What causes a person to be gay or straight?

Dr. Simon LeVay, a renowned neuroscientist, provided a few answers at Wednesday night's Rainbow ReVU keynote address.

The 2008 First Annual Vanderbilt Rainbow ReVU is the Vanderbilt Lambda Association's biggest event of the year. According to Lambda president Klint Peebles, Rainbow ReVU is a pride week that features socials, awareness events and lectures, in addition to Lambda's 13th annual drag show.

Peebles refers to the week as "a celebration of the year's efforts and the strides that have been taken by the GLBT community through devoted student leaders and a dedicated administration."

The week began with Monday night's opening party at the GLBT Resource Office and will culminate with the "Sharing Knowledge" awareness event at 6:30 p.m. and drag show at 7 p.m. tonight on Alumni Lawn. The event is free and open to the public. Rainbow ReVU t-shirts are also free and available to the student body on the Wall today and at the drag show.

While the drag show is Rainbow ReVU's largest, most anticipated social event, LeVay's keynote lecture, titled "Queer Science," was the academic highlight.

LeVay, who was trained at the universities of Cambridge and Goettingen and at Harvard Medical School, has been at the center of the controversy regarding the biological bases of homosexuality since publishing his research on brain differences in gay and straight men in 1991.

LeVay captivated the audience with his personable, witty style as he summarized the latest scientific discoveries regarding the biological basis of homosexuality. He reviewed findings that suggest homosexuality may run in families and studies that show "sex pheromones" activate gay men's hypothalamus in the brain in a sex-atypical fashion.

LeVay cautioned the audience that research has yet to find a definitive "cause" of sexual orientation.

"Sexual orientation is influenced by biological factors such as genes and prenatal hormone environments," LeVay said. "However, the biological model still has significant gaps, and we are not yet sure what role the environment plays."

LeVay identified himself as a member of the GLBT community and discussed the possible social ramifications of his research. He noted one negative effect is the possible identification of a "gay gene" and development of an unnecessary biological "cure."

"That would be a gross misuse of the research, and I would hate to see that happen," he said.

LeVay also identified positive effects, such as more acceptance of the GLBT community by others. He said the presence of biological factors "could persuade people to think that being gay is not a choice, which is the way most of us in the (GLBT) community have felt for some time."

Afterward, students had the opportunity to chat with LeVay and discuss the research with their peers.

Sophomore C.J. Owens, a member of GLBT community, says the lecture was very interesting but did not change his views. It simply confirmed what he already knew.

"I have always thought that being gay wasn't a choice and that is was biologically determined," he said.

But Owens, who is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign, said he was pleased the Rainbow ReVU is bringing more awareness of GLBT issues to campus.

"Vanderbilt is not the most homophobic campus ever, and there are many people who are more open that you'd think," he said. "But we still have a way to go."

Junior Alex Beard attended both the Rainbow ReVU opening party and the lecture.

"These events are great because they show that Vanderbilt supports the GLBT community," he said. "Rainbow ReVU casts Vanderbilt and the GLBT community in a positive image."

— Tamesha Derico can be reached at tamesha.s.derico@vanderbilt.edu