Story of My Life: Sexually Antagonistic Selection

This image has something to do with genetics and being gay

Slate has a really interesting article on a study out about male homosexuality. According to the theory, it seems we are not necessarily choosing to be gay (duh):

The theory is called "sexually antagonistic selection." It holds that a gene can be reproductively harmful to one sex as long as it's helpful to the other. The gene for male homosexuality persists because it promotes—and is passed down through—high rates of procreation among gay men's mothers, sisters, and aunts.

As a way to control rampant procreation, you get fabulous gays. Basically, women's bodies start to recognize somehow that your family is too damn big and you get a bunch of 'mos. It curious that this happens instead of simply just getting sterile men.

Anyway, I totally agree with the conclusions in the article:

First, it implies natural limits to homosexuality. You don't need to worry that gay teachers or television characters will "convert" hordes of boys. Sexually antagonistic selection is self-limiting and impervious to postnatal cultural factors. The authors' computations show no scenario in which male homosexuality spreads throughout a population.

Second, by the same token, you can't culturally eradicate the gay minority. It's sustained by genetics and natural selection.

I love imagining a time when people accept that sexuality is not, in both extremes, some choice we make to do freak people out or a weird disease we secrete through our mouths and then vomit into others (like something out of the x-files).