The greater social visibility of the homosexual community and the enactment of laws that combat homophobia lead many people to wonder if the number of people with an erotic-affective tendency towards the same sex has increased.
However, a recent study published in the scientific journal Archives of Sexual Behavior indicates that it is only a subjective phenomenon: the prevalence of male homosexuality – the study focused on men – has remained stable throughout history .
Gay by nature or by culture?
Computer systems expert Giorgi Chaladze, from Ilia State University in Georgia, USA, developed a computer model to study the prevalence of homosexuality . He used a genetic model that took into account two recent findings. The first is that gay men tend to come from families with a larger number of members, suggesting that the genes responsible for homosexuality also increase fertility among women in families. The second hypothesis he considered is that many heterosexual men carry genes that could predispose a person to homosexuality.
Taking into account these two hypotheses, Chaladze obtained computer models that concluded that the number of gays remains stable throughout history.
This scientist is in favor of the theory that the erotic-affective orientation is highly influenced by genetic factors and, therefore, tends to be stable over time. At certain times in history it seems that there is a greater or lesser number of homosexuals, but this is due solely to the visibility and social pressure exerted by culture.
