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Summary of the Research

The scientists are interested in the broad question of what causes sexual attraction or sexual partner preference. They are examining this question only at a physiological level, not a psychological level, by asking whether and which brain circuits or hormones are involved. The sheep model was behaviorally well understood through previous research conducted by other researchers and is unique/interesting in that rams show a variety of sexual activity and preference. By using an animal model researchers can control many conditions, like age and rearing conditions in order to test scientific hypotheses to gain understanding.

Key Points

  • The research is not about, and has never been about, “curing” homosexuality. The scientists are completely opposed to this idea and have never proposed this. The claim is a complete fabrication by PETA aimed at creating opposition to the research in order to further their aim of eliminating all research involving animals.
  • Sexual orientation is an important human trait that has been understudied because of political concerns.   In fact, several studies have shown that people who believe that homosexuality is biologically based are less homophobic than people who think that this orientation is acquired and mutable.  The argument that there are biological roots for sexual orientation has been an important driving force behind the modern LGBT civil rights movement.
  • The role of a scientist. The job of a basic scientist is to add to the library of human scientific knowledge, promote the free exchange of ideas, and to rationally evaluate them with the available evidence.  The scientists involved in this research believe that it would be unethical to use biological information to try to assess or alter a person’s current or future sexual orientation or other normal behavioral attributes.  However, stopping the misuse of knowledge should not require the suppression of scientific discovery, rather scientists should work together with policy makers and the public to ensure that this kind of research is used for the good of all people.  
  • The research is funded by National Institutes of Health and has undergone peer review by a panel of scientific experts. The process of obtaining funding for scientific research in the US is an arduous task in which less than 10% of all proposals succeed. Research proposals are reviewed by a panel of scientists with expertise in the field and scored against all other grants submitted in a given research area.  This is not a political process, but peer-reviewed, scientific process.