FAQ
- What is the purpose of the research?
- Why study sheep?
- Other than increasing understanding, are there additional goals for this research?
- Are there truly gay sheep?
- Can you provide a more detailed explanation of the research?
- Has this been studied in humans?
- Did you attempt to change the animals’ partner preference?
- What are the ethical issues relating to the research?
- Is the research being conducted to prove that sexual preference is biological?
- Is this research being conducted to advance a political or social agenda?
- What role do the scientists play?
- Are the sheep well cared for and treated humanely?
- Who pays for and oversees this research?
What is the purpose of the research?
The studies are basic science research meaning that they are aimed at gaining basic understanding. The researchers 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.
Why study sheep?
Previous research has provided extensive information about sheep behavior. Observational studies have shown that rams show a variety of sexual activity and preference. Through behavioral observation, rams can be identified that either exclusively mate with females or males By studying animals, we can control for many conditions, like the animal's age and their rearing conditions, to provide information regarding the connection between brain physiology and sex preference.
Other than increasing understanding, are there additional goals for this research?
The research is not about, and has never been about, “curing” homosexuality. The researchers are completely opposed to this idea and have never proposed this. This is a complete fabrication by the animal rights group PETA which hopes to create opposition in order to further their aim of eliminating all research involving animals. To make this false claim, activists heavily edited the researcher’s comments and news articles about the research.
Are there truly gay sheep?
The terminology in this scientific field is fraught with semantic mine fields. As a practice, the scientists do not refer to rams as gay, homosexual and heterosexual because these terms have human connotations and we did not think that same-sex mounting by rams was parallel to homosexual behavior in human men. The researchers believe that male-oriented sexual partner preference in rams is not strictly equitable with human sexual orientation because sexual orientation in humans is more complex and involves many factors. In covering this research, the media has oversimplified this distinction by labeling these rams as “gay rams.” While the scientists refer to “sexual preference” in rams, the terminology is inadequate because it implies that there are conscious choices involved.
Can you provide a more detailed explanation of the research?
The research investigates the links between sexual preference, brain structure and brain chemistry. There have been several reports that the brains of male and female-oriented rams are different (i.e. more estrogen receptors in a portion of the brain called the amygdala, less aromatase in preoptic area of the brain.) In previous research, scientists found that an area of the brain that is involved in sexual behavior is different in female-oriented rams versus male-oriented rams and ewes. The researchers interpret this as a “biological correlate” for sexual attraction. This brain area is not the “sexual orientation center”, but is an important part of the circuit involved in all aspects of sexual behavior.
Has this been studied in humans?
The findings about the sheep brain are similar to researcher Simon LeVay’s highly-publicized results in humans and further validate the idea that same sex attraction is biologically mediated. A summary of Levay’s research can be found here.
OHSU’s findings also expand on LeVay’s research and provide additional understanding.
Did you attempt to change the animals’ partner preference?
No. The scientists needed to test their hypothesis that testosterone plays a role in determining partner preference before the birth of a sheep. Therefore, the researchers influenced testosterone in sheep to determine whether this influences brain development and behavioral expression. The scientists believe that it would be overly simplistic and offensive to think that this information would be the basis of a “cure” for homosexuality.
What are the ethical issues relating to the research?
There are no known means that offer parents control over the sexual orientation of their children in utero. Biological research on sexual partner preferences in sheep or any other animals is unlikely to change this situation, nor is that the goal. 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 gay and lesbian civil rights movement.
Is the research being conducted to prove that sexual preference is biological?
No. The research is a basic science study aimed at gaining basic understanding of the brain and it's role in sexual partner preference.
Is this research being conducted to advance a political or social agenda?
No.
What role do the scientists play?
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 ideas with the available evidence. Some believe that reliable scientific knowledge is morally and ethically neutral. Others believe that scientists must take responsibility if their findings are misused. In the latter regard, it must be pointed out that basic science is a collective activity with no single individual controlling the process of discovery. When pursuing basic research, no one can know what will be found, what new questions will be raised or insights gained.
Are the sheep well cared for and treated humanely?
Yes. OHSU and OSU follow all levels of animal care regulations including the Animal Welfare Act and the National Institutes of Health guidelines for the care and use of animals. Both institutions receive periodic, unannounced inspections by the USDA and are in good standing with the USDA in regards to the care of animals. Moreover, all of the research protocols are reviewed and approved by each institution's federally-mandated animal care and use committee before being conducted.
Who pays for and oversees this research?
The research is funded by the federal government's 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 United States is an arduous task in which less than 10% of all proposals succeed. It involves composing a grant proposal which outlines the hypothesis to be tested, the significance of the research, the experimental design, and the expertise available to complete the project. The grant proposal also presents a discussion of how the results will be interpreted. This document is then 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 (where scientists are the peers) scientific process.
