Homosexuality is a subject that is brought up constantly in the media, whether discussing gay rights, adoption, and/or primitive biblical viewpoints on gay people and their ways of life. And as this topic is discussed, a number of questions appear. A popular one that has yet to be definitively proven is "How many gay people are there on Planet Earth?". The "Janus Report" carried out in 1993 claimed that 9% of the planets male population is gay. And a survey was recently carried out in the UK, that claimed 1.5% of british people under the age of 75 were gay or bisexual. There is even a popular view that everyone is a little gay, in some way or another. The true explanation for this quandary is yet to be proven without a shadow of a doubt, however there is an even bigger question that I believe also deserves an answer. Why do gay people exist in the first place? I mean, evolutionary speaking, their very existence does't seem to make much sense. If a man or woman only finds members of the same gender attractive, than the reproduction of offspring and the spreading of his/her genes is unlikely to happen, which should cause the extinction of these versions of human beings. However here they are, homosexual people, all over the world, from South America to the Middle East. But why is that?
Although an absolute answer has yet to be achieved, there are a number of theories, many of which that seem very credible, and others less so. One theory is known as the "
Kin Altruism Hypothesis". This theory states that homosexuality could possibly exist if it was discovered that gay people provide a beneficial hand in looking after their own relatives, to a greater extent than they could if they had their own children to look after. By homosexuals providing help for their siblings, as well as the nieces and nephews their siblings produced, the survival rates of their family members could be improved, increasing the chance of the families genes being passed on to future generations; including the gay ones. This theory, although sounding plausible, was deemed unlikely after it was discovered that gay people added little more help to their immediate families survival, than other straight members.
Another idea that has been gaining traction in the scientific community in known as the
"Female Fertility Hypothesis". This theory states that homosexuality could possibly exist, if a gay gene in the population leads to an increase in the sexual fertility of females. For example, if a woman is born who, once reaching sexual maturity, has genetic characteristics that allow her to have a thin waist, larger breasts and thighs, and a high fertility rate, this would make her more attractive to the opposite sex and more likely to reproduce. But, if a by-product of these characteristics was that her brother (or other male relative) was gay and unlikely to reproduce, this would still be beneficial as she could have many healthy offspring herself. Evidence for this hypothesis has been found by measuring groups of women who have gay relatives, and it has been discovered that most seem to be highly fertile, and less susceptible to birth defects than others without gay relatives.
The
"Alliance Formation Hypothesis" provides another possibility for the evolution of homosexuality. This hypothesis claims that this trait could possibly be an evolutionary strategy for men to form bonds and friendships with other males in their group; allowing improved statuses in the groups hierarchy, and higher chances of reproduction with females. These bonds could be formed through homo-erotic behaviours that lead to coercion and teamwork among men. This is something that can be seen in our ape ancestors Bonobo's, and in certain human cultures today. This theory however has gained mixed reviews from scientists, as it appears that only a small number of human tribes present these behaviours; the vast majority sticking to heterosexual monogamous relationships.
It seems that, when taking all the evidence into account, and according to the scientific community, that the
"Female Fertility Hypothesis"is the most likely to be correct. However the evidence is not yet strong enough for it to be considered fact. Research continues to be ongoing, and one day we may have an answer that provides a true, biological reason why homosexuality exists today, revealing it to be caused by genetic/environmental factors, rather than by choice as scientifically wayward creationists seem to believe.
-Thomas Glen
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