Tasty Tuesday

Womb environment 'makes men gay'



A man's sexual orientation may be determined by conditions in the womb, according to a study.

Previous research had revealed the more older brothers a boy has, the more likely he is to be gay, but the reason for this phenomenon was unknown.

But a Canadian study has shown that the effect is most likely down to biological rather than social factors.

The research is published in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Anthony Bogaert from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, studied 944 heterosexual and homosexual men with either "biological" brothers, in this case those who share the same mother, or "non-biological" brothers, that is, adopted, step or half siblings.


These results support a prenatal origin to sexual orientation development in men
Professor Anthony Bogaert

He found the link between the number of older brothers and homosexuality only existed when the siblings shared the same mother.

The amount of time the individual spent being raised with older brothers did not affect their sexual orientation.

'Maternal memory'

Writing in the journal, Professor Bogaert said: "If rearing or social factors associated with older male siblings underlies the fraternal birth-order effect [the link between the number of older brothers and male homosexuality], then the number of non-biological older brothers should predict men's sexual orientation, but they do not.

"These results support a prenatal origin to sexual orientation development in men."

He suggests the effect is probably the result of a "maternal memory" in the womb for male births.

A woman's body may see a male foetus as "foreign", he says, prompting an immune reaction which may grow progressively stronger with each male child.

The antibodies created may affect the developing male brain.

In an accompanying article, scientists from Michigan State University said: "These data strengthen the notion that the common denominator between biological brothers, the mother, provides a prenatal environment that fosters homosexuality in her younger sons."

"But the question of mechanism remains."

Andy Forrest, a spokesman for gay rights group Stonewall, said: "Increasingly, credible evidence appears to indicate that being gay is genetically determined rather than being a so-called lifestyle choice.

"It adds further weight to the argument that lesbian and gay people should be treated equally in society and not discriminated against for something that's just as inherent as skin colour."



India Royals Disown Gay Prince

(BANG) - India's Prince Manvendrasinh Gohil has been disowned by his family after admitting he is gay.

Prince Gohil belongs to India's former royal family, which once ruled the state of Rajpipla in India's western state of Gujarat.

The prince was quoted on Gulf Daily News website as saying: "I told my parents I was gay.

"Initially, it was difficult for them to accept it. They tried to convert me to heterosexuality. The doctors told them that was not possible and I guess they could not deal with the stigma."

The royal scandal reportedly broke out after Gohil revealed his sexual orientation in a magazine interview.

The prince - who in actively involved with local government HIV/Aids programs - tends to lead a private life at the Rajpipla palace.

The royal - who is supported by Indian gay and lesbian groups - says he wants to bring gay issues into India's public arena.

He was quoted as saying: "All I want to do is to ensure there is a discussion and people talk about homosexuality and that we get some sort of social status."