L15 - Homosexuality Flashcards
Homosexual behavior
- sometimes used to refer to ANY behavior involving same-sex individuals, not specifically behavior sexual behavior
- e.g. a hunting group
Same-sex sexual behavior
specifically describes sexual behavior between individuals of the same sex
Sexual behavior
- hard to define
- usually defined in animal literature as genital manipulation
- in humans, might be more about psychological aspects of sexual stimulation
- does not require sexual pleasure and sometimes doesn’t require a partner
Sexual orientation
- stable and internalized preference for same vs. opposite sexual encounters (or both)
- does not necessarily overlap with behavior
- rarely applied in non-human literature - that’s why we don’t call animals gay/lesbian
Sexual preference
- observed preference when given choice of same/opposite sex sexual interactions
- reflects behavior, not internal predisposition
- may vary over the life course independently of overall sexual orientation
Androphilia / Gynephilia
sexual attraction to males/females
Pederasty
Sexual associations between men and adolescent boys
Fa’afafine
- Samoan third gender
- some ethnographies state that if a family had more boys and not enough girls to help with domestic duties, male children would be chosen to be raised as Fa’afafine
- help kin more than gynephilic men
The Sambia
Ritualized homosexual behavior
Western vs non-Western homosexuality
- non-Western homosexuality is seen to dictate other aspects of social identity (typical gender roles, social life, etc)
- could argue Western cultures more homophobic but acceptance confined to dictated social categories/strict circumstances in other cultures
Mistaken identity
same-sex behavior might occur because of weak sex discrimination
Prison effect
same-sex sexual interactions happen when individuals are deprived of the opposite sex
Evolutionary byproduct
same-sex sexual behavior happens as a byproduct when selection acts on a separate trait, such as high sexual responsiveness
Maladaptation
same-sex sexual behavior manifests when organisms are imperfectly adapted to their environment
Infection
Infection with an external agents, such as a virus, promotes the expression of same-sex sexual preferences
Three main hypotheses for homosexuality that are adaptive explanations
- Kin selection/parental manipulation
- Alliance formation
- Sexually antagonistic selection
Kin selection/parental manipulation
- individuals that engage in same-sex sexual behavior provide resources to siblings thereby increasing their reproductive success
- behaviors negative for one person but beneficial for close relatives can persist in a population
- but some studies have shown that homosexual men don’t help more than heterosexual men - but benefits don’t have to be substantial for it to persist
Alliance formation
- homosexual behavior is selected for because it facilitates social alliances which enhance survival and eventually RS
- homosexual behavior adaptive in the context of bisexuality
- homosexual behavior argued to facilitate social bonds and reduce intergroup tensions
Sexually antagonistic selection
- alleles promote same-sex sexual behavior in one sex, increase fitness in the other sex, and are therefore maintained
- could homosexuality be promoting female fertility? Female relatives of gay men had higher fertility
Predictions of Alliance Formation
- that homosexual behavior occurs mainly in the context of bisexuality
- most homosexuals reproduce
- homosexual behavior brings social benefits
Born Gay Movement
- response to homophobic arguments that being gay is unnatural therefore bad
- but this is the naturalistic fallacy!
- further promotes idea that homosexuality is somehow more acceptable bc it is natural/not product of social influence
- implies that if homosexuality is the production of social factors it would be less acceptable
