SCIENCE AND HOMOSEXUALITY: POLITICAL BIAS IN MODERN ACADEMIA

Abstract

Allegations like “proven genetic reason for homosexuality” or “proven inefficacy of sexual orientation change efforts” are put forward at popular science educational events for scientifically unsophisticated people. In this article I will demonstrate that modern academia is dominated by persons who project their socio-political views into their scientific activity, making scientific process strongly biased. These projected views include a spectrum of political claims, including those with regard to non-heterosexual individuals, and namely that “homosexuality is a normative variation of sexuality among humans as well as animals”, that “same-sex attraction is inborn and cannot be changed”, that “gender is a social construct not limited to binary classification”, and so forth. In this paper it will be demonstrated that such views in modern academia are considered orthodox, steadfast and settled, even when there is lack of convincing scientific background, whereas alternative views are instantly labeled “pseudoscientific” and “false” even when there is a certain factology behind. One could mention many factors as the reason for this bias – dramatic social and historical legacy which led to the emergence of “scientific taboos”, intense political struggle that gave rise to hypocrisy, “commercialization” of science, leading to the pursuit of sensations, etc. Whether it is possible to completely avoid bias in science remains a controversial issue. However, it is possible to create conditions for an optimal equidistant scientific process.

Keywords

• bias in science
• scientific integrity
• social controversy
• lgbt