Male-male Relationships Research Articles

Lean muscle mass, not aggression, mediates a link between dominance rank and testosterone in wild male chimpanzees

Testosterone promotes mating effort, which involves intraspecific aggression for males of many species. Therefore, males with higher testosterone levels are often thought to be more aggressive. For mammals living in multimale groups, aggression is hypothesized to link male social status (i.e. dominance rank) and testosterone levels, given that high status predicts mating success and is acquired partly through aggressive intragroup competition. In male chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, dominance rank has been repeatedly linked to interindividual variation in testosterone levels, but evidence directly linking interindividual variation in testosterone and aggression is lacking. In the present study, we test both aggression levels and lean muscle mass, as measured by urinary creatinine, as links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in a large sample of wild male chimpanzees. Multivariate analyses indicated that dominance rank was positively associated with total rates of intragroup aggression, average urinary testosterone levels and average urinary creatinine levels. Testosterone was positively associated with creatinine levels but negatively associated with total aggression rates. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that testosterone levels facilitated an association between dominance rank and creatinine levels. Our results indicate that (1) adult male chimpanzees with higher average testosterone levels are often higher ranking but not more aggressive than males with lower testosterone and (2) lean muscle mass links dominance rank and testosterone levels in Ngogo males. We assert that aggression rates are insufficient to explain links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in male chimpanzees and that other social variables (e.g. male-male relationship quality) may regulate testosterone's links to aggression.

Male-male relationships in chimpanzees and the evolution of human pair bonds.

The evolution of monogamy has been a central question in biological anthropology. An important avenue of research has been comparisons across "socially monogamous" mammals, but such comparisons are inappropriate for understanding human behavior because humans are not "pair living" and are only sometimes "monogamous." It is the "pair bond" between reproductive partners that is characteristic of humans and has been considered unique to our lineage. I argue that pair bonds have been overlooked in one of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. These pair bonds are not between mates but between male "friends" who exhibit enduring and emotional social bonds. The presence of such bonds in male-male chimpanzees raises the possibility that pair bonds emerged earlier in our evolutionary history. I suggest pair bonds first arose as "friendships" and only later, in the human lineage, were present between mates. The mechanisms for these bonds were co-opted for male-female bonds in humans.

Xiazhui: The Real Person Slash Novel that Triggers the Blockage of AO3 in China

Owing to its dual correlation with homosexuality and eroticism, danmei (Boys Love) in China is subject to state censorship, so in a hit online serial The Untamed adapted from a popular danmei novel, the male-male relationship between protagonists has been expurgated. Obsessed with the romance in the original narrative yet dissatisfied with the officially sanctioned adaptation, fangirls create fanfiction, including real person slash (RPS) based on the leading actor Xiao Zhan and his co-star from the The Untamed. Xiao’s fans reported a piece of RPS titled Xiazhui and Archaic of Our Own (AO3) that hosted it, causing AO3 to be blocked in China on 29th February 2020. Since Xiazhui features real celebrities, it concerns moral debates. Furthermore, Xiazhui pertains to Xiao’s fanbase whose acts are interconnected with toxic fandom and the so-called ‘heresy-style star worship’. More significantly, the contentious aspect of Xiazhui also lies in its homoerotic depictions that are regarded as indecent in a contemporary Chinese context.

Xiazhui: The Real Person Slash Novel That Triggers The Blockage of AO3 in China

Owing to its dual correlation with homosexuality and eroticism, danmei (Boys Love) in China is subject to state censorship, so in a hit online serial The Untamed adapted from a popular danmei novel, the male-male relationship between protagonists has been expurgated. Obsessed with the romance in the original narrative yet dissatisfied with the officially sanctioned adaptation, fangirls create fanfiction, including real person slash (RPS) based on the leading actor Xiao Zhan and his co-star from the The Untamed. Xiao’s fans reported a piece of RPS titled Xiazhui and Archaic of Our Own (AO3) that hosted it, causing AO3 to be blocked in China on 29th February 2020. Since Xiazhui features real celebrities, it concerns moral debates. Furthermore, Xiazhui pertains to Xiao’s fanbase whose acts are interconnected with toxic fandom and the so-called ‘heresy-style star worship’. More significantly, the contentious aspect of Xiazhui also lies in its homoerotic depictions that are regarded as indecent in a contemporary Chinese context.

Not just females: the socio-ecology of social interactions between spider monkey males.

Male-male relationships are mostly characterized by competition. However, males also cooperate with one another if socio-ecological conditions are suitable. Due to their male philopatry, the need for cooperation in home range defence and high degree of fission-fusion dynamics, spider monkeys provide an opportunity to investigate how male-male interactions are associated with socio-ecological factors, such as the presence of potentially receptive females, the degree of food availability and the likelihood of home range defence. We tested predictions about changes in social interactions between wild spider monkey males in relation to these factors. First, males did not change their interaction patterns when potentially receptive females were in the subgroup compared to when they were absent. Second, males tended to be less tolerant of one another when feeding, but spent more time grooming, in contact and proximity with one another when food availability was lower than when it was higher. Third, males exchanged fewer embraces, spent less time grooming, in proximity and in contact with one another, and spent more time vigilant at the home range boundary area than at other locations. Our findings contribute to the understanding of social flexibility and the importance of considering males in socio-ecological models of any group-living species.

Correction to: Kin bias and male pair-bond status shape male-male relationships in a multilevel primate society

Correction to: Kin bias and male pair-bond status shape male-male relationships in a multilevel primate society

Behavioral and physiological responses to instability in group membership in wild male woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii).

In group-living species, integrating into a new social group after dispersal is an important life history milestone associated with physical and social challenges. Generally, this process seems to be accompanied by heightened glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations; however, most studies of physiological responses to group transfer have been conducted on species with despotic social relationships, where integrating individuals are often targets of frequent aggression. Here we present data on fecal glucocorticoid (fGC) concentrations during periods of unstable group membership for male woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii), a species with extremely low rates of male-male aggression and generally tolerant male-male associations. We collected data on males in four study groups at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador, and observed three attempted transfer events, involving a total of four adult males, in one study group. We observed only three instances of overt aggression (chases) between males across the entire study period, though male display behaviors were more frequent. We tested whether rates of displays were higher during periods of unstable group membership using a generalized linear mixed model (LMM). We also examined whether male status, group stability, and the occurrence of intergroup encounters affected fGC concentrations using LMMs. Contrary to our predictions, rates of display behaviors were not higher during periods of unstable group membership. However, both transient/integrating males and those who were already group members showed elevated fGC concentrations during these unstable periods. Our results suggest that even in species with tolerant male-male relationships, the integration of unfamiliar individuals can provoke an increase in GCs.

Kin bias and male pair-bond status shape male-male relationships in a multilevel primate society

Male-male social relationships in group-living mammals vary from fierce competition to the formation of opportunistic coalitions or the development of long-lasting bonds. We investigated male-male relationships in Guinea baboons (Papio papio), a species characterized by male-male tolerance and affiliation. Guinea baboons live in a multi-level society, with units of one reproductively active “primary” male, 1–6 females, and offspring at the core level. Together with “bachelor” males, several units form a party, and 2–3 parties constitute a gang. We aimed to clarify to which degree male relationship patterns varied with relatedness and pair-bond status, i.e., whether males had primary or bachelor status. Data were collected from 24 males in two parties of Guinea baboons near Simenti in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal. Males maintained differentiated and equitable affiliative relationships (“strong bonds”) with other males that were stable over a 4-year period, irrespective of their pair-bond status. Remarkably, most bachelor males maintained strong bonds with multiple primary males, indicating that bachelor males play an important role in the cohesion of the parties. A clear male dominance hierarchy could not be established due to the high degree of uncertainty in individual rank scores, yet bachelor males were more likely to be found at the low end of the dominance hierarchy. Average relatedness was significantly higher between strongly bonded males, suggesting that kin biases contribute to the social preferences of males. Long-term data will be needed to test how male bonds affect male tenure and ultimately reproductive success.Significance statementMales living in social groups may employ different strategies to increase their reproductive success, from fierce fighting to opportunistic alliance formation or the development of long-term bonds. To shed light on the factors that shape male strategies, we investigated male-male social relationships in the multilevel society of Guinea baboons (Papio papio) where “primary” males are associated with a small number of females and their offspring in “units” while other males are “bachelors.” Strong bonds occurred among and between primary and bachelor males and strongly bonded males were, on average, more closely related. Bachelor males typically had multiple bond partners and thus play an important role in the fabric of Guinea baboon societies. Across primate species, neither dispersal patterns nor social organization clearly map onto the presence of strong bonds in males, suggesting multiple routes to the evolution of male bonds.

Shameful Kisses: A History of the Reception – and Rejection – of Homoeroticism in Catullus

AbstractThe history of Catullus’ reception has been one of exclusion as much as inclusion. Since the seventeenth century, many Anglophone writers have used Catullus as inspiration for their translations, poetic adaptations, and novels. A great deal of these works occluded the role that male homoeroticism played in the Latin poems, especially by omitting Catullus’ male love object, Juventius. Writers have employed various techniques to deal with Catullus’ ‘problematic’ pagan mores: choosing to ignore the suite of poems associated with homoeroticism (for example, Wilder 1948); bowdlerising homoerotic language (such as Nott 1795, Cranstoun 1867, and Macnaghten 1899); and performing ‘gender swaps’ to portray male-male relationships as male-female (a technique employed to memorable effect by de La Chapelle in 1680, and later by Lamb in 1821). Excision of whole poems or bowdlerisation of obscene terms was also often used to deal with Catullus’ depictions of male-on-male sexual violence, a topic regularly entwined with the gentler homoerotic content. This article surveys, analyses, and explains this aspect of Catullus’ reception in English from 1659–1915.

Homosexualizing “Boys Love” in China

Abstract Originating in Japan, “boys love” (BL) manga and fiction that focus on romantic or homoerotic male-male relationships are considered by most of their writers, readers, and scholars to be primarily by women and for women and are purposely differentiated from gay fiction and manga by both commentators and practitioners. However, BL's increasing interweaving with homosexuality and sexual minorities in China requires scholars to reread and redefine BL practice in its Chinese context. This article discusses some of the recent transformations of the BL genre in China, examines the significant role female practitioners have played in indigenizing BL, and ultimately points to the trend of consciously writing and reading BL through a homosexual lens. By reflexively constructing “gayness” in BL works, these practices have also created a peer-led educational space on nonnormative sexuality and gender identity. The author also examines how BL “poaches” official and mainstream cultures, resulting in their considering BL the primary fictional vehicle of homosexuality. She therefore suggests that the trend of conflating BL with homosexuality and the deliberate homosexualization of BL in both texts and real life have ultimately extended the cultural identity of BL, as well as its political meaning, and in practice have created a porous culture that welcomes gender diversity and helps increase the visibility of the gay community, revealing a significant social and cultural shift that cannot be ignored or reversed.

Do males bond? A study of male-male relationships in Nicobar long-tailed macaques Macaca fascicularis umbrosus

In primates, males compete for a mate, which is a non-sharable resource. This makes the conditions less conducive for males to have stable relationships. One such special kind of relationship is a bond where the interactions are reciprocated, equitable and differentiated. Bonds in macaque societies are based on the degree of within-group contest competition for mates which is dependent on the synchronization of female fertile phase and reliability of fertility signals. Species of the Fascicularis group, including Nicobar subspecies, show intermediate reliability in the signals with mild peaks, and studies have shown reciprocity but no differentiation. We conducted a study on a group of wild Nicobar long-tailed macaques Macaca fascicularis umbrosus to understand the existing patterns of male-male relationships. We examined whether there is reciprocity in affiliation among the individuals and whether the rate of affiliation is balanced. We also measured the dominance linearity and steepness in the group to understand the monopolizability of females. We used social network analysis to understand whether the relations are differentiated based on hierarchical position and whether the high-ranking individuals are the most central individuals in the distribution of grooming in the group. We found that there is reciprocity among the males although that is not equitable. There was no rankrelated differentiation of affiliation among the males of the group. Instead, the identities of individuals influenced affiliation patterns. Our results correspond to the existent strong relationships but lack of social bond otherwise found in the Fascicularis group of macaques.

Disregarding Norms: Emperor Charles VI and His Intimate Relationships

Emperor Charles VI (1685-1740) followed his parents in the Habsburg, devout Catholic principles of the pietas austriaca. This meant that, as emperor, Charles saw himself as guardian of the Church of Rome, a role that he emphasized in imperial and dynastic politics, architecture, and his private diaries. These diaries show the importance he placed on religion through daily religious services. But Charles VI also wrote about court life, dynastic politics, his family, and, most importantly, his intimate partners. According to his diaries, he had sexual relationships with both women and men, but only two relationships of an emotionally intimate nature: the first with his closest friend and confidant, Michael Johann Count Althann (1679- 1722), the second with his wife Empress Elisabeth Christine (1691-1750). The male-male relationships, including with a hunter’s boy, have not seemed compatible with his Catholic beliefs to researchers since the nineteenth century. Based on the theory of “norm competition” for early modern times, this article contextualizes the religious beliefs of Charles VI and his sexual and intimate relationships and takes the concept further to show that, in regards to intimate or emotional relationships, religious, legal, or gender norms could, at least by a monarch, be disregarded even in the early modern period.

Sexually Explicit Media Use Among 14-17-Year-Old Sexual Minority Males in the U.S.

Adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM; < 18years old) do not typically receive sexual education that addresses male-male relationships from traditional sources (i.e., school, parents). Therefore, many rely on sexually explicit online media (SEOM; i.e., pornography) to find sexual health information. The current study describes SEOM use by ASMM in the U.S. and examined the association between exposure to condomless anal sex (CAS) in SEOM and engagement in CAS. In 2017, ASMM (N = 206; M age = 16, range: 14-17; 51% racial/ethnic minorities) from across the U.S. completed an online sexual health survey, including questions about SEOM use and sexual behaviors. Most (86%) reported that they had viewed SEOM. Engagement with SEOM was frequent (86% reported viewing ≥ one time per week) and lengthy (70% reported viewing for ≥ 15min per session). Youth perceived that SEOM influenced how they, and other ASMM, think and behave sexually. Further, exposure to risky sexual behavior in SEOM appeared to be associated with youths' dyadic sexual behavior. To support the healthy sexual development of ASMM, it is important to acknowledge the near-universal use of SEOM by ASMM, to identify ways to maximize its potential value, and to minimize potential harms.

The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture ed. by Mark McLelland

Reviewed by: The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture ed. by Mark McLelland Björn-Ole Kamm (bio) The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture. Edited by Mark McLelland. Routledge, London, 2017. xvi. 224 pages. $165.00, cloth; $49.95, paper; $49.95, E-book. At the end of Boys Love Manga and Beyond,1 a previous collection edited jointly by Mark McLelland, he documents the rise of censorship of drawn images from Japan. These legal and ethical challenges take center stage in [End Page 129] The End of Cool Japan, with a focus on the repercussions for research and teaching about manga, anime, and video games. This new edited volume critically appraises the country marketing campaign "Cool Japan," which has sought to bolster "soft power" and manage Japan's image in the world. Often critiqued within and outside Japan for its ineffectiveness and awkward lumping together of anime and tea ceremony as "cool," the campaign took off in the early 2000s, when government officials became aware of the economic success of so-called Japanese popular culture abroad. As the book title portends, one underlying theme of the present volume deals with encroaching "uncool" elements trespassing on officially sanctioned ideas of coolness. Among the most salient uncool elements discussed throughout the collection are accusations by journalists in the West that Japan was the "Empire of Child Pornography," because its legislation in this area came late and excluded fictional minors. In his introduction and based on personal encounters with journalists, McLelland argues that Japan continuously functions as a weird "other" while also being simultaneously ensnared in such accusations on behalf of nonexisting persons, namely, cartoon characters. The following nine chapters explore the complex and contentious duality of "cool" nationalism and "uncool" criminalization, and the contributors trace issues of consumption, research, and education dealing with sexual depictions in Japanese media. The first six chapters share the very personal and often confessional tone of the introduction in how they deal with experiences of researchers in Anglophone countries. The last three chapters engage the challenges that fans of Japanese popular media face in Asia. Alisa Freedman opens with a reflection on how U.S. student perceptions of Japan have changed from that of a feared and revered economic superpower in the 1980s to the manga and anime heaven imagined today. Taking the globally successful horror-thriller Death Note2 as her example, she argues that Internet technologies and the many fan practices they enable (unlicensed translations, derivative fan works) ironically spell the end for the very thing Japanese cultural administrators and corporations desire, that is, control over what is cool. She offers readers a broad overview of how fans outside Japan creatively make a text their own, often ignorant of the legal issues involved and unaware of how they are transmitting a certain image of Japan. Raising awareness about the role of fans in such globalizing processes plays a part in Freedman's teaching, in which students explore social issues through their own media adaptations. The wide survey of issues captured in this chapter builds a solid ground for the essays to follow. However, on several occasions, one wishes Freedman had spelled out the [End Page 130] implications a bit clearer (e.g., what insights a student gained about gender assumptions in Japan by adapting Death Note as "Love Note" with a female, instead of a male, lead). Laura Miller continues with questions of how to engage with stakeholders of Japan's image abroad. She problematizes students who come to Japan studies as avid fans but are unwilling to examine critically the texts they love. Her stance as an anthropologist is not to teach about popular culture but rather to harness manga and anime to tackle gender representations or sexuality in Japanese society. Here, she also discusses opposition encountered outside the classroom in the form of "cultural gatekeepers" (self-proposed "normal" Japanese) who accuse her of painting an incorrect picture of Japan through research of "trivial" matters or sexual "deviance." The latter, which is perhaps best exemplified by the so-called BL genre ("boys' love" stories about male-male relationships...

Kin Selection and Male Homosexual Preference in Indonesia.

Male homosexual preference (MHP) challenges evolutionary thinking because the preference for male-male relationships is heritable, implies a fertility cost (lower offspring number), and is relatively frequent in some societies (2-6% in Western countries) for a costly trait. It has been proposed that individuals with a MHP counterbalance reproductive costs through the transfer of resources to kin, thereby improving their indirect reproduction through kin's reproductive success. This kin selection hypothesis is not supported in Western countries and Japan, although consistent evidence has been obtained in Samoa. In this study, data from Java (Indonesia) were obtained to assess the avuncular tendencies of men with contrasting sexual orientation to measure possible resource transfer. Consistent with the kin selection hypothesis, males with a homosexual orientation reported an increased willingness to transfer resources toward nephews and nieces and declared having transferred more money to nephews and nieces. We developed a method to quantitatively estimate the contribution of kin selection on inclusive reproduction associated to sexual orientation, taking into account various possible biases. Kin selection reduced the direct reproductive cost of homosexual men by 20%, so suggesting that kin selection alone is insufficient to explain the maintenance of male homosexuality. Other potential factors are discussed, as well as the limitations of the study and the social determinant operating for the expression of increased avuncular tendencies of homosexual men.

Hunting Hares and Lovers: Socrates’ Playful Lesson in Xenophon, Memorabilia III, 11

Memorabilia III, 11 is a masterly example of Socrates’ ability to combine seriousness with playfulness. By comparing Theodote’s search for so-called “friends” with the hunt for hares (III, 11, 6–9), Socrates describes the heteroerotic matrix of the hetaira’s economics in terms usually associated with male-male relationships. To give Theodote a lesson on the ethical values of friendship (philia), he uses euphemistic language and constantly alternates (gender) roles, being either the philosopher and lover, or the object of desire. Socrates ultimately proves to be a perfect connoisseur of a hetaira’s expertises, witchcraft and alluring talk, easily outdoing the wealthy Theodote herself. By this means, Memorabilia III, 11 offers a delightful picture both of Socratic teaching and of the erotic structure of Socratic philosophy.

Financial Imbalance, Gender Roles, and Conflict Among Male-Male Couples

While the influence of socioeconomic status and financial balance on conflict in female-male relationships has been widely examined, less is known about these phenomena in male-male relationships. This study consists of qualitative individual in-depth interviews with 20 self-identified gay/bisexual men to examine perceptions of financial roles within relationships, and the influence on relationship control and conflict. For some participants, financial roles were static, while others experienced dynamic roles across and within relationships. Some participants characterised financial imbalance using gendered constructs, ascribing masculine and feminine terms to financial roles. Overall, financial inequalities resulted in perception of power imbalance and conflict.

Emotional intimate partner violence experienced by men in same-sex relationships

Intimate partner violence research has focused almost exclusively on physical and sexual intimate partner violence in opposite-sex relationships, paying little attention to the intimate partner violence experienced by men in same-sex relationships. Emerging research focusing on intimate partner violence among male-male couples has focused largely on physical and sexual violence, with little consideration of the unique forms of emotional violence experienced by gay men. Ten focus-group discussions with gay and bisexual men were conducted to examine perceived typologies, antecedents and experiences of emotional violence that occur between male partners. Participants described emotional violence as the most threatening form of intimate partner violence, driven largely by factors including power differentials, gender roles and internalised homophobia. Results indicate that gay and bisexual men perceive emotional intimate partner violence to be commonplace. A better understanding of emotional violence within male-male relationships is vital to inform intimate partner violence prevention efforts and the more accurate measurement of intimate partner violence for gay men.

Perceptions of Informal and Formal Coping Strategies for Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay and Bisexual Men.

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in same-sex male relationships has been reported to be at least as prevalent as is observed in female-male relationships. Though research has focused on understanding the prevalence and antecedents of IPV in male-male relationships, there is a paucity of data describing perceptions of coping strategies adopted by gay and bisexual men who may experience IPV. Ten focus group discussions were conducted with 64 gay and bisexual men in Atlanta, Georgia, between September 2013 and November 2013. Focus groups examined perceptions of how gay and bisexual men would respond to IPV and the IPV-coping services they would utilize. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes that describe how gay and bisexual men perceive existing IPV services and how they would use these services, if gay and bisexual men were to experience IPV. The results indicate that men experiencing IPV in male-male relationships do not have adequate access to IPV services that are tailored to their unique needs. As a result, there is a strong reliance on informal sources of support. Services are urgently needed to meet the unique needs of men experiencing IPV in same-sex relationships.

Male-male affiliation and cooperation characterize the social behavior of the large-bodied pitheciids, Chiropotes and Cacajao: A review.

Cooperation and affiliation between males may be key to the evolution of large multimale-multifemale primate groups in some species. Cacajao and Chiropotes form multimale-multifemale groups larger than those of most other platyrrhines (Cacajao: over 150 and Chiropotes: up to 80 individuals), and groups exhibit a high degree of fission-fusion dynamics. In both genera, males engage in affiliative, sex-specific behaviors and form all-male parties. Males in both genera also have conspicuous genitalia but can demonstrate sexual crypsis, or mimicry, wherein testes are retracted, resembling labia. Observed egalitarian interactions among males suggest that there is scramble competition for access to females, and aggression between males is uncommon relative to other social primates. As of yet, there are no genetic data to clarify dispersal patterns, and while relatedness among males would in part explain their affiliative relationships, there is some limited evidence for dispersal by males in Cacajao. In this review of recent studies of male-male social interactions in Chiropotes and Cacajao, we posit that the ability to maintain large groups in these genera may be related to the affiliative and perhaps coalitionary relationships between males, who may or may not be related. Affiliative male-male relationships may allow for monopolization of groups of females and facilitate group cohesion by reducing intragroup aggression; however data on male-male interactions with identified individuals will be required to determine patterns of affiliation, while genetic studies may be the most practical way of determining dispersal patterns for these genera.