Homosexuality, Biosocial Theories of

The biological basis of homosexuality is the subject of ongoing investigations. Researchers in this field explore potential causes through two complementary approaches. On the one hand, there is a focus on mechanisms that generate the trait (proximate causes), with evidence for a multifacetted influence of genes and intrauterine hormones. On the other hand, researchers also consider the functions that might have favored the evolution of homosexuality (ultimate causes). Several functional hypotheses can be applied to bisexual behavior (substitution or practice for heterosexual activities; alliance formation through homosexual interactions). Exclusive homosexuality, however, requires different explanatory perspectives (e.g., kin selection, i.e., homosexuals reproduce indirectly; parental manipulation, i.e., parents turn younger offspring into helpers for older siblings; balanced polymorphism, i.e., male homosexual behavior is a by‐product of selection for other traits, such as higher fecundity of female relatives). Such multiplicity of explanatory approaches reflects the diverse nature of same‐sex sexual behavior

Biology · Developmental psychology · Evolutionary biology · Homosexuality · Kin selection · Psychoanalysis · Sociobiology · Trait · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

• Animal Homosexuality

  Open Access•Aldo Poiani•Animal Homosexuality•2010

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• The Construction of Homosexuality

  D F Greenberg, Daniel S Greenberg•The Construction of Homosexuality•1988

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