Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The “Female Fertility–Social Stratification–Hypergyny” Hypothesis Of Male Homosexual Preference: Factual, Conceptual And Methodological Errors In Barthes Et Al. [Commentary], Doug P. Vanderlaan, Zachary H. Garfield, Melissa J. Garfield, Jean-Baptiste Leca, Paul L. Vasey, Raymond B. Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Barthes, Godelle, and Raymond (2013, Evolution and Human Behavior, 34, 155–163) proposed a hypothesis to (1) identify the process by which genes influencing male homosexual preference (MHP) are passed on over evolutionary time, and (2) account for why life-course persistent MHP is restricted to humans. According to their hypothesis, certain genes lower reproductive success in male carriers by causing MHP, but these same genes promote fertility in female carriers (i.e., sexual antagonism). Barthes et al. proposed that the female carriers of genes for MHP have physical cues of fertility (i.e., beauty) that help them marry up the social class …