Abstract
Recent research has found that the mothers of firstborn homosexual sons produce fewer subsequent offspring than do the mothers
of firstborn heterosexual sons. It was hypothesized that a subset of mothers of firstborn homosexuals may be responsible for
this finding. If there is a subset of mothers whose immune reactions cause their first male fetus to be homosexual and their
subsequent fetuses to die, then their immune reactions should also cause their first male fetus to have a lower birth weight.
This leads to the prediction that, within the population of firstborn homosexual men, those with no younger siblings should
also tend to have lower birth weights. This prediction was tested using a previously published sample of 1,445 firstborn subjects:
929 heterosexual females, 47 homosexual females, 409 heterosexual males, and 60 homosexual males. The results showed that
firstborn homosexuals with no younger siblings (i.e., only children) did have lower birth weights compared with all the other
subjects, but the finding applied to firstborn lesbian women as well as firstborn gay men.
of firstborn heterosexual sons. It was hypothesized that a subset of mothers of firstborn homosexuals may be responsible for
this finding. If there is a subset of mothers whose immune reactions cause their first male fetus to be homosexual and their
subsequent fetuses to die, then their immune reactions should also cause their first male fetus to have a lower birth weight.
This leads to the prediction that, within the population of firstborn homosexual men, those with no younger siblings should
also tend to have lower birth weights. This prediction was tested using a previously published sample of 1,445 firstborn subjects:
929 heterosexual females, 47 homosexual females, 409 heterosexual males, and 60 homosexual males. The results showed that
firstborn homosexuals with no younger siblings (i.e., only children) did have lower birth weights compared with all the other
subjects, but the finding applied to firstborn lesbian women as well as firstborn gay men.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-5
- DOI 10.1007/s10508-011-9896-0
- Authors
- Ray Blanchard, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
- Journal Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-2800
- Print ISSN 0004-0002