I never once chose my sexual orientation. It just happened that I am a female attracted to males. I didn't think about it at all. It just happened naturally.

I take it from the question you are undecided about which team to bat for.

I do care, very much. So you are yourself straight then I take it. And, because I realise that you also care to know, I am not bi-anything either. Now it's all out in the open it seems pointless to answer the question, you already know what it is.

Yes I did choose to be straight. I looked at the guys and the girls. I said to myself, where do I put my thing inside. And it was a fit! No pun intended.

I was brainwashed into being straight by the elitist conservative media conspiracy. But I probably would have been straight anyway...

I don't think people "choose" what gender they're attracted to. I do think some people choose to BEHAVE as heterosexuals for reasons of conveinence, but that doesn't change whether they truly are one or not.

i think its wut they r taught, but i dont think gay ppl chooose to be gay, its just the way they r and there's nothing wrong with that.

No more than gay people choose to be gay. We're all programmed to be unique. I do think, though, that many gay people have chosen to lead ill-fitting straight lifestyles because of what's been taught to them by society. But as for choice versus genetics, I don't think there's any question on the matter.

to me, there is nothing attractive about a naked man, (unless that naked man is me) i was not taught this, i think we just know

Born straight, stayed straight. Not taught, just the way I was born. I could have been born gay and grown into a gay male. I did not. Education has nothing at all to do with being or not being straight or gay, but it can remove stereotypes around sexual identity and preference.

haha, great question! i guess i chose to be straight the first time a lesbian hit on me and i said "that's not for me." i think its going to be more true in the near future because so many more young people are experimenting with their sexuality than did when i was in high school (in the 80s and early 90s) so they will be making a more informed decision if they settle with one side or the other.

I have never consciously made the decision 'I am straight' but I'm not certain I was born that way either (you don't consider your sexuality for several years after you're born do you?). It may have been environmental factors affecting me subconciously - learning from my parents actions, for example or I could have just been that way from birth. It may have been a combination of both, born with a leaning towards being straight and then this being secured by external aspects pushing me in that direction. Can we ever know for sure?

Actually,I think I see where this question is going. I have never heard of anyone choosing to be straight, BUT,(now don't get mad at me,I'm pro family), I have known men and women who have claimed to always know they were gay. I will not dispute it, for only they can know for sure. I HAVE however known men and women who have chosen to be gay. The women told me themselves that they 'went lesbian' because they were tired of dealing with men's sh*t. The men have told me that they went gay because they couldn't attract a woman they liked. In these women's cases, They just didn't want the challenge of making it work with a man, or they let one or two bad experiences spoil the whole bunch. The men just didn't want to be alone anymore. I'm not bashing. I just don't have any particular political agenda to promote so I look at it from outside the box, objectively.

no one chooses to be anything.

I believe that everyone is born straight. When you come to the knowledge of something you make the choice to walk in it, or walk the other way. Just like I believe all of us know right from wrong as our parents taught us.

Both. They were born that way, and chose to stay that way, probably, but not necessarily, because of the way they were taught growing up. Different people make different choices in spite, often, of seemingly identical environments in which they were raised.

I suppose I choose to be straight because of the overwhelming media bias towards the straight lifestyle and the fact that I fell prey to the brainwashing of the conservative Christian agenda. The fact that this alternative lifestyle is taught in schools sealed my fate...I'm forever doomed to be a heterosexual, unless I can find one of the popular camps that promises to cure me of my sick affliction. Credible psychologists and psychiatrists no longer classify heterosexuality as a mental disorder, so I cannot find treatment via that avenue. On a serious note, I didn't make a cognitive decision to be straight, and gays do not make a cognitive decision to be gay, either.

For me I guess I was just born that way (straight)

You cant pick and choose who you're attracted to and i dont thnk you can teach someone to be attracted to certain people. I think it's an environmental thing.

You don't choose your orientation. But we live in a world where education is made by straight people, that's why first you think it's normal for you to be attracted by a girl if you're a man. But quickly you will see that for you straight orientation is not the good one for you.

STRAIGHT PEOPLE CAN NEVER BE HOMOSEXUAL, GAY-LESBIAN-TRANS-BISEXUAL BECAUSE THERE IS NO CHOICE IN BEING OF THE GAY, HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE OR IN ALL TIME PAST AND PRESENT. At OHSU, hospital and research institution, there is beginning to be actual proof that homosexuals are born with a difference in the brain, therefore in the heart also, than non-homosexuals. Being gay happens sometime in the 9 months before birth. It is NOT A CHOICE. The only CHOICE is whether or when to 'come out'...God help us as Americans who say we believe in freedom, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness (in being who we are with joy), because anti-differences people especially in religions and Christianity especially, do not accept certain people whom their own Creator, God Almighty of Heaven, made people of different genders, races, cultures, color, and hearts toward someone of the same gender. IF ANYONE BELIEVES THAT GAYS MAKE THE CHOICE TO BE GAY, THE MOST HATED GROUP IN AMERICA AND MAN OTHER COUNTRIES, PAST AND PRESENT, THEN LET THEM ANSWER THIS SINGLE QUESTION HONESTLY: When, date with story about it, did YOU CHOOSE/DECIDE TO BE HETEROSEXUAL(gender not intercourse) OR EVEN BI-SEXUAL (gender, DNA, not sexual intercourse? If answered honestly, the only answer is "I did not choose to, I just am." and there you have the answer as to why someone is gay. All anyone wants is to be who they are as created cell by cell by the Creator, God. Straight people who do not want to have a loving romantically heart, not genitals, that draws their heart to love someone of the opposite gender, CANNOT AND SURELY WOULD NOT TO SAY THEY CHANGED THEIR MIND AND ARE SUDDENL HOMOSEXUAL, GAY. In fact, it's laughable and absurb.

I'm 15, and straight. But because I only feel attrcted to guys. Not girls. That's all there is to it for me.

I don't think it's a choice. I believe it's a mix of nature and nurture but it'd be very hard to change.

I think everyone is born bisexual and as with any bisexual, you lean more one way or the other. In the past, procreation has been a driving force that made more people "want" to be hetero.... Now that the world is getting crowded, it only makes sense that the preferences are becoming more evenly distributed.

Only if they really are closet cases in self denial.

How do you explain coming from 2 very straight parents and never seeing a gay person til I was older...(well so I thought lol) How would you say I was taught that? I don't know why people don't understand how difficult it really is. Nobody chooses the hard lifde because they want to...

Truely we are born that way. And in 10 years from now it will be proven. Really now a days its cool to be gay( as the sterio type) But really back in my day... u didnt want to say things like that about the oppisite sex.... it wasnt COOL to be GAY. Now a days u can be whatever u want..some things are still weird but we all know it when we see a petifile. And they are some sick people!!! they use to think that gay people were that way. But its soooo not true. OUR RIGHTS ARE STILL LIMMITED!! GOD BLESS EVERYONE>

I believe being gay or straight is a matter of choice. I believe some say they were born gay, straight, bi, etc. as a result of (sometimes in part) self-made changes to best fit his or her environment(s). For some others (like me), I grew-up with being gay spoken over me simply because I was feminine in demeanour. Though I may have been, you couldn't tell me that a woman wasn't what I wanted; I was (and now more and more again) crazy about them! In that case, there are some who confuse being gay with being effeminate. Of course, I'm sure that there are men that may be more masculine than I, but like it up the a** more than I think I could ever conceive! For guys (like me), it has been one amazing, yet frustrating process away from the gay lifestyle. In other words; to answer the question, I believe sexual orientation is chosen by an individual in regard of "working" with the environment born into. I sincerely do NOT aim to perturb anyone by this response.

Normal has to be straight, sorry to say. If not, how would the human race continue? Look at every other sapient species on earth. Sure, there are times they choose to engage in homosexual behaviour (but it is almost always to do with power plays- I did anthropology at uni) but they always return to straight. Why? Because all animals, including humans, are born to reproduce.

It is scientific fact that all humans are born bisexual, they are neither born gay nor straight. Later in life, nature takes over from there, however certain enviroments and social factors could influence sexual orientation, even still, your born with bisexual tendencies, and your going to die with them as well. This A was derived from National Geographics Television Series "In The Womb", it is available through their website on DVD. Enjoy.

actually we are all born into sin and the devil knows that homosexuality is against god so the devil will put that in your life early by any means necessary. either it be a relative or some stranger on the street and the devil will make whatever sin look appealing to you. I grew up around drugs and fast money so I could have easily took that route because seeing my friend with big wads of 100 dollar bills looked good to me but i choose the other way. if you know the lord the devil will stop at nothing to take you as far away from god as he can. he will tempt you with all kinds of things to get you to turn from god. it just so happens that being gay is the way that the devil knew he could trap you. the devil preys on any weakness that we have and just throws it in our face as to say go ahead it will be fun to do this

I don't think people actually know if they are gay or straight for awhile. You have to start hanging out with people to see what gender you prefer more, and it goes from there.

Great twist on a question I'm sure you're probably sick of hearing. I think straight people are born that way...but I know for a fact a lot of "straight" people are bi or gay but can't/wont admit it to themselves, their friends or their family out of fear that they wont be accepted.

In an attempt to be honest and not showing intolerance, I believe “being straight” is the norm, that’s why the old book says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve. Again, I don’t condemn homosexuality and I believe it’s been around forever. I just think it’s outside the norm. Sorry if I offended anyone, I didn’t mean to.

Apparently, according to a recent study- we are born that way

I don't think there is really a clear cut answer to this question. I know this may sound rather old school and cliche, but if one looks at the old Kinsey studies... (please correct me if I'm wrong)... About 10% of people are exclusively attracted to the same sex, about 10% are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex, and the remaining 80% are somewhere in between. The majority of those "somewhere in between" and leaning towards the middle and straight side probably "choose" to be straight, even though the tendencies to be attracted to the same sex are still present. My opinion is that this is why so many straight people insist it is a choice while nearly all gays and lesbians insist that it is not a choice. I hope this sheds some light on the issue.

I'm straight. I've been brainwashed and scarred for life!

well to hear straight people talk (some) it appears that we gay people 'made the choice'...so by their reasoning any straight person must have fought off gay impulses to be straight....

Of course they don't, not any more than gay people chose to be gay. It's just the way we are. I wish people would just understand that.

Hi Mate, they are born that way, we are all born who we are some gay some bi and some straight

No one "chooses" or can be "taught" their sexual orientation. We are all born genetically pre-disposed to one orientation or another.

Don't they have religious camps that can convert those straight people...maybe shock therapy or something...:)--only kidding

I am a heterosexual male. I did not choose this. I was born this way!

I firmly believe we are all born pre-disposed to one sexual orientation or another. There so many alleged "reasons" that people claim make someone "turn" gay or "choose" to be gay. And I wonder, do any of them actually know someone openly gay? Tried to get to know them? or have they always just blindly believed all the lies, assumptions and lame stereotypes that have been fed to them all their lives? I'm a lesbian, and I believe it's genetic. I have always only been attracted to women. I don't hate men (I have lots of male friends). I was never molested/raped/abused. Didn't know anyone gay growing up who "recruited/influenced" me. It's just who I've always been.

I believe that people are born straight or gay...it's not like watching a certain tv show or wearing certain clothes can change your sexuality. I think that our sexual orientation is a part of our personality. Do people chose to be smart? ignorant? talented? No. They are that way because that's who they are. Certain situations may influence, but in the end, I think it just depends on the person.

I dont remeber being taught to be 'straight' as a kid. I just remember my first woody when I was play fighting on the floor with the girl across the street !

im a female and totally attracted to guys. i find almost all guys(any type) attractive but i don't find girls beautiful or pretty or even attractive. i've even tried to imagine how it would feel like to fall in love with a girl but i failed. guess i was born straight.

No---only the lucky ones are born glbt....:)

Speaking for myself, I was raised/taught to go after whichever gender I was emotionally and physically attracted to. Since I've never even been curious about being with another man, I think it safe to say that I was born heterosexual. I feel that orientation is something one is born with and though it is possible for someone to change how they act, they really can't change how they are.

I was born straight just like gay people were born gay

Hi, no one chooses there sexuality it is just the way people are, could not be simpler really,

Most were born straight

I was definitely born AND raised to be straight. Growing up, I never saw women attractive to me in that way, but guys... hehe, guys caught my attention. I do know someone who is openly gay, and I have no hostility against him for that, but he has told me that he did CHOOSE that path. I don't know his exact reasons, but it's his life.

I was and still am very attractive to men. I am very straight. I strongly believe that we are born that way. It is just more natural to be straight.

No. They are born that way. For the longest time, I thought that I was straight and I knew that I was born that way. But then, a few years ago, I came to realize myself as a gay man. I DID NOT CHOOSE THIS.

They are born with it.

I was born straight, but with only one boy in my eigth grade class out of ten girls. My parents never talked about straight or gays until I was in highschool. It wasn't my parents that affected me it was immature cousins that thought I was weird because I didn't have a boyfriend. When in fact I didn't know how to relate to them. I was very shy. They called me gay and left notes around my house. I have nothing against gays, they actually are nice people. I just don't want to be accused of something I'm not. So I was born that way. But I think if you have 2 parents of the same gender, it might have some affect on you. Boys/girls like to watch their parents and imitate them.

straight people, like gay people are born this way. its not something that you can just turn on or off like a tap. thats why when straight people ask gay people (have you ever thought about not being gay), that whole question is just redundant.

being gay is a chioce. from a more religious point of view, no matter what religion you are, every faith do not support society being gay. talking about biological backgrounds, science continuously evloves, and what they thought was fact fifty years ago, has become untrue. what they thought was never possible, has become a possibility. so being gay is a choice, influenced by external factors like schooling environment, friends and family. those who believe they are born gay, research has shown that they have troubled backgrounds. somewhere or another. and this is a survey done worlwide. i do have gay friends and i may not understand fully, but i have nothing against them. at times they dont even understand themselves. but what society can do is support them and not discriminate them. this is the only way we can tackle the problem abput gay identity/

To be honest with you I'm a bi-sexual and I didn't know it until I got curious and wondered what it was like to be with a woman and found out that I liked it and I'm also married and my husband knows it and he LOVES it too he likes watching two women go at it.

Well, if someone is actually straight, then no, they're straight. I think perhaps alot more people would be honest with themselves and come out if society didn't teach us all that men like women and women like men and anything else is weird. Also, I am a firm believer in the Kinsey scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsey_scale) and I believe most people are not 0s or 6s, but that most people fall somewhere in between. For me, personally, a person's gender is not as important as who they are, and I think perhaps if we were all taught this from an early age then yes, there would be more same-sex couples than there are now.

I was born straight, and gay people are born gay, end of story

Everyone in this world that is gay (for real, no gimmicks) are meant to be. Str8 people don't have the balls to be gay.

Here's something I came across once, I had to keep it. At least it gets people to think: One would seldom consider asking a person of heterosexual orientation any of the following questions. The fact that they are asked, often of openly gay persons, masks a hidden homophobia and acceptance of stereotypical thinking. This questionnaire was given to a group of heterosexuals in the hope that they could reach some inner understanding of what it feels like to be the victim of prejudice and discrimination. It is offered here with the same hope. 1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality? 2. When and how did you decide you were a heterosexual? 3. Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of? 4. If you’ve never slept with a person of the same gender, is it possible that all you need is a good same-gender lover? 5. Is it possible that your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of others of the same gender? 6. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did they react? 7. Why do you heterosexual people feel compelled to seduce others into your lifestyle? 8. Why do you flaunt your heterosexuality? Can’t you just be who you are and keep it quiet? 9. Would you want your child to be a heterosexual, knowing the problems he or she would face? 10. A disproportionate majority of child molesters are heterosexuals. Do you consider it safe to expose your child to heterosexual teachers? 11. With all the societal support marriage receives, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals? 12. Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex? 13. Considering the menace of overpopulation, how could the human race survive if all heterosexuals were like you? 14. Could you trust a heterosexual therapist to be objective? Don’t you fear he or she might be inclined to influence you in the direction of his or her preference? 15. How can you become a whole person if you limit yourself to compulsive, exclusive heterosexuality and fail to develop your natural, healthy homosexual potential? 16. There seems to be very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have been developed which might enable you to change if you really want to. Have you considered aversion therapy?

They are born that way. However,people will often pretend to be how they're raised.

Did any of us "choose to be" born male, female or hermaphodite ? Did any of us "choose to be" born blonde, brunett, red-headed, etc...? Did any of us "choose to be" born tall or short ? Did any of us "choose to be" born blue, green, gray, hazel or brown eyed ? Did any of us "choose to be" born large or small breasted....or endowed ? Did any of us "choose to be" born black, brown, red, yellow or white skinned ? Did any of us "choose to be" born a single baby, a twin, a triplet, etc...? Must I go on ? We have no choice in any of these things ? No ! Not before conception anyway...who knows what "choices" we may or may not be given before that....excect our true creature. I am not refering to the "men" responsable for writing all "sacrid" books either. That all shouldn't really matter anyway. What does it truely matter to you anyway? What do you yourself say when others judge what "God" made you to be ? O'kay...some may "choose" to change some of those things after birth, but that is "their choice" ...to change their appearance etc. Some to make themselvse more happy and some to make others happy. Either way...more power to them. It is to bad though that they have to feel this way in the first place. As for the rest of us...we choose to just be who (and what) we were born to be. Then we have "choices" that are made for us after we are born.Those that play "Gods" themselves....how evil is that. What ever happened to freewill ? Things like our spiritual or religous beliefs (while we are young anyway...some are found...others find themselves later on) are often chosen for us. Other things that may be chosen for us are the way we dress or not dress, sports we may play or not play, and friends we are allowed to have or not have. Parental guidance and consult is one thing...over-control and cult like tendencies of any kind (in any religion or nonreligion) are another. People are born to be themselves; and to be the best they are capable of being. With all our perfections and so called imperfections as well. For the record...I believe in a creature. I call it God too, but only because I have no other name for it. I do not believe it to be human or in that form alone...although it can and does work through all things when allowed it to do so. We are all made of it's image...not so much in it's only image....all things do for that matter. We can all reach that "Christ" state of being...we are all the chosen ones. Any one that ever tries to take God's love and power from you is the Devils of the world. Don't ever give them the power they seek. "Seek...and you shall find". "Knock...and the door will be opened". Seek all things for yourself....and knock when you yourself is ready.The answers will come from within you and the true good of the world. Ignore all negative people and things...you all deserve better than that. LOVE IS LOVE...AND HATE IS HATE. Some don't seem to know the difference between them and that is their problem...not yours. Some don't know the difference between love and lust either. That is why their are jealous of you glbt people. They are afraid that the love between the two of you is much greater than the love they themselves have in their own relationships. Sad but true. Some haven't figured that out yet...some will refuse to see. ALL LOVE IS OF AND FROM GOD....DON'T EVER LET ANYONE TRY TO DESTROY YOU OR YOUR LOVE. LOVE ALWAYS WINS.Don't ever let anyone tell you that they are better than you. Don't ever let anyone push their religion on you....there are many paths. "Seek...knock loudly." There is good "God" and evil "Devil" in all religions. Watch your back and the backs of others...and may Good be with you always. Here is the real lesson here... some of you may have heard this before: (GOD) Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. That pretty much sums it up I believe. peace be with you all.