Answered on Quora.
Heterosexuality seems to be the default in human society. Homosexuality, at least the biological orientation, is rare – probably only 2–3% of the population get wired up this way. A recent study found that 94% of men are maximally attracted to the opposite. Most of them preferred women to men, often by large margins. Only 1% these men were purely bisexual, as pure 50–50 bisexuality is rare in humans.
Most homosexuality is biological, and only 3% of men and 1.5% of women get wired up that way. However, some women are lesbians by choice. A lot of people look down on women choosing to be lesbians though, for good reason, so this limits the number of women who make this choice.
In terms of bisexuality, 13% of young women in the West are now bisexual. Only 3% of men identify as bisexual. Bisexuality seems to be a fad among women in the West, and most of this bisexuality is by choice. With male bisexuals, once again it appears that they get wired up that way, and repeated studies in the lab have shown that male sexual orientation cannot be modified by any known technique by age 15, so sexual orientation is fixed in men at this age. I mean they cannot modify it even 10% in any direction.
What is not known is whether male sexual orientation can change before age 15 or can change in childhood. There seems to be evidence for some possibility of change in childhood and puberty, but most men’s sexual orientation matches up well with what they were attracted to already as children.
Bisexual behavior in men, not orientation, seems to be on the increase lately by my observation. Here in the West, 95% of men identify as heterosexual on surveys, and most do not wish to engage in gay sex for many reasons. First, most of these men (59%) have no attraction to other men. Of those straight men who do have some attraction to men, usually it is only at a low level.
Many of these men regard gay sex as sickening, repulsive, disgusting, etc. I have talked to several straight men who told me that if offered the choice between getting shot and having gay sex, they would choose the bullet.
And many men who have some attraction to men do not wish to act on these thoughts because male bisexual behavior by choice is still very much looked down upon in heterosexual society. Most of their friends and quite a few straight women would be most displeased with them if they started having recreational sex with men. In addition, many straight men are masculine, and they regard homosexual behavior as very unmasculine. Bisexual behavior in women has much better societal support than bisexual behavior in men.
Not only is straight male society hostile to recreational gay sex, but it is very hostile to any behavior that appears homosexual. Straight men are under a lot of pressure not to walk, talk, move, sit, and adopt mannerisms that are effeminate because that is associated with gay men.
Most straight men regard it as an extreme insult to have someone say they are gay, so they go to great lengths not to appear that way. Even wimpy or soft behaviors are looked down upon in straight society, and those are not even gay behaviors. Many women will look down on or be hostile to a man who seems wimpy or even to one who seems just soft and gentle.
So if you want to know why so many straight men strut around like they are ultramasculine he-men, there’s your answer. They are going to great lengths to appear masculine and not to appear gay.
And yes, straight women are as hostile to male bisexuality as straight men are, if not worse.
