from Press Releases
For Immediate Release
October 24, 2003
For more information, contact:
NARTH Vice President Dr. A. Dean Byrd, 818.789.4440
The study, conducted by UCLA genetics professor Dr. Eric Vilain, was published in the latest issue of Molecular Brain Research. A headline in Reuters on October 20, 2003, read: "Sexual Identity Hard-Wired by Genetics--Study." The article quoted Dr. Vilain as stating, "Sexual identity is rooted in every person's biology before birth and springs from a variation in our individual genome." Vilain's study was done on mice to discover the role that genes may play in creating differences in the male and female brain.
Reuters and other media outlets are mistakenly reporting that Vilain's study is evidence for a "gay gene" or a gene that controls whether or not a person feels like he's a man trapped in a woman's body or a woman trapped in a man's body.
According to Dr. Throckmorton, all this study "really suggests is that genes may play a role in creating differences in male and female brains. This not news; researchers have known this for a long time." Throckmorton says this study has nothing to do with the formation of sexual orientation. (Dr. Throckmorton is Director of College Counseling and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Grove City College.)
NARTH Vice President Dr. Byrd notes that media reports have failed to note that this study was conducted on mice, not on human beings. Says Dr. Byrd, "There is no animal model that accurately reflects human sexuality. Pigs don't date, ducks don't go to church and mice don't fall in love."
NARTH's Director of Publications, Linda Nicolosi, comments, "What's new about this study? Nothing, at least as regards the study of homosexuality .... The most alarming problem with this study is the inaccurate headlines it's getting." NARTH has published a more detailed reaction to the coverage of Vilain's study on the NARTH web site.
Dr. Throckmorton's analysis of the Vilain study and the reporting on this study, is available here: Of Mice and Gay Men. He can be contacted at: ewthrockmorton@gcc.edu. Dr. Throckmorton has additional commentary on the Vilain study at: TruthComesOut.com.
NARTH has an extensive collection of articles on genetics, homosexuality, and sexual orientation: "Is Homosexuality Genetic?" Both Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Byrd are available for press interviews.
NARTH, founded in 1992, is composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, certified social workers, professional and pastoral counselors and other behavioral scientists, as well as laymen from a wide variety of backgrounds such as law, religion, and education.
NARTH
307 West 200 South, Suite 3001
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
1-888-364-4744
Email: info@narth.com