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Revision as of 04:47, 1 November 2013 editBeauvy (talk | contribs)187 edits Undid revision 579692491 by Mark Miller (talk)← Previous edit Revision as of 04:50, 1 November 2013 edit undoBeauvy (talk | contribs)187 edits the research that is the content of this book has been heavily criticized. i have read some of that literature, which criticizes this work.Next edit →
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==Scholarly Criticism== ==Scholarly Criticism==
Consistent with Blum's observations that little work has been done in over a decade, critics of LeVay's earlier research methods have questioned the accuracy and appropriateness of his measurements on which his thesis relies; for example, the structures that he relies on in his research are difficult to see in tissue slices, and that he measured in volume rather than cell count.<ref name="barinaga">Barinaga, Marcia (August 30, 1991). Is homosexuality biological? ''Science''</ref> Nancy Ordover wrote in her 2003 book ''American Eugenics'' that the research leading to Levay's book has been criticized for "small ] and for compiling inadequate sexual histories."<ref name="ordover">Ordover, Nancy (2003). ''American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism''. University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3559-5</ref> Consistent with Blum's observations that little work has been done in over a decade, critics of LeVay's earlier research methods have questioned the accuracy and appropriateness of his measurements on which much of this book relies; for example, the brain structures cited in his research are difficult to see in tissue slices, and that he measured in volume rather than cell count.<ref name="barinaga">Barinaga, Marcia (August 30, 1991). Is homosexuality biological? ''Science''</ref> Nancy Ordover wrote in her 2003 book ''American Eugenics'' that the research leading to Levay's book has been criticized for "small ] and for compiling inadequate sexual histories."<ref name="ordover">Ordover, Nancy (2003). ''American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism''. University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3559-5</ref>




Revision as of 04:50, 1 November 2013

Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The science of sexual orientation
AuthorSimon LeVay
LanguageEnglish
GenreBiology
Published2011 (Oxford University Press)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages432
ISBN978-0-19-973767-3

Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The science of sexual orientation is a 2011 book about the development of sexual orientation by Simon LeVay.

Outline

LeVay details the findings of more than 650 studies that have been conducted since his 1991 study of the hypothalamus. He argues that sexual orientation is an aspect of gender that emerges from the prenatal sexual differentiation of the brain, being determined by a combination of sex hormones, genes, and the womb environment, including factors such as stress during pregnancy. Rather than stopping at birth, the influence of genes and hormones continues over the life span.

Scholarly reception

Gay, Straight and the Reason Why was reviewed in New Scientist by journalist Deborah Blum, who called it "rational, smart and compassionate" but also observed that it showed that scientific understanding of sexual orientation had advanced less than might be hoped since LeVay's 1991 study. Blum commented, "I was dismayed to discover that many of the most influential studies cited here spring from previous decades...when a chapter on the importance of biology in sexuality contains 32 citations and 23 of them date to the year 2000 or earlier, a book can feel a bit dated." Philosopher Michael Ruse praised LeVay's book in The Globe and Mail, calling it "superb". Ruse wrote that the work was, "clear and comprehensive, looking at the widest range of research, and very balanced."

Scholarly Criticism

Consistent with Blum's observations that little work has been done in over a decade, critics of LeVay's earlier research methods have questioned the accuracy and appropriateness of his measurements on which much of this book relies; for example, the brain structures cited in his research are difficult to see in tissue slices, and that he measured in volume rather than cell count. Nancy Ordover wrote in her 2003 book American Eugenics that the research leading to Levay's book has been criticized for "small sample size and for compiling inadequate sexual histories."


In 2012, Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why received the Bullough Book Award for the most distinguished book written for the professional sexological community published in a given year.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Blum 2010
  2. Staples 2010.
  3. Ruse 2011.
  4. Barinaga, Marcia (August 30, 1991). Is homosexuality biological? Science
  5. Ordover, Nancy (2003). American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism. University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3559-5
  6. LeVay 2013.

Bibliography

Journals
Online articles
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