I haven’t been able to find the interview, but sometime in the first decade of the current century I watched a talking head on TV ask President Bush if homosexuality was a choice. At that time our popular information media, misunderstanding the science as they usually do, were pushing the narrative that homosexuality was genetically determined. (Genetically determined is different from genetically influenced. Every action we take is genetically influenced. Few of our actions are genetically determined.) In this column I use the Socratic method to attempt to answer the question, “Is homosexuality a choice?” in the form of a discussion between a generic philosopher named George Socrates (GS) and a generic TV personality named Talking Head (TH).
TH: Is homosexuality a choice?
GS: Do you agree that those engaging in homosexuality are human?
TH: I don’t know. There may be homosexual animals.
GS: Well then, will you agree to limit the question to humans for this investigation?
TH: Sure.
GS: Do you agree that homosexuality is a behavior?
TH: I believe that homosexuality is an inherent characteristic that some people are born with, regardless of their behavior.
GS: Interesting. As you have defined “homosexuality” the answer to your question is contained in your definition, and the question you initially asked is moot. We will not get far into this investigation unless we can agree on definitions of the words “homosexuality” and “choice”. Will you allow me to address homosexuality as a behavior for this investigation?
TH: Well, okay.
GS: Are humans mere automatons with all of our behaviors forced upon us mechanically by genetics and environment, or are humans capable of free will?
TH: Gee. I’m not sure.
GS: Well, if the former is true, then humans are inherently incapable of choice and the initial question is pointless. For the purpose of this investigation may we assume that humans are capable of free will?
TH: Yes, let’s assume we have free will.
GS: So the question is, Given that humans have free will, do those who engage in homosexual behavior choose to do so?
TH: Yes, that is the question.
GS: To turn the question around, we are asking, would they be able to stop engaging in homosexual behavior if they chose?
TH: Yes, that is the question.
GS: Do those who engage in homosexual behavior do so constantly, or do they sometimes take breaks?
TH: They mostly live normal lives, only engaging in homosexual behavior on occasion.
GS: So they clearly are able to stop engaging in homosexual behavior for extended periods. Are these homosexual occasions forced upon the participants against their will?
TH: They are most often consensual.
GS: It seems we need to define “consensual”, which comes from the root word, “consent”. The Free Dictionary says that, “Consent is an act of reason and deliberation,” and that it requires “sufficient mental capacity to make an intelligent decision.” Do you agree?
TH: Yes, I agree that consent requires reason and deliberation and sufficient mental capacity.
GS: And the word, “choice”, comes from the root word, “choose”. The Free Dictionary lists “decide” as a synonym of choose, and says that to decide involves reasoning and judgment. As both require reasoning, may we assume that consent implies an ability to choose?
TH: I agree that consent seems to imply an ability to choose. Without an ability to choose, the concept of consent would be meaningless.
GS: So what conclusion does that lead us to?
TH: It seems that if we assume humans have free will, homosexuality is behavior, and homosexual behavior is consensual, then homosexuality must be a choice. Is that what you conclude?
GS: Perhaps. I’m not sure.
Initially posted 2021/08/07
Minor edits 2021/08/09