The debate on whether homosexuality is a sexual "orientation" or a sexual "preference" has been going on for years. This issue has been very crucial across the years because it has a lot of implications towards "accountability" and towards the ability to stop the behavior.

People who argue that homosexuality is just a "choice" tend to think that people can "stop" being homosexual when asked to and/or that they should be "punished" for carrying on this behavior.

People who argue that homosexuality is an "orientation" and therefore an "inherent" quality tend to think that people can't stop their homosexual behavior and/or that they should not be held responsible for something they have no control over.

These are probably two extreme and oversimplified views of the issue. Some people argue that even if homosexuality is a "choice," a person should be free to choose his/her own private sexual behavior and that people should not be punished for what they do in their own private bedrooms with other consenting adults.

For years, it has been agreed upon that homosexuality is the final product of nurture and nature. The specific genetic and environmental factors responsible for homosexual behavior remain unknown.