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History and evolution of male homoerotic behaviour
There is evidence of the long standing existence of homoerotic behaviour dating back to early human history. From cave paintings of men engaging in sexual acts to modern history, homoerotic behaviour is still prevalent today. Due to its universality and history it has been theorised that homoerotic behaviour has origins in evolution. From an evolutionary perspective homoeroticism is seen as counter-productive as it doesn’t directly contribute to successfully producing offspring. However, male-male sexual behaviour has been argued to have served an adaptive function and an indirect reproductive advantage for males. Evidence suggest that male-male sexual relations in evolutionary periods often occurred between younger adolescent boys and older males. Sexual acts have been viewed as a psychological factor in societies used for bonding These same-sex relations between young adolescent boys and older men brought many benefits to the younger males such as; access to food, protection from aggression and overall helping them attain personal survival and an increased social standing. These direct effects on survival also led to indirect effects of reproductive success. The attributes the young males would obtain from their sexual relations with older men made them a more desired mating choice amongst females. The age and status difference between the men involved, suggests that a dominance-submission dynamic was an important factor in these relations.

The Alliance theory  states that early human sexual male-male behaviour was a feature that developed to reduce aggression between different males and to enforce alliances. It is believed that young adult males and adolescents were segregated from society and living on the outskirts of communities due to their perceived sexual threat by the older men. Therefore, same-sex behaviour allowed younger men to have reinforced alliances with other older males, thus later gaining them access to resources and females which we both scarce. Similarly, Kirkpatrick’s theory of reciprocal altruism states male-male sexual behaviour is a result of males helping each other out through resource exchange.

In support of the evolutionary perspective much of modern history demonstrates higher and lower status roles between two men involved in sexual relations. There is evidence of males seducing each other for social gain as well as sexual pleasure. Examples of this in modern history include; Roman Emperors such as Augustus Caesar who supposedly acquired the throne in part due to their sexual relations with their predecessors.