Homosexuality is an ambivalent characteristic of human existence in several ways. It is biologically ambivalent because it does not result ...
Homosexuality is an ambivalent characteristic of human existence in several ways. It is biologically ambivalent because it does not result in offspring and does not contribute to the survival of the species, yet it is continuously present in the human population. Homosexuality is also socially ambivalent, because its appearance and presence typically evoke strong emotional reactions; it is often met with strong rejection within the predominantly heterosexual community, yet it continuously struggles for social acceptance.
Strange, surprising that it exists, but it exists, it wants to exist, and it fights against its socially peripheral existence. It wants to be a normal, accepted human characteristic in society, like a hair color, even though we do not even understand why it exists at all, what its origin is, or to what extent it is a personally specific subjective behavioral deviance, or rather a defining biological determination.
After all, among its various forms of manifestation, what is homosexuality exactly? How can homosexuality be defined?
The typical definition of homosexuality is sexual attraction to the same sex, just as heterosexuality is sexual attraction to the opposite sex. However, this generally accepted definition actually approaches reality not properly, because it relatively defines homosexual characteristics, tying it to a kind of relativity, to sameness or differentness. To understand the existence of homosexuality, a non-relativistic definition of the condition could be more helpful.
The origin of our traits is rooted in biology, fundamentally deriving from the genetic information given to us. Obviously, in the case of humans, the development of a specific form of behavior can be influenced by several other factors beyond genetics, including culture, but even the appearance of a complex form of behavior can be related to some form of genetic predisposition.
Our genetic traits, however, are absolute in nature, such as, for example, hair color. There are many different hair colors; an entire spectrum of hair colors exists, which we most simply identify by naming the color itself, in absolute terms. Genetics is the source of concrete, absolute traits, not relativistic properties. Just as the genetic trait that determines hair color is absolute in nature, we do not say that one hair color is blonder or browner than another, but rather that it is blonde, brown, or even brownies blonde.
However, to date, homosexuality has not yet been successfully linked to any specifically concrete, absolute genetic characteristic; no genetic structure is apparent whose presence could be unequivocally associated with the development of homosexuality, and because the genetic origin cannot be seen, it is often simply just identified as deviant behavior. Yet, homosexuality certainly has genetic roots. The origin of sexual attraction typically is not based on learned behavior—even if its behavioral manifestation in the human species carries countless learned and cultural aspects—, just as the non-learned, biological origin of sexuality is evident in numerous other animal species, and as this must necessarily also be true in the case of the human species.
If homosexuality is in some way genetically determined and genetics creates absolute traits, then understanding the genetic origin of homosexuality requires defining homosexuality in an absolute form. What could be the absolute definition of homosexuality?
First of all, what is the definition of sexuality? Sexuality, as a trait, can be defined as it is an attraction that has developed through evolution, manifesting both in biological and behavioral forms, which helps in the creation of offspring.
There are two types of biological sex, female and male; therefore, from the perspective of reproduction, there must fundamentally be two genetically determined sexualities existing in absolute forms: attraction to the female gender identity, and similarly, attraction to the male gender identity, which are traits basically created through biological hormonal regulation founded on genetics.
Based on this, an absolute form of definition of homosexuality can now be formulated. We can consider genetically determined sexuality as homosexuality when a person with a biological female sex identity possesses the genetic trait that carries the manifestation of attraction toward the female sex identity, and also, when a person with a biological male sex identity possesses a genetic trait that carries the manifestation of attraction toward the male sex identity.
It must be noted that apparently, the genetic information that determines biological sex cannot be completely identical to the genetic information that generates sexual attraction, since if these traits had the same genetic source, homosexuality could not exist biologically; however, sexuality has a deep biological origin.
The basic genetic predisposition—because in terms of reproduction and passing on genes, it is advantageous—is that when an offspring is born as a result of the sexual act of two sexes, if the offspring has a genetically female sex identity, then upon reaching sexual maturity, the offspring will feel sexual attraction toward a person with a genetically male sex identity. That is, the female child inherits from the sexually successful, offspring-producing mother the genetic information present in the mother that creates sexual attraction toward the male sex identity. Conversely, the basic genetic predisposition in the case of the birth of a male offspring, the inheritance occurs in the opposite manner.
However, the genetics that create the traits of offspring is a process with a statistical nature, carrying mechanisms that operate randomly; for effective evolutionary adaptation, genetic inheritance varies certain traits in the offspring in a way similar to shuffling cards. With a certain probability, traits from either parent may appear in the offspring, and some inherited traits can even be passed on in a hidden, non-expressed manner. During reproduction, with certain characteristicly determined probabilities, an offspring may be born that, genetically, for example, inherits male sexual characteristics from the father's genetic makeup, and due to the traits genetically inherited from the mother's side genetic makeup, feels sexual attraction toward the male sexual appearance, and with respect to the opposite sex, a similar inheritance tendency may also exist with a certain probability.
The genetically determined biological sexual orientation is certainly of complex origin, influenced by numerous components in different directions. Therefore, sexual orientation, with respect to different sexes, can exist across a wide spectrum of traits between the two fundamentally defining extremes that ensure reproductive success, as this can be observed in many different sexual behaviors. The genetically determined predisposition, combined with the many overlaid learned and cultural factors, clearly generates the diversity manifested in sexuality beyond the form most favorable for reproduction and thus most widespread.
A homosexual-oriented offspring is therefore born in cases where, for example, an offspring of male characteristics inherits from a sexually evolutionarily successful mother—because she is capable of producing offspring—genetic traits present in the mother that induce sexual attraction toward individuals carrying male sexual characteristics. This interpretation of sexuality regarding absolute characteristics is capable of explaining the reason for the evolutionary persistence of homosexuality.
Obviously, individuals with a homosexual orientation typically do not have offspring, so in theory, the genetic form of homosexuality, even if it arises randomly, should disappear through evolutionary natural selection; homosexuality should not persist, especially at a constantly present proportion in the population. Yet it does exist, and there must be some reason why it is continuously present.
Homosexuality cannot have a specific genetic basis in itself, because then it would surely be selected out during evolutionary selection, and the trait would disappear or exists only in traces as random mutations, or also it could be seen as an appearance of inherited trait of higher rate of homosexual orientation in the rare cases of descendants of homosexual parents, but it does not appear that way. Homosexuality—as understood and argued here—is actually the result of a hereditary mix of evolutionarily successful traits. The genetic predisposition that induces male homosexuality—as already suspected due to the persistence of this trait, and as can now also be traced back to a specific genetic origin based on the above—is actually inherited from the maternal side. It persists through the inheritance of naturally occurring, evolutionarily successful, sexuality-related genetic traits present in the mother. Similarly, the genetic predisposition that induces female homosexuality can be present in the female offspring through inheritance from the father of a naturally occurring genetic predisposition that leads to “normal” sexuality in males as an attraction to female sexual characteristics.
This theory is also supported by the continuously maintained, more or less constant proportion of homosexuality in the population. A genetic disposition that causes specific traits should, according to evolutionary success, either spread throughout the population or become hidden or completely extinct. However, the experience that the presence of homosexuality in the population remains at a more or less constant proportion indicates that it is certainly not tied to specific genetics, but rather is a consequence of a definite, statistically present randomness of a mix of successful traits. It is evident that, for example, sexual attraction to female characteristics is an evolutionarily advantageous trait carried by typically the male offspring, and therefore must persist. However, based on the statistical nature of inheritance, sometimes, according to the rules of heredity, there is a certain probability that this trait is inherited by the female offspring, and thus the inherited trait, despite being evolutionarily unsuccessful in this context, can continuously exist in the population at a persistently maintained proportion. The genetic origin of sexual attraction appearing in the direction of male characteristics spreads successfully through the female line, and vice versa; however, based on the statistical variability of evolutionary traits, it can naturally be inherited on the sex line that is not evolutionarily successful, at a certain, definite proportion.
The diverse behavioral spectrum associated with sexuality is a natural phenomenon of genetic functioning; the variety of diversity can be understood and explained naturally, just as the presence of the genetic predisposition to homosexuality is also such a natural state. Consequently, according to the genetic complexity that gives rise to sexuality, it can naturally appear, and it is actually observed across a species-specific appearance of varying breadths in many sexually reproducing species. The human species is specific in the sense of naturally occurring sexuality, including homosexuality, in the population, in that, although sexuality generates a very strong instinctive behavioral motivation, beyond this, a definite and strong social, cultural, and personally learned behavioral component is built upon the sexual biological orientation. Hair color variation, for example, is generally not associated with social or cultural attitudes, although there are examples of this, just as an atypical skin color in a community can be linked to social, cultural, and consequently learned personal attitudes, likewise personal attitudes related to homosexuality, stemming from the strong motivational background of sexual orientation, can manifest in human behavior not only in attraction but also in the pronounced form of rejection.
The strong social perception of homosexuality can fundamentally be traced back to two reasons. On the one hand, sexuality is linked to two distinct, apparently separated states, the female and male sexual identities, and its manifestation can occur in relation to these two extreme states, either between different or same sexes, thus being distinctly different and observable in clearly distinguishable ways. On the other hand, sexual orientation obviously has strong emotional components. Genetically determined sexual orientation naturally carries evolutionarily developed positive emotions, such as feeling romantic love, and similarly, as a result of evolutionary selection, genetically determined natural negative emotions may arise toward sexual expression in the opposite direction, such as disgust, revulsion, or even the form of hate.
Due to these two characteristics, social attitudes towards the different kinds of sexuality are typically firm, clearly distinguishable, and can often be extreme. From the perspective of reproduction, since successful—i.e., dominant—sexual orientation involves emotional attraction to the opposite sex and aversion related to the same-sex orientation, the presence of this dominance means that a significant portion of society may naturally feel personal dislike or rejection toward homosexuality. This often manifests outwardly in cultural forms and social customs and can even be reflected within legal, legislatively defined frameworks.
The actual expression of sexual characteristics is culture-specific, linked to customs, and appears in learned behavior. It is obvious that certain biological characteristics have an evolutionarily developed objective role in the successful reproduction of offspring, such as in the case of female sexual characteristics—large breasts, wide hips, and a full figure are evolutionarily preferred traits for successful reproduction. Nevertheless, culturally, for example, in recent times, a thin female body type, which is specifically disadvantageous for creating offspring, is presented as a more attractive feminine appearance. Long or short hair, wearing a skirt or pants are cultural customs related to biological sex, associated with learned behavior. For instance, if a woman wears short hair and pants, her sexual evaluation based on cultural attitudes may tend toward the homosexual direction, and in some communities, this may even lead to social stigmatization. Moreover, society may enforce political-legal or even religiously based oppression on the behavioral expression of naturally occurring, stably present homosexual-inclined individuals within a population, violently suppressing the social behavior and life of a societal group with naturally present traits.
The existence of homosexuality can be understood biologically, its presence can be interpreted well in natural evolution, and its social manifestation, on either side, is also understandable and explainable. The socially negative perception of homosexuality requires conscious, learned control, which must even appear in culture, especially because the genetically occurring homosexuality has beside the associated “deviant” behavior - that is socially frequently condemned but not actually stemming from homosexuality itself, rather from societal attitudes - alongside interestingly appear other, numerous advantageous, highly developed artistic and scientific abilities, which statistically prominent presence in connection with homosexuality would also require explanation.
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