Open-Minded Readers Welcome!

Below is part of a conversation I had online tonight with a friend (I love indepth, open-minded, conversations with people, especially late at night...HA!) Anyways, I'd love for you to read it and share your opinions on the matter. Leave me a comment!

My Away Message: I'm in the shower, BUT...I’d LOVE your opinion on homosexuality. Especially whether you think it is the way a person is born or a choice made by the person. I'll be back soon enough..... ;-)


Friend: what exactly is this for? your personal edification or otherwise?
Friend: the opinion on homosexuality, that is.
Me: just curiosity.....i mean i'm currently writing a paper on Vermont's law for civil unions....so that just has me currently thinking about homosexuality...but this doesn't really pertain to the paper at all besides both being about homosexuality....i am just curious...i have my own theories on the subject...and i think there is a pattern to what people think and the "type" of person it comes from
Friend: i'm curious to know what you think, not that i am not willing to share my own thoughts as well. you just piqued my curiosity.
Me: okay...well ask me a specific question and i'll give ya my answer....it will totally depend on how you ask me ;-)
Me: like the question
Me: ;-)
Friend: hehe. i mainly want to see what you have to say about whether or not someone is born a homosexual, whether it is something that comes from different factors in one's life and possibly genes, whether it is a choice, or others.
Me: hmm.....okay...well....
Me: though you didn't ask...
Me: lol
Me: i want to first say i am accepting of homosexual people...
Me: i don't have anything against them
Friend: i am glad
Me: though i probably fall into what i believe to be the typical "heterosexual view"...as i think it is a choice
Me: though...
Me: i do think a lot of things can lead to it....
Me: where it can make an individual feel as though it wasn't a "choice" per say
Me: it could be unconscious things that lead up to the "choice"
Me: so the "choice" could be unconscious
Friend: that's a good well thought out opinion, and i think i'm inclined to agree, though i guess i hold out on the genetic thing saying that it is possible for genes to make one predisposed to struggling with homosexuality or same sex attraction, but who knows. i think it is a lot of unconscious factors, even ones that wouldn't seem to "cause" one to be a "homosexual.
Friend: "
Friend: i also think that it can be a conscious choice.
Me: okay hold on...
Me: i'm not sure i totally caught your part about genes...
Me: so are you saying you think genes COULD play a part
Me: ?
Me: because if so that would mean you think it could be that a person is "born that way", right?
Friend: i think it is possible, because we do not know. i guess i would chalk it up to saying that someone can be genetically predisposed to struggling with alcoholism. i do not believe that to be the case with homosexuality, but i guess i refuse to completely rule it out either. if, and only if, that were true, it could make a person predisposed to struggling with it, but my friend is not an alcoholic, though her father is, and most likely if she ever had a drink, she would be, too. it's just a theory i don't rule out, but i don't fall back on either. i believe that it is a combination of choice and factors from life, while i still pay attention to what is going on on the genetics side of things, because i haven't completely crossed it off the list, since we do not know a whole lot. but, it is my friend's choice as to whether or not she becomes an alcoholic. so, i still think there is a choice involved, no matter what the other evidence may be.
Me: very true...i totally agree that it shouldn't be ruled out. I think that is the case with MANY things in life...i mean heck....look at how long EVERYONE it seemed like in the world thought the world was flat...then poof...there that went...thanks to our buddy Christopher....but as for the alcoholic thingy....this one i wonder if it is so much alcohol the substance itself...or a genetic predisposition of addiction....whether it is to alcohol or any addicting substance
Me: this i'm not real sure on yet
Friend: i'm not either
Friend: i mean, i have an addictive personality, whether it be alcohol or anything else.
Me: :-)
Me: see...i think things that are genetic aren't things like substances....like the alcohol part....like needing alcohol....it is the genetic trait of becoming addicted to SOMETHING and struggling with overcoming that addiction....either not having the mental capabilities to overcome it without addressing the problem and/or getting help...or whether it is something else....like what is the actual addiction...maybe for alcohol...using it as a resort to handle aspects of life....maybe it is that part that is genetic
Friend: true. i don't know.
Friend: i think we all have addictive behaviors, the question is whether or not we will become addicted to them, and what causes us to become addicted to those things. and i don't know what it is.
Me: yes...i believe we are all tempted with becoming addicted to ALL sorts of things.....some have more resistance to those temptations, while others maybe not as much resistance....but i think we all become "addicted" in a sense to something(s) in life....some okay things, so not so okay...AKA unhealthy things
Friend: right
Friend: agreed