Print Book Cover image
Title Gay, straight, and the reason why : the science of sexual orientation / Simon LeVay.
Author LeVay, Simon, author.
Edition Second edition.
Publisher New York : Oxford University Press, [2017]
Copyright ©2017


Status Loan Type Location Shelf-mark
 In Library  Standard  Library Level 5  Psychology P100 LEVAY2  

More Details

Description xiv, 246 pages : illustrations, graphs ; 24 cm
ISBN 9780190297374 paperback : alkaline paper
0190297379 paperback : alkaline paper
Note Previous edition: 2012.
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-234) and indexes.
Contents What is sexual orientation? -- Why we need biology -- The outline of a theory -- Childhood -- Characteristics of gay and straight adults -- The role of sex hormones -- The role of genes -- The brain -- The body -- The older-brother effect -- Beyond gay and straight -- Conclusions.
Summary "What causes a child to grow up gay or straight? In this book, neuroscientist Simon LeVay summarizes a wealth of scientific evidence that points to one inescapable conclusion: Sexual orientation results primarily from an interaction between genes, sex hormones, and the cells of the developing body and brain. LeVay helped create this field in 1991 with a much-publicized study in Science, where he reported on a difference in the brain structure between gay and straight men. Since then, an entire scientific discipline has sprung up around the quest for a biological explanation of sexual orientation. In this book, LeVay provides a clear explanation of where the science stands today, taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of laboratories that specialize in genetics, endocrinology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, and family demographics. He describes, for instance, how researchers have manipulated the sex hormone levels of animals during development, causing them to mate preferentially with animals of their own gender. LeVay also reports on the prevalence of homosexual behavior among wild animals, ranging from Graylag geese to the Bonobo chimpanzee. In this revised edition LeVay broadens his horizons. He adds a new chapter on bisexuality, reviews some uncommon forms of sexuality such as asexuality and pedophilia, and considers whether there could be a biological basis for subtypes of gay people such as "butch" and "femme" lesbians. Although many details remain unresolved, the general conclusion is quite clear: A person's sexual orientation arises in large part from biological processes that are already underway before birth" -- Provided by publisher.
Subject Sexual orientation.
Sex (Psychology)
Sex (Biology)

Permanent link to record