Two Behavioral Hypotheses for the Evolution of Male Homosexuality in Humans

Abstract

All else equal, men who are less interested in having reproductive sex will produce fewer offspring and thus selection will eliminate the genes that contribute to their sexual orientation. However, all else is not equal, as sexual orientation corresponds with a constellation of traits that may inform reproductive success. In this chapter, I present two hypotheses regarding the adaptive logic of reduced interest in the opposite sex. The first hypothesis addresses the tradeoff between offspring quantity and quality, proposing that men who abstain from sex with women make more effective parents. The second hypothesis invokes sperm competition and suggests that sneak copulating men can benefit from reduced arousal towards women. The question of exclusive homosexuality is addressed in the final section. I contend that self-identification as an exclusive homosexual is the product of a culture that promotes exclusive sexualities to isolate and remove nonheterosexuals from the reproductive arena. In other words, coming out of the closet as a homosexual man serves to distinguish oneself as a noncompetitor to local sexual rivals, alleviating the severity of one’s victimization at their hands. Throughout the chapter, I argue that the modern notion of sexual identity has corrupted our understanding of sexuality as a fluid and functional product of evolved cognitive mechanisms. Reliance on categorical sexual archetypes subverts our ability to characterize sexual variance, not only by limiting the depth of our measures, but also by limiting the depth of our theoretical thinking.