Heritable Factors Influence Sexual Orientation in Women

doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1993.01820150067007

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Vol. 50 No. 3, March 1993

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Heritable Factors Influence Sexual Orientation in Women

J. Michael Bailey, PhD; Richard C. Pillard, MD; Michael C. Neale, PhD; Yvonne Agyei, MA

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993;50(3):217-223.

Abstract

• Homosexual female probands with monozygotic cotwins,dizygotic cotwins, or adoptive sisters were recruited usinghomophile publications. Sexual orientation of relatives wasassessed either by asking relatives directly, or, when thiswas impossible, by asking the probands. Of the relatives whosesexual orientation could be confidently rated, 34 (48%) of 71monozygotic cotwins, six (16%) of 37 dizygotic cotwins, andtwo (6%) of 35 adoptive sisters were homosexual. Probands alsoreported 10(14%) nontwin biologic sisters to be homosexual,although those sisters were not contacted to confirm their orientations.Heritabilities were significant using a wide range of assumptionsabout both the base rate of homosexuality in the populationand ascertainment bias. The likelihood that a monozygotic cotwinwould also be homosexual was unrelated to measured characteristicsof the proband such as self-reported history of childhood gendernonconformity. Concordant monozygotic twins reported similarlevels of childhood gender nonconformity.

Author Affiliations

From the Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, III (Dr Bailey and Ms Agyei); the Family Studies Laboratory, Division of Psychiatry, Boston (Mass) University School of Medicine (Dr Pillard); and the Department of Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (Dr Neale).

Footnotes

Accepted for publication November 10, 1992.

Reprint requests to Department of Psychology, Northwestern University,Evanston, IL 60208 (Dr Bailey).

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