Family & Life Magazine Issue 8 | Page 18

NURTURE ITY AL EXU OS OM H sing iscus d By hah Nasri S ren hild th c wi o the rust int been th much e apore’s bia hav er rd Sing mopho n Boa TION e neith and ho RODUC n homosexuality e Health Promotio h discussions ar Health INT , suc of th aused ions o asic owever release allout c Discuss s the “b ruary. H ith the suing f ht w e en remain in Feb ex spotlig , yet th amily y F AQ same-s gapore y that f exualit g in Sin about s to clarif uraging o talked pelled breakin not enc roundf e e l c o m e F AQ s w e r e w nor g ry. ong to ne im Y that th adviso r Gan K health ty” and Ministe ing as a of socie t was ac g block buildin ther, it ips. Ra sh relation 1 g ago in t too lon when o It was n this year y Februar furore among r as a there w ens. The trigge z n ti local ne due to an FAQ o e was ted by th ity crea n Board sexual motio alth Pro sri explores He re. Na ic Singapo ions of this top licat ildren. the imp your ch on 2 Unfortunately, the unchanging terms of the discussions in Singapore – often along the lines of “Nature versus Nurture” and “East versus West” – are sorely lacking the context of recent legislative, academic and cultural changes towards sexuality in general. Also, anyone who has spoken to a child knows that communication with children is dynamic and not just a one-way channel. Whilst it is important that discussions accommodate different viewpoints, civic responsibility demands that these discussions not only reflect but also respond to these changes. After all, the recent HPB brouhaha illustrates that it is important to openly discuss, rather than shy away from, the topic. 18 Family & Life • May 2014 3 ABOUT THAT GAY GENE Discussions around homosexuality came into being in the 19th century. The “nature/nurture” divide finds its etymological roots in the work of British polymath Francis Galton, who was otherwise known for his dubious research on hereditary traits and eugenics in criminals. In more recent memory, eugenics played a large part in the policies of the Nazi party who colourcoded their prisoners according to what the authorities deemed were their respective “defects” – foremost among these being homosexuality, which was represented by a pink triangle. From the 1960s till the present day, this nature/nurture divide has been turned on its head. Research has been carried out on the hypothesis of a “gay gene”, as it was described by media in the early 1990s, often by geneticists empathetic to LGBT rights. For instance, the work of American geneticist Dean Hamer in 1993 found that there were genetic similarities amongst homosexual members of the same family. More recently this year, a study conducted by Dr Michael Bailey discovered that there were at least two chromosomes that affected a man’s sexual orientation. “Sexual orientation has nothing to do with choice. Our findings suggest there may be genes at play - we found evidence for two sets that affect whether a man is gay or straight,” Dr Bailey says. However, he sounds a word of caution and explains that there are certainly other enviro