Can a gay person become straight?

Answer 1

Edited compilation of previous contributions:

There are several opinions related to the answer of this question. Some believe that sexual preference is a matter of genetic predisposition. Some believe it is a matter of environmental conditions (how one was raised or personal life experiences). Still others believe it is exclusively a matter of choice. The fact of the matter is that there is no easy answer to this, just as there is no easy or pat answer for any aspect of human behavior. It will forever devolve into a discussion of nature vs. nurture. These questions inherently cannot be answered. As support for one side grows, the other will combat it with evidence, anecdotal or actual to refute it.

People have suggested that a gay person can become straight by sublimating their desires and practicing heterosexual behavior. There are stories of this being effective for some. There are as many stories of miserable failure. This presumes that homosexuality is exclusively a choice. The fact is that human behavior can be modified by a variety of means. And, it can be done in a lasting and effective way. The psychologists Skinner and Erickson proved that...to some degree and under very specific conditions. (Yeah, pun intended).

Some suggest that homosexuality is a condition or disease. This is simply ad hoc/ad hominem argument to support a personal opinion on exclusively moral grounds, an attempt to decide if the behavior is right or wrong. Right or wrong is not the issue. Right or wrong in these matters is exclusively in the purview of those who are or are not gay. If it is right or wrong for them, then only they can answer for it in this world or the next.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Nature/Nurture argument is pointless. As human behavior goes, there are no easy answers. One is born with the genetic predisposition for any number of eventualities. For instance, it has been scientifically proven that a gene exists to predispose certain people toward Alcoholism. However, if that person never comes into contact with alcohol, or never takes that first drink, the potential for that person to develop into an alcoholic is 0%. It is a matter of how Nature and Nurture interact.

Additionally, human sexual behaviors are to a degree a matter of choice, BUT they are also a matter of biological drive, genetics, culture, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, nutrition, and countless other factors, both internal and external. In the matter of sexual attraction, there is strong recent evidence that suggests humans are printed to be attracted to those who match the general type and appearance of their first intimate experience. To attempt to answer conclusively any question related to human behavior is an exercise in futility, and is a demonstration of that all too familiar human behavior, self-delusion.

If you have come to the realization that you are fully gay then there is no way to change yourself. So consider the following:

• Tip 1 -- there is nothing wrong with being gay. Nothing. Really. It may take you a while to realize this, but it's true.
• Tip 2 -- chances are, most of what you think you know about being gay is wrong. This isn't your fault: we live in a society where almost everything you hear about gay people is wrong. (It's a lot like being an Afro-American in the South in the 1950's, swimming in a sea of ignorance and fear.) I suggest you read Loving Someone Gay, by Don Clark, and The Homosexual Matrix, but C. A. Tripp for starters.
• Tip 3 -- a lot of gay people have been where you are now. Get yourself some gay friends -- not sex partners, necessarily, but friends who share some of your interests: fishing, Basketball, movies, whatever. Share your concerns with your friends. If necessary, call a counselor (NOT one who claims they're able to "cure" you -- those people are frauds) or find a "coming out" support group. Be good to yourself!
• Tip 4 -- down the road a few years, you will run into a guy or gal who is where you are now: confused, ashamed, scared, and feeling very much alone. Help them!

You cannot choose who you love. Being bisexual or gay is not a crime, and you do not choose it. It doesn't change. You can't become straight. Be happy for who you are and don't let others try to change that.
No, this is not possible, gay people are just the way they are the same a heterosexuals, the sooner we all realize that and accept it, the better this world would be.

Answer 2

No. Homosexuality is a biological phenomenon, like being left-handed. People do discover that they're homosexual later in life, though, usually at puberty.
No, you cannot turn gay. You are either born gay or you are not.

Sexual orientation is unchangeable.
No, you cannot turn gay. You are either born gay or you are not.

Sexual orientation is unchangeable.
People don't turn gay. Sexual orientation is fixed at a very young age, possibly at birth.

You can't "turn" gay; you are born with a specific orientation that cannot be altered what-so-ever. Basically, your gay, or your not. Also, any attempts made to alter sexual orientation have not only never worked, but do an extremely large amount of mental/emotional damage to the person.
Nobody can turn gay. Sexual orientation is something you're born with, and it is natural and unchangeable.

Nobody can turn gay. It's simply not possible to change sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is fixed at an early age, possibly at birth.

Answer 3

No, in fact you can't turn gay at all. It's impossible. Sexual orientation has been found to be fixed at a young age, possibly birth.

Answer 4

A straight person cannot turn gay. It's impossible.

Answer 5

No. Sexual orientation is fixed at an early age, possibly birth, and cannot be changed. No credible study has ever shown it's possible change sexual orientation.

Answer 6

Nobody can turn gay. Sexual orientation is something you're born with, and it is natural and unchangeable.

Answer 7

No. Sexual orientation is unchangeable.