There is no such thing as a single “gay gene” researchers have said, but genetics – along with environmental factors – can influence a person’s sexual preferences.
The largest ever study of its kind examined data and DNA information about 500,000 people and found there were thousands of genetic variants linked to same-sex sexual behaviour, most of the them having a minor impact.
The researchers said non-genetic factors, including upbringing, personality, and nurture, had far more influence on a person’s choice of sexual partner.
The researchers, writing in Science, suggested genetics may account for as much as one-third of the various factors that determine whether someone is attracted to same-sex partners.
“We scanned the entire human genome and found a handful – five to be precise – of locations that are clearly associated with whether a person reports in engaging in same-sex sexual behaviour,” said Andrea Ganna, a biologist at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Finland who co-led the research.
1/25 25. Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy (1984)
A song about a young gay man leaving home, accompanied by a video which shows desire, persecution, rejection and ultimate freedom, Jimmy Somerville’s anthem epitomised the experience of generations of gay men.
Youtube
2/25 24. Dana International wins Eurovision (1998)
Singer Dana International provided another big moment of visibility for transgender people when she won the competition for Israel with her song “Diva”.
Getty
3/25 23. Angels in America (1991)
Tony Kushner’s epic two-part play tackled the Aids crisis in the context of contemporary America and its many ghosts. A profound piece of theatre.
Katy Raddatz/Museum of Performance and Design
4/25 22. Madonna – Vogue (1990)
Madonna took voguing from the ballroom culture of New York’s black LGBT scene and repackaged it for a global audience, bringing along some of its best dancers for her iconic music video. Her rap, which name-checks Hollywood screen legends, is one of pop’s campest moments.
Sire/Warner Bros. Records
5/25 21. Paris is Burning (1990)
While “Vogue” was for mainstream consumption, the cult documentary Paris Is Burning went behind the scenes of the glamorous ballroom culture, exploring the darker reality of those outcast and stigmatised by a hostile society.
Alamy
6/25 20. Carol and Susan’s wedding on Friends (1996)
While Friends has often been criticised over its LGBT representation, this was one moment it did get right.
Rex Features
7/25 19. Macklemore – Same Love (2012)
As a rap song advocating for same-sex marriage, “Same Love” sends a impactful message of support from a traditionally hostile area of the music world.
Youtube
8/25 18. Britney and Madonna kiss at the VMAs (2003)
An obvious and bizarre publicity stunt, but this split-second snog at the MTV VMAs is surely the most famous same-sex kiss of all time.
Getty
9/25 17. The Golden Girls tackle gay marriage (1991)
Our beloved Miami foursome weren’t just camp icons – they were ardent LGBT allies. In one much-discussed episode, Blanche is upset that her brother is marrying a man. Sophia gives an impassioned speech, saying: “Everyone wants someone to grow old with – and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?”
Alamy
10/25 16. Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” video (2002)
The gay kiss featured in this memorable video was a huge signal to a generation of kids that their feelings were normal, and that individuality was to be celebrated. An LGBT anthem was born.
Youtube
11/25 15. Stephen Fry introduces Grindr on Top Gear (2009)
Grindr was brand new when Stephen Fry showed it off to Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, and his estimated global audience of about 350 million. App downloads quickly shot up, and gay hook-up culture was never the same again.
BBC
12/25 14. Ellen DeGeneres comes out (1997)
Now the most-high profile lesbian in the world, Ellen took the bull by the horns when she came out in a memorable episode of her sitcom, with a simultaneous cover of Time magazine on which she declared: “Yep, I’m gay.”
13/25 13. Queer As Folk (1999)
Russel T Davies’s groundbreaking Channel 4 series was unapologetic in its portrayal of gay men and their sex lives, and taught a pearl-clutching British public about rimming.
Channel 4
14/25 12. Moonlight wins Best Picture (2017)
A powerful portrayal of a young black man coming to terms with his sexuality, Moonlight broke through barriers for LGBT, black and Muslim representation when it triumphed at the Oscars.
Getty Images
15/25 11. Modern Family (2009)
One of the most successful TV shows in the world, Modern Family succeeded in portraying Mitchell and Cameron as parents just as capable of raising (and embarrassing) their daughter as any straight couple.
20th Television
16/25 10. Boy George on Top of the Pops (1982)
When Culture Club appeared on Top of the Pops to perform “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?”, the androgynous look of its colourful frontman threw viewers and the UK tabloids into a spin.
BBC
17/25 9. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way” (2011)
Lady Gaga’s love of the LGBT community, and her status as “Mother Monster” for all outcasts, was brilliantly channelled into this mainstream dance hit. In a rebuke to religious inspired homophobia, she delivered the poignant lyric: “I’m beautiful in my way, cos God makes no mistakes.”
18/25 8. Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair & Laverne Cox on Time (2014, 2015)
Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox was the first transgender woman on the cover of Time magazine, while Caitlyn Jenner presented herself for the first time on the cover of Vanity Fair the following year. Transgender people were being seen, understood and appreciated like never before.
19/25 7. George Michael – Outside (1998)
Six months after being spectacularly outed after an incident in a Los Angeles public toilet, George Michael decided to own it, with this number one single, complete with an outrageously tongue-in-cheek video about cruising. Jaw-dropping to this day.
Youtube
20/25 6. Glee (2009)
Glee presented high-camp musical numbers and wacky plot lines alongside some of the first openly gay and transgender characters seen within a high school setting. Its impact on a post-millennial generation of kids forging their own queer identities was enormous.
Fox
21/25 5. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Perhaps the most famous LGBT film of all time, Brokeback Mountain was the first to put a gay relationship front and centre in a mainstream Hollywood plot.
Focus/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
22/25 4. Queen at Live Aid (1985)
Freddie Mercury wasn’t open about his sexuality when he stole the show at Live Aid, but he was unmistakably one of our own. His 20-minute tour de force in front of two billion TV viewers goes down in history as the greatest rock performance of all time.
Alamy Stock Photo
23/25 3. Philadelphia (1993)
The first mainstream film to portray the HIV/Aids crisis was built on a haunting performance from Tom Hanks and brought an understanding of the issue to millions of cinemagoers.
Rex Features
24/25 2. RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009)
The show that launched a thousand memes. RuPaul’s incredible popularity is a testament to how widely the show reached out beyond the LGBT community and into the wider public, who have been duly educated about drag culture and the courage of those who take part.
Getty Images
25/25 1. Will and Grace (1998)
Will and Grace was the first time a sitcom put gay characters front and centre, and delighted audiences with its razor-sharp wit. Joe Biden once said the show “probably did more to educate the American public” on gay issues than anything else. Powerful stuff.
Rex Features
1/25 25. Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy (1984)
A song about a young gay man leaving home, accompanied by a video which shows desire, persecution, rejection and ultimate freedom, Jimmy Somerville’s anthem epitomised the experience of generations of gay men.
Youtube
2/25 24. Dana International wins Eurovision (1998)
Singer Dana International provided another big moment of visibility for transgender people when she won the competition for Israel with her song “Diva”.
Getty
3/25 23. Angels in America (1991)
Tony Kushner’s epic two-part play tackled the Aids crisis in the context of contemporary America and its many ghosts. A profound piece of theatre.
Katy Raddatz/Museum of Performance and Design
4/25 22. Madonna – Vogue (1990)
Madonna took voguing from the ballroom culture of New York’s black LGBT scene and repackaged it for a global audience, bringing along some of its best dancers for her iconic music video. Her rap, which name-checks Hollywood screen legends, is one of pop’s campest moments.
Sire/Warner Bros. Records
5/25 21. Paris is Burning (1990)
While “Vogue” was for mainstream consumption, the cult documentary Paris Is Burning went behind the scenes of the glamorous ballroom culture, exploring the darker reality of those outcast and stigmatised by a hostile society.
Alamy
6/25 20. Carol and Susan’s wedding on Friends (1996)
While Friends has often been criticised over its LGBT representation, this was one moment it did get right.
Rex Features
7/25 19. Macklemore – Same Love (2012)
As a rap song advocating for same-sex marriage, “Same Love” sends a impactful message of support from a traditionally hostile area of the music world.
Youtube
8/25 18. Britney and Madonna kiss at the VMAs (2003)
An obvious and bizarre publicity stunt, but this split-second snog at the MTV VMAs is surely the most famous same-sex kiss of all time.
Getty
9/25 17. The Golden Girls tackle gay marriage (1991)
Our beloved Miami foursome weren’t just camp icons – they were ardent LGBT allies. In one much-discussed episode, Blanche is upset that her brother is marrying a man. Sophia gives an impassioned speech, saying: “Everyone wants someone to grow old with – and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?”
Alamy
10/25 16. Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” video (2002)
The gay kiss featured in this memorable video was a huge signal to a generation of kids that their feelings were normal, and that individuality was to be celebrated. An LGBT anthem was born.
Youtube
11/25 15. Stephen Fry introduces Grindr on Top Gear (2009)
Grindr was brand new when Stephen Fry showed it off to Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, and his estimated global audience of about 350 million. App downloads quickly shot up, and gay hook-up culture was never the same again.
BBC
12/25 14. Ellen DeGeneres comes out (1997)
Now the most-high profile lesbian in the world, Ellen took the bull by the horns when she came out in a memorable episode of her sitcom, with a simultaneous cover of Time magazine on which she declared: “Yep, I’m gay.”
13/25 13. Queer As Folk (1999)
Russel T Davies’s groundbreaking Channel 4 series was unapologetic in its portrayal of gay men and their sex lives, and taught a pearl-clutching British public about rimming.
Channel 4
14/25 12. Moonlight wins Best Picture (2017)
A powerful portrayal of a young black man coming to terms with his sexuality, Moonlight broke through barriers for LGBT, black and Muslim representation when it triumphed at the Oscars.
Getty Images
15/25 11. Modern Family (2009)
One of the most successful TV shows in the world, Modern Family succeeded in portraying Mitchell and Cameron as parents just as capable of raising (and embarrassing) their daughter as any straight couple.
20th Television
16/25 10. Boy George on Top of the Pops (1982)
When Culture Club appeared on Top of the Pops to perform “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?”, the androgynous look of its colourful frontman threw viewers and the UK tabloids into a spin.
BBC
17/25 9. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way” (2011)
Lady Gaga’s love of the LGBT community, and her status as “Mother Monster” for all outcasts, was brilliantly channelled into this mainstream dance hit. In a rebuke to religious inspired homophobia, she delivered the poignant lyric: “I’m beautiful in my way, cos God makes no mistakes.”
18/25 8. Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair & Laverne Cox on Time (2014, 2015)
Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox was the first transgender woman on the cover of Time magazine, while Caitlyn Jenner presented herself for the first time on the cover of Vanity Fair the following year. Transgender people were being seen, understood and appreciated like never before.
19/25 7. George Michael – Outside (1998)
Six months after being spectacularly outed after an incident in a Los Angeles public toilet, George Michael decided to own it, with this number one single, complete with an outrageously tongue-in-cheek video about cruising. Jaw-dropping to this day.
Youtube
20/25 6. Glee (2009)
Glee presented high-camp musical numbers and wacky plot lines alongside some of the first openly gay and transgender characters seen within a high school setting. Its impact on a post-millennial generation of kids forging their own queer identities was enormous.
Fox
21/25 5. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Perhaps the most famous LGBT film of all time, Brokeback Mountain was the first to put a gay relationship front and centre in a mainstream Hollywood plot.
Focus/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
22/25 4. Queen at Live Aid (1985)
Freddie Mercury wasn’t open about his sexuality when he stole the show at Live Aid, but he was unmistakably one of our own. His 20-minute tour de force in front of two billion TV viewers goes down in history as the greatest rock performance of all time.
Alamy Stock Photo
23/25 3. Philadelphia (1993)
The first mainstream film to portray the HIV/Aids crisis was built on a haunting performance from Tom Hanks and brought an understanding of the issue to millions of cinemagoers.
Rex Features
24/25 2. RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009)
The show that launched a thousand memes. RuPaul’s incredible popularity is a testament to how widely the show reached out beyond the LGBT community and into the wider public, who have been duly educated about drag culture and the courage of those who take part.
Getty Images
25/25 1. Will and Grace (1998)
Will and Grace was the first time a sitcom put gay characters front and centre, and delighted audiences with its razor-sharp wit. Joe Biden once said the show “probably did more to educate the American public” on gay issues than anything else. Powerful stuff.
Rex Features
The study looked at survey responses and performed analyses known as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on data from more than 470,000 people who had given DNA samples and lifestyle information to the UK Biobank and to the genetics testing company 23andMeInc, which is based in the US.
Asked why they had wanted to conduct such research, the team told reporters on a teleconference that previous studies on this topic had mostly been too small to offer robust conclusions.
“Previous studies were small and underpowered,” Mr Ganna said.
“So we decided to form a large international consortium and collected data for [almost] 500,000 people, [which] is approximately 100 times bigger than previous studies on this topic.”
Sexual rights campaigners welcomed the study, saying it “provides even more evidence that being gay or lesbian is a natural part of human life”.
“This new research also re-confirms the long established understanding that there is no conclusive degree to which nature or nurture influence how a gay or lesbian person behaves,” said Zeke Stokes of the US-based LGBT+ rights group GLAAD.
Additional reporting by Reuters
