Is homosexuality a matter of choice or is it determined by your genes? -- Sam, 19, Iowa

The answer is: a little of both. Certainly culture and life experiences shape behavior—sexual and otherwise. But some good scientific evidence shows that genes do play a role—more so in male homosexuals than female. That doesn’t mean there’s a “gay gene.”

Genetics are rarely that simple — especially when human behavior is involved. At most, the genes you inherit can modestly raise or lower the chances that you’ll be attracted to people of the same sex.

The real point, though, is that it doesn’t matter whether—or to what extent—genes play a role in sexual orientation. What consenting adults do sexually is nobody else’s business, and discriminating against homosexuals, regardless of its origins, is just wrong.

Dr. Harry Fisch is a board certified urologist. He’s here to answer reader questions in an effort to get guys to “man up about health.”

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