Is there a gay gene? I’m on the right track; I was born this way . Lady Gaga, “Born This Way” Defining the Issue Does DNA code for same-sex attraction in the same way it codes for hair or skin colour? Many people believe that it does. A common perspective is that someone does not choose his or her sexual orientation any more than a person can choose his or her ethnic heritage. Many people believe a particular gene or group of genes determines which people are same-sex attracted. Research from American geneticist Dean Hamer in 1993 is often cited as evidence for the claim that a gay gene exists. In the July 16, 1993 edition of Science , Hamer was the primary author of an article that claimed “a statistically significant correlation between the inheritance of genetic markers on the chromosomal region Xq28 and sexual orientation in a selected group of homosexual males.” 1 Specifically, he claimed that out of forty pairs of homosexual brothers, thirty-three of the brother-pair...