ABSTRACT

In September of 2019, the largest-ever (N = 477,522) genome-wide-association study of same-gender sexuality was published in Science. The primary finding was that multiple genes are significantly associated with ever engaging in same-gender sexual behavior, accounting for between 8–25% of variance in this outcome. Yet an additional finding of this study, which received less attention, has more potential to transform our current understanding of same-gender sexuality: Specifically, the genes associated with ever engaging in same-gender sexual behavior differed from the genes associated with one’s relative proportion of same-gender to other-gender behavior. I review recent research on sexual orientation and sexual fluidity to illustrate how these findings speak to longstanding questions regarding distinctions among subtypes of same-gender sexuality (such as mostly-heterosexuality, bisexuality, and exclusive same-gender experience). I conclude by outlining directions for future research on the multiple causes and correlates of same-gender expression.

摘要

2019 年 9 月，有史以来规模最大（N = 477,522）的同性性行为全基因组关联研究发表在《科学》杂志上。主要发现是多个基因与曾经从事同性性行为显着相关，占该结果差异的 8-25%。然而，这项研究的另一个发现较少受到关注，它更有可能改变我们目前对同性性行为的理解：具体而言，与曾经从事同性性行为相关的基因不同于与一个人的相对比例相关的基因同性对其他性别的行为。我回顾了最近关于性取向和性流动性的研究，以说明这些发现如何解决关于同性性行为亚型（例如主要是异性恋、双性恋和排他性的同性经历）之间区别的长期问题。最后，我概述了未来关于同性表达的多种原因和相关因素的研究方向。