kinsey Scale

 

[Quasi 11,031]

she's essentially saying you're not born with your s-xuality it develops 

If that's how it's gonna be seen as, the LGBT community will just again be seen as a "product" of perverse and rebellious societal factors. People will be inclined to think that homos-xuality and transgenderism can be "fixed". I'm all for scientific progress but I need more than just one psychologist to discredit years of other research. 

[Andy McQueen 4,484]

But what for example with actor Anthony Perkins - he first only had affairs with men (so gay?) until the age of about 39 - then he only had relationships with women (so straight?). Do you think he was bis-xual, secretly gay or also s-xually fluid in a way, like he always said he felt shy around women and then suddenly fell in love with Victoria Principal deeply. What do you think?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Perkins#Personal_life 

 

[Tokyo Rose 1,475]

Someone might discover attraction to a gender they didn't think they were attracted to later in life, but I don't think that means the person was born one way and then changed to something else.

For example a hyper-masculine male may never consider that he could be attracted to his own s-x, because it wouldn't occur to him to think of other males in a s-xual context. Then, one day he becomes aroused by another man and discovers that he's attracted to both genders. 

[Andy McQueen 4,484]

I mean, what I'm trying to say is: Do you think that, for example a man like Anthony Perkins, didn't identify as bis-xual but as gay at first, but then suddenly devloped feelings for a woman with 39 to his surprise and since then also had several relationships with women - what if this was s-xual fluid and not really bis-xual? Like it suddenly completly changed and felt like a straight men - like I know this is the rarest thing ever, but would it be possible? Of course it's no excuse because you can't make gays straight and vice versa - I'm just thinking if straight men have homos-xual encounters if they immediately identify as bis-xual or still as straight, for example. 

But I do understand what you all mean and I also think it can be dangerous, such views. Although the psychologist herself says she is lesbian and always will be, since she doesn't identify as s-xual fluid herself, for example. So that's the question, if identity/behaviour/gender identity AND orientation could change over an amount of time without any explanation or not. (No idea if genetically or psychologically or both etc. ...)

[Andy McQueen 4,484]

Now I get it, thank you! Also the twin study she is referring to with the genetics is very interesting.

 

[AgusPop 4,162]

But what for example with actor Anthony Perkins - he first only had affairs with men (so gay?) until the age of about 39 - then he only had relationships with women (so straight?). Do you think he was bis-xual, secretly gay or also s-xually fluid in a way, like he always said he felt shy around women and then suddenly fell in love with Victoria Principal deeply. What do you think?

he was born in this point of the scale:

 

[gagzus 22,937]

But what for example with actor Anthony Perkins - he first only had affairs with men (so gay?) until the age of about 39 - then he only had relationships with women (so straight?). Do you think he was bis-xual, secretly gay or also s-xually fluid in a way, like he always said he felt shy around women and then suddenly fell in love with Victoria Principal deeply. What do you think?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Perkins#Personal_life 

 

his s-xuality is gay because that's who he was s-xually attracted to and probably was STILL s-xuality attracted to, in my mind love & s-x are often confused in society I think you can love someone of the same gender and not be gay and be gay but love someone of the opposite gender. Sexuality is reflective of who s-xually attracts you, love is who emotionally attracts you imo.

[gagzus 22,937]

also, i would like to say whether you're born with your s-xuality or not, we should keep the mentality alive for the sake of tolerance and more importantly self-acceptance, so kids don't feel as if they've "made the wrong choice" in life or some religious LGBTQ+ kids don't feel like "a mistake god made".

[littleFandor 204]

as some here might already have refered to. "Born this way", at least for me, isn't about any s-xuality or any privilage you are born with, it is just a metaphor for being just what you are... whether you have your first 40 years only s-x with men and then only with women or if you change skin color or you dye you hair green. Just being what you are the decision you make your whole life, being what you are without opressive influences from others.
I mean if you see it in a pure linguistic way of course it means you are born with a certain property. Depends on the context of course.