Identical twins gay
Studies have shown that in identical twins, if one twin is gay (the term "homosexual" is used in clinical studies but is considered offensive, so I won't use it further), then 30 percent to. In a study where scientists looked at the sexual arousal patterns of identical twins with different sexualities—specifically, where one was gay and the other was straight—they found that gay twins demonstrated more genital arousal in response to same-sex images, whereas straight twins demonstrated more arousal in response to opposite-sex images [2].
Identical twins resulting from splitting occurring before day five are free to develop their own sexual orientation. If one twin has a same-sex orientation, there is a 30% chance that the second twin will have this same identity. If they have the exact same genes and our genes control our sexuality, this would seem like a pretty logical conclusion. A growing amount of research suggests that sexual orientation has a genetic basis.
Identical twins resulting from splitting occurring before day five are free to develop their own sexual orientation. In a study where scientists looked at the sexual arousal patterns of identical twins with different sexualities—specifically, where one was gay and the other was straight—they found that gay twins demonstrated more genital arousal in response to same-sex images, whereas straight twins demonstrated more arousal in response to opposite-sex.
Studies have shown that in identical twins, if one twin is gay (the term "homosexual" is used in clinical studies but is considered offensive, so I won't use it further), then 30 percent to. Thirty-eight pairs of monozygotic twins (34 male pairs and 4 female pairs) were found to have a concordance rate of % for homosexual orientation. Because identical twins identify so closely with each other, and post-natal experiences – especially close family relationships – strongly affect the development of homosexuality, it seems plausible, if not likely, that a homosexual member of a twin pair would influence the other member of that pair to embrace and explore homosexuality also.
Men—who are also exposed to more prenatal testosterone—tend to have finger length patterns similar to non-heterosexual women in that the index finger is typically somewhat shorter than the identical twin gay finger. So why is that? But this idea has been refuted scientifically. By contrast, non-heterosexual women tend to have an index finger that is shorter than their ring finger.
One recent study provides some preliminary support for this idea [3]. In fact, scientists recently identified two specific genes that appear to differ between gay and straight men [1]. For example, one may be straight while the other is gay. Specifically, it turned out that the non-heterosexual twins showed a bigger difference in finger lengths on average than did their heterosexual co-twins, but only on the left hand.
This is consistent with the idea that some twins might have had different hormone exposure in the womb. Comparisons between male twins were not statistically significant. Perhaps one twin is being exposed to different levels of a given hormone or has a different response to that hormone than the other, and this is ultimately what contributes to later differences in sexual orientation.
If sexual orientation is indeed genetically determined, it would be tempting to assume that identical twins would always have the same orientation, right? Because identical twins identify so closely with each other, and post-natal experiences – especially close family relationships – strongly affect the development of homosexuality, it seems plausible, if not likely, that a identical twin gay member of a twin pair would influence the other member of that pair to embrace and explore homosexuality also.
The field of epigenetics tells us that our genes interact with our environment, and that the environment is capable of turning specific genes on or off. Their homosexual co-twins showed an opposite pattern. In a study where scientists looked at the sexual arousal patterns of identical twins with different sexualities—specifically, where one was gay and the other was straight—they found that gay twins demonstrated more genital arousal in response to same-sex images, whereas straight twins demonstrated more arousal in response to opposite-sex.
An page questionnaire on the "sexuality of twins" was filled out by one or both twins. If one twin has a same-sex orientation, there is a 30% chance that the second twin will have this same identity. What might those environmental factors be? Of course, there are several caveats in order here. This is thought to stem from higher exposure to testosterone in the womb. Specifically, what earlier studies found is that, for heterosexual women, their index finger tends to be about the same length as their ring finger.
Forty-six homosexual men and women who were twins took part in a study of their sexuality and that of their co-twin. Discordance for sexual orientation in the monozygotic pairs confirmed that genetic factors are insufficient explanation of the development of sexual orientation.
Identical twins sometimes have different orientations. Across measures, heterosexual male twins responded more strongly to women than to men. Returning to the new study, researchers replicated the previous sexual orientation findings for women. This is plausible because identical twins sometimes develop with different placentas, and those placentas might not transfer the same level of hormones to each fetus.