It might even seem harmless at first, even if the $5.50 price tag is a bit steep for a one-time use app. It’s possible GenePlaza and Insolent.AI just thought sexual orientation was no different than finding out whether you’re more prone to be competitive or having high blood pressure. “How gay are you?” is hosted on GenePlaza, an online marketplace that allows people to use their commercial DNA results to predict a number of different characteristics and dispositions. That comparison data was collected from the aforementioned study, which actually concluded that genetics only account for about 25% of a person’s sexuality. Basically, it’s telling you how likely you are to be gay based on the sexuality of a bunch of other people. Instead, it will compare your genetic profile to that of people whose sexual identity is known. The app doesn’t actually pinpoint a certain ‘gay gene’ in your DNA (because, again, it can’t). Kind of like those BuzzFeed quizzes that tell you what Disney princess you are, or what your ‘true’ age is based mostly arbitrary questions. Maybe Insolent.AI thought their target audience might take the app as more of a joke than anything else. It’s true that younger generations are more open about their sexuality and less willing to put themselves in a box. So if they know the analysis can’t possible be accurate, why make this app at all? They seem to be suggesting that finding out how gay an algorithm thinks you are is… fun.
In the app description, Insolent.AI states “this App does NOT predict same sex attraction” and a disclaimer states, “this application is not a diagnosis, a prediction, or a predisposition score”. The company that made the app even admits that. In fact, as far as we know at this point, it’s absolutely not possible. But there is no scientific evidence this is possible. Using the results from commercial DNA tests from companies like 23andMe and MyHeritage, the “How gay are you” app (yes, it’s actually called that) will place your sexual preference on a spectrum based on your genetics. Despite a recent study that analyzed the genetic makeup of more than 500,000 people and determined there is no singular “gay gene” that can predict a person’s sexuality, there’s a new app out there claiming to be able to do just that.