-- Even if it is possible to state conclusively that men are naturally more promiscuous than women--which, as Paul points out, it's not, because of the practically insurmountable difficulties in disentangling cultural and genetic influences--it does not follow that gay men share these tendencies. Research has shown that homosexual men actually tend to follow female patterns of cognitive performance on spatial and linguistic tests, possibility because they show different levels of hormone release at the onset of puberty as compared to heterosexual men. Certain types of spatial performance, for example, can be enhanced in mice if they are injected with hormones at particular stages of development. Gay men, therefore, may have the "nurturing characteristics" of heterosexual women, whatever those might be. --

Speaking as a gay man who agrees with my coblogger's sentiment, I think that the promiscuous (seed spreading) desire that men as a group have exists equally with gay men as with straight.

It's not that gay men have a "female" brain, it's rather that the brain of a typical gay man may be closer to the brain of a female than a straight man's brain is to a females. But the "gay man's" (I put it in quotes because there is obviously tremendous variation within the gay world; but stereotypical patterns do nonetheless exist) brain and psyche is rather an interesting combination of the stereotypical male and female characteristics.

Gay men I think have the same testosterone levels as straight men. And much of the sexual desire comes from there. Women have far less testosterone.

Based on actual behavior (as opposed to reading biological tea leaves), the evidence would suggest that in practice gay men are more promiscuous by far than gay women. Bath houses, "cruisy" bathrooms, and glory holes are phenomena linked to gay male promiscuity. I don't know of any lesbian equivalents.

Gay men are also much more frequent than lesbians (~3% vs. ~ 0.5%), so that could be distorting my perception.

"Based on actual behavior (as opposed to reading biological tea leaves)"

...but as I and Paul have said repeatedly, that tendency could just as easily be due to enculturation.

If every gay community in the world seems to give markedly less importance to monogamy, that would suggest to me that there is something more than culture at work. If on the other hand, there are monogamous gay communities floating around, I'd be wrong, and that would make for interesting study. If you know of such, let me know.

In any case, I say let gays have civil marriage. I think it's absurd, but our constitution allows lots of absurd things. If it's called a legal arrangement, I think most people could live with it.