ANIMAL-MODELS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-SEXUALITY - A CRITICAL-EVALUATION

Biological explanations of human homosexuality build upon a theoretica l framework developed from the study of animals, especially that of ro dents, Researchers have constructed a physiological model to explain t he origin and development of ''masculine'' and ''feminine'' behavior, According to this model hormones acting at critical stages in early de velopment organize cells in key areas of the brain, After puberty thes e hormonally organized brain regions are purportedly capable of activa tion by post-pubertally produced circulating hormones, This model of s exual development, called the organizational-activational (O/A) model, has framed research on sexual behavior in animals and animal-based ac counts of human behavior for more than 30 years, However, evidence fro m a variety of sources has slowly accumulated, requiring modification after modification of the original premise. Continuing to use the orga nizational-activational model now interferes with the acquisition of n ew knowledge. I sketch the outlines of an alternative bio-social progr am for research on the development of sexual behavior in animals.