EVIDENCE THAT MALE SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS A MATTER OF DEGREE

Whether male sexual orientation is best represented by discrete catego ries or by a continuum has been the focus of much debate. These altern atives were compared in an analysis of 1,138 men's scores on the Minne sota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Masculinity-Femininity Scale, an established correlate of male sexual orientation. Mixtures of 2 or 3 latent distributions did not fit the observed distribution of score s better than a single normal distribution, suggesting that the latent variable underlying male sexual orientation is not discrete. Addition al taxometric analyses provided convergent support for continuity. The findings were inconsistent with accounts of male sexual orientation t hat invoke single preponderant causes, whether genetic or environmenta l, and call some forms of taxonomic theorizing about sexual orientatio n into question.