ty is passed through the maternal side. So he began his search on the X chromosome, which males get only from their mothers. From each subject he isolated and identified the same set of 22 markers -- short, easily distinguished stretches of DNA that vary from person to person and that geneticists use to flag a particular spot on a chromosome. If two brothers shared a marker, chances were pretty good that they shared the genes in the neighborhood of that marker as well. Thirty-three of the 40 pairs of brothers, Hamer found, shared the same set of five markers in a region of the chromosome called Xq28, far too many to be a coincidence. Somewhere in that region, he concluded, was a gene or genes contributing to the homosexuality of these men.” (Pool, 1997). Another study conducted by Bailey and Pillard found that of gay men who had a twin or adopted brother, 52% of the identical twins, 22% of fraternal twins, and only 11% of the adoptive brothers were gay. These results suggest that there is a genetic predisposition to homosexuality (Weiten, 1998). From a societal standpoint, acceptance of either theory or belief is not necessarily relevant. America’s archetypal relationship is heterosexual. Although recent breakdowns of social norms have allowed homosexual couples some of the same privileges as heterosexual couples such as health insurance and legal marriage, homosexuality is still largely unaccepted. Like the black community of the 1950s and 1960s, homosexuals face heavy discrimination and hate crimes, but unlike the black community, are not allowed the privilege of legal marriage. In most states, a homosexual marriage is not recognized even if the couple was wed in a state that does recognize homosexual union (like Hawaii). For these reasons, it is difficult to believe that one would choose a homosexual lifestyle. It is a possibility that in some cases traumatic events in a person’s life may make homosexuality...
