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Homosexuals who are Twins

The British Journal of PsychiatryPublished 1 March 1992
Michael King, Elizabeth McDonald
Citations54
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.47
SNIP2.17

TL;DR

It is confirmed that genetic factors are insufficient explanation of the development of sexual orientation, and a relatively high likelihood of sexual relations occurring with same sex co-twins at some time, particularly in monozygotic pairs.

Abstract

Forty-six homosexual men and women who were twins took part in a study of their sexuality and that of their co-twin. Discordance for sexual orientation in the monozygotic pairs confirmed that genetic factors are insufficient explanation of the development of sexual orientation. There was a high level of shared knowledge of sexual orientation between members of twin pairs, and a relatively high likelihood of sexual relations occurring with same sex co-twins at some time, particularly in monozygotic pairs. The implications of these results for the study of the origins of sexual orientation and for twin research are discussed.

Keywords

PsychologySocial SciencesMedicine