SummaryOngoing political controversies around the world exemplify a long-standing and widespread preoccupation with the acceptability of homosexuality. Nonheterosexual people have seen dramatic surges both in their rights and in positive public opinion in many Western countries. In contrast, in much of Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Oceania, and parts of Asia, homosexual behavior remains illegal and severely punishable, with some countries retaining the death penalty for it. Political controversies about sexual orientation have often overlapped with scientific controversies. That is, participants on both sides of the sociopolitical debates have tended to believe that scientific findings-and scientific truths-about sexual orientation matter a great deal in making political decisions. The most contentious scientific issues have concerned the causes of sexual orientation-that is, why are some people heterosexual, others bisexual, and others homosexual? The actual relevance of these issues to social, political, and ethical decisions is often poorly justified, however.

中文翻译：

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性取向，争议和科学。

总结世界各地正在进行的政治争议说明了人们长期以来对同性恋的接受程度的普遍关注。在许多西方国家，非异性恋人的权利和积极的舆论都出现了急剧的增长。相反，在非洲，中东，加勒比海地区，大洋洲和亚洲部分地区，同性恋行为仍然是非法的，应受到严厉惩处，有些国家仍对此处以死刑。有关性取向的政治争议通常与科学争议重叠。也就是说，社会政治辩论双方的参与者都倾向于认为，关于性取向的科学发现和科学真理在做出政治决定时起着重要作用。最有争议的科学问题与性取向的原因有关，也就是说，为什么有些人是异性恋，另一些人是双性恋，而另一些人是同性恋呢？但是，这些问题与社会，政治和道德决策之间的实际相关性通常很难被证明是正确的。