• Question: What makes men like men and women like women?

    Asked by scientists321 to Anouk, Chris, Judith, Leisha, Seyyed on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Chris Kettle

      Chris Kettle answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      sexual behaviour is more of a behaviourial and therefore physcological. If all men liked men and women women we would die out as a species so it is in the interest of our genes to like the opposite sex. Why this is sometimes not the case has been attributed to factors like not enough/too much testosterone exposure in the womb, etc. But no one currently can pin point why.

    • Photo: Judith Sleeman

      Judith Sleeman answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      People have looked for genes associated with homosexuality, but I’m pretty sure without success. Sexual behaviour can be influenced by many things, and other species as well as humans can be ‘gay’. The most extreme example is the bonobo ape, one of our closest relatives. They’re extremely promiscuous and have hetero and homosexual relationships.

      The bottom line is, we don’t really know, but it seems to be pretty natural!

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