GENETIC TENDENCY TO LESBIANISM SUSPECTED

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 12, 1993                   TAG: 9303120191
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
GENETIC TENDENCY TO LESBIANISM SUSPECTED
The first large study of female sexual orientation has found a strong genetic tendency in homosexuality, researchers at Boston University and Northwestern University report.
Previous studies of male homosexuals reported a similar genetic influence, but those studies have been criticized because the groups examined did not include women.
But the new study, published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reported that when one of a pair of identical twins was a lesbian, in 48 percent of the cases the other twin was also lesbian. In contrast, only 16 percent of non-identical twin sisters of lesbians were gay and only 6 percent of adoptive sisters of lesbians were homosexual.
But the fact that not all the identical twins were gay indicates that environment also plays a role, cautioned Northwestern psychologist J. Michael Bailey.
- Los Angeles Times

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB