Maybe not intra-brother sexual abuse, but just years of being bullied by their brothers may have an epigenetic effect (ie switch on/off certain gene expression). Some other male animals will go gay (or even change sex entirely) if they are repeatedly beaten down by stronger males.
On the inherent genetics side of it, one theory I read stated that this may be a deliberately evolved trait to stop fratricide - 4 or more boys in one family are going to end up competing over the same potential mates and territory, so they are effectively taken out of the equation by preferring men.
The thing is, it's still a valid reproductive strategy - in fish, there are what are known as "sneaker males", who pretend to be female until a nearby (actual) female is fertile, and thus bypass all of the male competion. Something similar may happen in humans - I wonder how many women have 'experimented' with their gay best friend?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-06-10 09:53 pm (UTC)On the inherent genetics side of it, one theory I read stated that this may be a deliberately evolved trait to stop fratricide - 4 or more boys in one family are going to end up competing over the same potential mates and territory, so they are effectively taken out of the equation by preferring men.
The thing is, it's still a valid reproductive strategy - in fish, there are what are known as "sneaker males", who pretend to be female until a nearby (actual) female is fertile, and thus bypass all of the male competion. Something similar may happen in humans - I wonder how many women have 'experimented' with their gay best friend?