A model of clear explication of complex ideas, this piece shows how a sense of arc and suspense can be achieved in the form of amiable-narrator-in-pursuit-of-ideas. Swidey begins the piece with a scene in which identical twins show marked differences. He thus poses a question: How is it that in a set of identical twins, brought up by the same parents, only one should end up gay? Then he launches on an intellectual journey. It’s an engaging one; it also touches on political issues, of course, which add to its heft.
Read “What Makes People Gay?” by Neil Swidey