A reader asked,

Is being homosexual a choice?  Is there any difference between to be gay in "mind" and in "life"?

Maurice (a straight college teacher) replied:

          Our view of our own sexuality stems partly from our genetic code and partly from environmental factors during both our prenatal and postnatal development. A number of stimuli and triggers must occur for normal development, and the malfunction of any one of these may result in, among other things, a different sexual orientation. Trauma in the form of illness, accident, parental problems, and so on may delay or eliminate a particular trigger.

          Many people who end up with homosexual feelings have not made a deliberate choice to be that way. Their genetics and the history of missing triggers, resulting in loss of developmental stimuli are not normally the result of a deliberate decision on the part of the developing person.

*Maurice introduces himself as a friend of struggling Christians.