Researchers at England's University of Portsmouth believe they have
found a scientific explanation for homosexuality and their theories
could even provide support for same-sex marriage as being completely
natural.
The scientists link the hormone progesterone, which
is naturally-occurring in both men and women, to socialization and see
it as a tool that "
promotes bonding."
"The frequency of homoerotic behavior among individuals who do not
identify as having an exclusively homosexual sexual orientation suggests
that such behavior potentially has adaptive value," the researchers
write.
LOOK: Large Study Finds 'Pretty Good Indication' Of Genetic Link To Homosexuality
And they seem to have found an evolutionary case that supports
same-sex relationships and marriage, even finding them advantageous.
"From an evolutionary perspective we tend to think of sexual
behaviour as a means to an end for reproduction," Diana Fleischman, the
study's lead author, states. "However, because sexual behaviour is
intimate and pleasurable, it is also used in many species, including
non-human primates, to help form and maintain social bonds. We can all
see this in romantic couples who bond by engaging in sexual behaviour
even when reproduction is not possible."
That sex is scientifically found to be not solely designed for
reproduction debunks religious extremists' claims that man-woman
marriage is the only "natural" marriage.
"To test whether homosexual behaviour really does go hand in hand
with a need to form close bonds with others of the same sex, they
decided to compare sexual behaviour with the level of a certain hormone
in the blood," City AM reports.
Progesterone is also known as a “social” hormone – it is produced
mainly in the ovaries in women and in the adrenal glands in men, and
encourages a person to engage with others in a positive way.
They asked a group of participants questions such as "The idea of
kissing a person of the same sex is sexually arousing to me," and: "If
someone of the same sex made a pass at me I would be disgusted”. They
compared the answers to the level of progesterone in the blood.
The results, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour,
show that the people with higher levels of the hormone are indeed more
inclined to have homoerotic thoughts.
Heterosexual men and women, for example, were more open to the idea
of engaging in homosexual behaviour when progesterone was high. Men also
produced more of the hormone and felt more homosexual if they were
reminded of a societal need to be friendly with other males.
Fleischman adds that "the
research suggests that having exclusively heterosexual thoughts is a
disadvantage – it’s better to be a little bit attracted to the opposite
sex."
Image via Flickr
Make the jump here to read the original and full article:
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/new_study_proves_evolution_supports_same_sex_marriage
