Two possible ways of convincing conservatives that sexuality has a biological element.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1) "When did you choose to be straight?" doesn't really work - most conservatives believe that people "start out" straight, but some then choose to be gay.

But I think (although I've never tried it) that "do you think you could be gay - could you fall in love with or be sexually attracted to someone of the same sex as you if you did try?" followed by "if not, where does the difference between you and people who do?" might make more of an impact.

I suspect that in most cases it still won't, but it might succeed in convincing at least some people who don't believe it that there is a biological* component** to the determination of sexuality.


2) Even simpler and more effective, but relies on the person you're talking to either trusting you or bothering to look up what you say, and also really interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation#Physiological




*Not "biological", not "genetic" - the biological factors may or may not be partly genetic, but the link above suggests they almost certainly aren't solely, and may not be at all.

**"Component", not "sexuality is biologically determined" - there's overwhelmingly strong evidence that environmental factors and in some cases individual choice play a part.

[digonswine]

1. #1 does not work-they already know with their smug certainty-

that some folks are just "perverts" and choose to be gay. They know this!

#2--too "sciency"-if a person has the mindset to be affected by evidence or facts, and they make judgments that way, they are unlikely to be prejudiced to begin with.

I do not expect people cemented in their ways to change--I have tried. They laugh.

One man I worked with smugly said that he had no problems with gay marriage, as long as they marry the opposite sex.
I asked him how he would feel if a gay man married his daughter. He laughed it off. Their minds are closed, in general.

[arcane1]

2. Nobody has yet to accept my $1,000 challenge:

Choose to be gay for 24 hours, then choose not to be gay anymore. If you succeed, you get a thousand dollars from me (in installments, of course!)

Your point #1 is right on. Many people say being gay is a choice, but then come up with all kinds of reasons why THEY would never be able to choose it, and can never come to the obvious conclusion as to why some people "choose" to do so: because they're gay!!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. Hmm. Given that I'm single, and intend to stay that way, that sounds like easy money...