Are there more gays theses days?

[fredv3b]

Is it nature saying there are to many people on this plent, like how Crocodilia change their sex when there are to many of one sex.

Assuming there really are more gays, I very much doubt that is the reason.

If nature wanted to say there were too many people on the planet, why wouldn't she just use her old favourites of famine and disease?

With reference to Crocodillia (and other creatures) changing sex to optimise the local sex balance, surely that's nature saying there isn't (or soon won't be) enough of them?

[OrphanPip]

I actually think the trend would likely be downward in developed countries because of low birth rates. Statistically gays are often younger siblings, which would suggest there would be a trend towards less gays in the future. Interestingly, when you look at census data, Scandinavian countries, which have the lowest birth rates, also have some of the lowest percentages of homosexuals. However, this could also be due to genetic differences.

The USA also has the largest percentage of gays, according to census data, and the highest birth rate in the developed world.

This is all purely hypothetical though.

[UMiami17]

In my opinion i think the numbers were always the same but people used to conceal it but nowadays more and more people coming out so we think that we are more

This! The percentages were always the same, but more and more people have come out.

and there are many millions more out there who WANT to come out but remain in the closet, because to of how it may be taken publicly....myself included.

[sweetlad2010]

hmmmmmm I'm just trying to make a point of the purpose of gay people in nature xx

[princealbertofb]

I actually think the trend would likely be downward in developed countries because of low birth rates. Statistically gays are often younger siblings, which would suggest there would be a trend towards less gays in the future. Interestingly, when you look at census data, Scandinavian countries, which have the lowest birth rates, also have some of the lowest percentages of homosexuals. However, this could also be due to genetic differences.

The USA also has the largest percentage of gays, according to census data, and the highest birth rate in the developed world.

This is all purely hypothetical though.

Could it also just be that in the USA there has been a great genetic mixture... thus making the possible mingling (and reinforcement?) of genetic particularities more prevalent? It is also a population of more than 300 million. I'm wondering if the numbers are as high in a country such as Brazil, that has had similar influences and mixtures for instance, whether gayness is declared or not?

Or also could it be that people are more likely to declare themselves gay in the USA than in some still conservative parts of Europe or populous countries like China or India?

For some things official statistics are still very new and recent, or just unavailable, and may not shed much light on the reality or evolution of the situation.

[OrphanPip]

hmmmmmm I'm just trying to make a point of the purpose of gay people in nature xx

Nature doesn't have purpose.

There are several hypotheses of how homosexuality could have been selected for as a trait, or merely persisted.

Broadly speaking homosexuality has to be caused by genes that are either adaptive, neutral, or not significantly maladaptive enough to be removed from the population.

Historically, homosexual tendencies were probably not going to strongly prevent reproduction, so it may have just not been strongly selected against. Another possibility is that homosexuality is caused by genes which are adaptive under certain conditions. There is evidence that women related to homosexual men have higher fecundity. So, to take a simplified example, if a woman carrying the gay genes can have 5 children, while one without will have 3, even if 1 of the gay carrier's male children is homosexual more of the gay genes will be carried on. There is also the possibility that the genes involved are adaptive through kin selection, in that gay children who are not reproductive competition for their male siblings can also contribute to their siblings' fitness through sharing resources.

These questions are difficult to answer because we don't have a perfect understanding of what leads to homosexuality.

[DarkDaisuke]

I do believe the LGBT population has increased; I'm a believer in the Kinsey Scale and well I do believe everyone fits it in a way from exclusively heterosexual to bi to exclusively homosexual. I believe people are becoming more free to admit that they can enjoy both sexes if they feel that way ya know

[Marvinteck]

In my opinion i think the numbers were always the same but people used to conceal it but nowadays more and more people coming out so we think that we are more

I would have to agree with you.

[Bookworm]

I can swear, however, that there has never been such a profusion of information (some good some bad, some true, some untrue) about homosexuality. We were never exposed to as much when I or Marshlander were young. That's how the Internet has changed our worlds.

So true mile:

[TuxSky]

Adding to Orphan's posts about what causes homosexuality, I recently read a really nice article that says that pre-natal stress causes it.

I'm not really sure if it accounted for lesbians and bisexuals too but basically, when the mother is under stress, some hormone is produced and the amount that the child is exposed to can affect their sexual orientation.

That theory kind of supports the ''homosexuality is nature's way to battle over-population'' one too. All of this is really interesting, we should make a topic to just discuss this kind of stuff.