Lady Gaga fan T-Paw unsure if gays are ‘Born This Way’

Tim Pawlenty acknowledges being a fan of Lady Gaga, but when it comes to her hit song, the gay rights anthem “Born This Way,” the former governor and Republican presidential candidate told Meet the Press that he isn’t sure whether gays and lesbians are born gay. He said he opposes rights for same-sex couples and said the science is still out on whether being gay or lesbian is genetic.

“You’ve notably said that you’re a big fan of Lady Gaga, and even the song ‘Born This Way,’” MTP’s David Gregory said. “There’s a lot of debate about a gay marriage pledge in Iowa. And related to that, I wonder, do you agree with some of those who are behind that, that being gay is a choice?”

Pawlenty responded, “Well, I have two teenage daughters who listen to Lady Gaga, so I’m subjected to it. And it has some good qualities to it. But as to, as to gay marriage, I’m in support of traditional marriage as between a man and a woman.”

He added, “I have not supported the issues of allowing gay couples to have the same benefits and public employment as traditional couples. And so this is an issue in Iowa and across the whole country. But I’ve stood in favor or traditional marriage and traditional relationships in that regard.”

Gregory then asked Pawlenty if he thought being gay was a choice or, as Lady Gaga sang it, people are born that way.

“There’s no scientific conclusion that it’s genetic,” Pawlenty said. “We don’t know that. So we don’t know to what extent, you know, it’s behavioral, and that’s something that’s been debated by scientists for a long time. But as I understand the science, there’s no current conclusion that it’s genetic.”

There may not be a scientific consensus on the issue yet, but that’s the direction it’s going. Over the weekend, a study was released by Drs. Andrea Burri and Qazi Rahman of Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in London that showed for lesbians and gender non-conforming women, genetics likely play a role.

“The team followed a group of 4,000 British women who were one of a pair of twins,” the authors wrote in a press release on Friday. “They were asked questions about their sexual attractions and behaviour, and a series of follow up questions about their gender nonconformity. In line with previous research, the team found modest genetic influences on sexual orientation (25 per cent) and childhood gender nonconformity (31 per cent).”