Twin gay
Why Do Some Equal Twins Have Distinct Sexual Orientations?
by Justin Lehmiller
A growing amount of research suggests that sexual orientation has a genetic basis. In evidence, scientists recently identified two specific genes that appear to differ between lgbtq+ and straight men [1].
If sexual orientation is indeed genetically determined, it would be tempting to assume that same twins would always have the identical orientation, right? If they have the exact same genes and our genes control our sexuality, this would come across like a beautiful logical conclusion. As it turns out, however, it’s not accurate.
Identical twins sometimes have different orientations. For example, one may be direct while the other is gay. So why is that?
In cases like this, some might discuss that perhaps both twins are actually gay, but one just hasn’t show up out yet. In other words, maybe there isn’t a true discrepancy. But this idea has been refuted scientifically.
In a study where scientists looked at the sexual arousal patterns of same twins with unlike sexualities—specifically, where one was
The “Boyfriend Twin” and Our Tendency to Date People Who Look Like Us
They have matching puffed-out chests, green plaid shirts, and endearing bedhead. Their facial hair was carved by the same blade. When they kiss, they stare like they’re doing an especially salacious rendition of the Marx Brothers mirror routine. Forget the homonymous gay couples, with their quaint troubles of common first names and muddled friends. Behold the lover twin.
As the Tumblr that appeared recently asks, “What’s sexier than dating yourself?” Boyfriend Twin’s ever-growing scroll of photos seems to have charmed and terrified its devoted audience in equal measure, scratching at unconscious fears about how we choose our mates. In one portrait after another, two men with similar expressions pose for the camera with complementary profiles that match all the way down to the chest hair. Linear couples who are bewildered for siblings have been ticklish fodder for lifestyle stories for years, but the boyfriend twins seize that a step further, suggesting that what we’re really searching for is our own romanti
Title: Homosexual Orientation in Twins: A Report on 61 Pairs and Three Triplet Sets
REFERENCES
Bailey, J. M., and Pillard R. C. (). A genetic study of male sexual orientation. Arch. Gen. Psychiat.
Bouchard, T. J., Lykken, D. T., McGue, M., Segal, N. L., and Tellegen, A. (). Sources human psychological differences: The Minnesota research of wins reared apart. Science
Davison, K., Brierley, H., and Smith, C. (). A male monozygotic twinship discordant for homosexuality. Br. J. Psychiat.
Diamond, M. (). A critical evaluation of the ontogeny of human sexual action. Quart. Rev. Biol.
Diamond, M. (). Human sexual development: Biological Foundation for social development. In Beach, F. A. (ed), Human Sexuality in Four Perspectives, Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, MD, pp.
Diamond, M. (). Sexual identity and sex roles. In Bullough, V. (ed), The Frontiers of Sex Research, Prometheus, Buffalo, NY, pp.
Diamond, M. (). Sexual individuality, monozygotic twins reared in discordant sex roles and a BBC follow-up. Arch. Sex. Behav.
Diamond, M. (). Homosexuality and bisexuality
Source: Dragon Images/ Shutterstock
A January headline story in the Los Angeles Times was riveting. Andrew Dvash-Banks of the United States and Elad Dvash-Banks of Israel married in Canada in (At the time, the couple could not marry in either of their home countries.)
The couple had conceived fraternal twin sons, Aiden and Ethan, with a Canadian surrogate by means of an egg donor and sperm from each father. The two boys were born minutes apart on Sept. 16,
Superfecundation
Aiden was created with Andrew’s sperm and Ethan was created with Elad’s sperm. This procedure replays the key features of what scientists call superfecundation twinning—twins conceived naturally when a woman releases two eggs at the same time and has different sexual partners within the tohour fertilization window. (Sperm lingering in the fallopian tube can last from 7 to 10 days.)
But unlike fraternal twins, who share an average of 50 percent of their genes, superfecundation twins share an average of 25 percent because they hold just one common parent (the maternal contribution). These pairs include