Memo to Lady Gaga: "Born This Way" Doesn't Mean "Act This Way"

It remains unclear whether sexual orientation is genetically determined. Even if it is, that doesn’t justify advocacy for same-sex marriage.

The underlying message is that we as a society should just accept any and all manifestations of sexual orientation and sexual behavior because people are merely acting upon their God-given biological inclinations. The end result for those saturated in this cultural marinade is that they are afraid to refuse the designation of marriage to same-sex couples who are only doing what comes “naturally” to them.

There are two problems with this type of reasoning. First, it’s questionable whether sexual orientation is biologically determined. Second, even if genetic and developmental factors cause one to have same-sex attractions, it does not follow that one’s biology should determine one’s behavior, much less dictate one’s morality.

In the last twenty years, scientific research has failed to generate a consensus on the exact relationship between biological factors and same-sex attractions. But there is general agreement that genetic/developmental factors do have an influence....

Given these complexities, it should not be surprising that studies looking for a biological cause for homosexuality in humans have been equivocal, leaving plenty of room for social and environmental factors to influence sexual preference...

Consequently, it’s not clear whether all people with homosexual inclinations, or even the majority, are born that way or if social and environmental factors shape their attractions. But even if one were to grant, in the face of ambiguous evidence, that Lady Gaga is right, it doesn’t follow that such behavior should be promoted and sanctioned by codifying same-sex marriage into law.

Read more at Public Discourse.