Book Review

A Natural History of Homosexuality

N Engl J Med 1997; 337:645-646August 28, 1997

Article

A Natural History of Homosexuality
By Francis Mark Mondimore. 282 pp. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. $15.95. ISBN: 0-8018-5440-7

The great majority of humans are attracted to members of the opposite sex, but a not insubstantial minority (estimated between 2 and 5 percent) are attracted to members of the same sex. Why? In the past decade, this question has moved from a backwater of psychopathology to a vital place in behavioral-science research, engaging a spectrum of disciplines from sociology to molecular biology. Still, despite prodigious effort, we lack a coherent understanding of the mechanisms by which sexual orientation of whatever stripe is formed and maintained.

As its title suggests, A Natural History of Homosexuality takes a broadly chronologic approach. The first 100 pages provide an overview from ancient times to the Kinsey Institute surveys in the 1940s. The second section, “Sexual Biology,” presents the more biologically oriented research of the past several decades. The author reviews evidence that being straight or gay is an innate characteristic, partly of genetic origin and usually presaged by sex-atypical behavior starting in early childhood. By the end of this section, it is apparent that Dr. Mondimore joins the mainstream of sex researchers who regard homosexuality as a natural variant rather than as a mental disorder or as heterosexuality gone wrong. One might demur at a few specifics (altruism is far from a “uniquely human trait”) and at the vague conclusion that “unique life experiences interact with unique biological potentials to produce each individual's unique sexuality,” but at this stage, let the demurrer come up with something better. (My own hunch is that biology will eventually prove to account for virtually all the variance in sexual orientation.)

The section on sexual identities uses a developmental perspective to describe the dilemma of the adolescent who recognizes his or her attraction to members of the same sex but who needs to avoid the stigma of being labeled a “fag” or “queer.” Bisexual and transsexual identities are discussed as well. A final section (the most moving for me) describes the oppression of homosexuals from the Inquisition to the Holocaust and the contemporary oppression embodied in the “reparative” therapies, usually practiced by therapists of a fundamentalist religious persuasion.

Dr. Mondimore is a psychiatrist and a member of the clinical faculty of the University of North Carolina. His clear, engaging prose is meant for the general reader. Decisions about how much technical detail to include are well judged. He does have strong opinions, which emerge most clearly in the final section, but the reader will feel gently persuaded rather than proselytized.

This book will serve as an excellent introduction for students. The practicing physician can recommend it to patients who may have questions about their own sexuality or that of a friend or relative. Dr. Mondimore has packed an impressive amount of information into 250 pages; the result is the best overall presentation of homosexuality that I have seen.

Richard Pillard, M.D.
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118