Today’s Guardian has another of those articles about finding a “genetic” cause for homosexuality. To be fair to whoever wrote it, it doesn’t claim that genetics is the whole cause of sexual orientation, and it does quote views that suggest that things are much more complex. However, us humans have a tendency to see such things in binary terms, and that can be very dangerous. So sure, having a biological component to sexual preference could help enshrine legal protections for LGBT people. But ideas about “genetic” causes can also lead to parents wanting their children screen for “gayness” prior to birth, and you can bet that would be one case where the fundies would suddenly become all in favor of abortion.

So before you take any of this seriously, you may want to read Ekaterina Sedia’s post on twin studies. You should also note that, this being The Guardian, the article gives a lot of space to J. Michael Bailey, who is possibly the last person on the planet who should be trusted to pronounce on issues of sexuality (see here for more about him).