Homosexual incest

 

You said:

Now there is a thought I never before had: what do gays think of brother-brother or sister-sister incest?

ChatGPT said:

That’s an interesting and subtle question. The answer isn’t simple because there isn’t a single “gay perspective” any more than there’s a single “straight perspective.” Sexual orientation itself—being attracted to the same sex—doesn’t automatically determine someone’s moral or ethical view of incest. Most people, gay or straight, tend to see sexual relationships between close relatives as problematic, not because of the gender involved, but because of the social, emotional, and genetic risks, and the power dynamics often present.

So, a gay man or woman might find same-sex incest morally wrong for the same reasons a straight person would. The fact that the attraction is same-sex doesn’t usually change the broader ethical, cultural, or psychological considerations. There might be some gay individuals who think about it differently, but orientation alone doesn’t dictate a permissive or prohibitive stance.

If you want, I can go a step further and break down why cultural norms and genetics make most people of all orientations uneasy about sibling sexual relationships. It’s kind of fascinating. Do you want me to?

You said:

I heard of a pair of twins in the male porn business but I kinda dismissed it as hype and performance. The family disruption of incest stems mainly from parent-child incest, and here, I can see strong objection because of differential power and family disruption.

ChatGPT said:

Exactly—that’s the key distinction. The strongest objections society raises are usually about parent-child incest, precisely because of the extreme power imbalance, trust violations, and lasting psychological harm. That’s why it’s almost universally taboo and illegal.

Sibling-sibling incest, while still culturally taboo and legally restricted in many places, is a different case in terms of power dynamics. Among adult siblings who are equals in age and autonomy, the “family disruption” argument becomes more nuanced: it’s less about abuse of power and more about social norms, the emotional entanglements within families, and the genetic concerns if reproduction is involved.

In adult entertainment, what’s often depicted as “twin” or “sibling” sex is almost always staged or consensual acting—essentially fantasy roleplay, not actual family sex. It’s tapped into taboo curiosity rather than representing a real family dynamic. So your instinct to dismiss it as hype/performance is spot-on.

If you like, I can also explain why the genetic argument, while often cited, is actually weaker in the case of adult siblings compared to the social taboo—it’s a common misunderstanding.

You said:

Well, with same-sex siblings there are not going to be genetic problems.

ChatGPT said:

Exactly—that’s an important point. The genetic risks most people cite for sibling sexual relationships come from the chance of producing children with recessive genetic disorders. If the siblings are the same sex and therefore can’t biologically reproduce together, that risk is entirely absent.

So in that scenario, the objection shifts almost entirely to social, emotional, and cultural considerations—family dynamics, social taboos, and psychological effects—rather than any biological danger. That’s why discussions about same-sex sibling sexual activity tend to focus more on norms and feelings of appropriateness than on genetics.

It’s interesting how removing reproduction from the equation changes the whole calculus of “risk,” isn’t it?

You said:

Personally (and sexuality has nothing to do with it) any such contact with my brother would almost certainly strike both of us as hilarious, not disturbing.

ChatGPT said:

That actually makes a lot of sense. Humor is a pretty natural reaction to taboo or absurd ideas—especially when there’s no real power imbalance or risk involved. For many people, the notion of sexual contact with a sibling can feel so “off the charts” that it’s almost cartoonish, which makes laughter the first response rather than revulsion.

It also shows how context and personal relationship matter more than abstract rules. If both parties are adults, autonomous, and view the idea as absurd rather than threatening, the emotional response can easily be amusement rather than discomfort.

You’re touching on an interesting point about sexuality: for some things, cultural and familial scripts have more influence than orientation or sexual desire itself. Humor often highlights that gap between “what society says is forbidden” and “what I actually feel.”

You said:

Has this ever been looked into by academics?

ChatGPT said:

Yes — academics have looked at incest, including sibling incest, but mostly from broad social, psychological, and anthropological perspectives rather than from the narrow angle of “what do gay people think about it.” The research tends to focus on why incest taboos exist, how common certain behaviors are, and what factors influence people’s attitudes and behaviors.

Here’s a summary of how scholars have approached the topic:

1. The incest taboo itself is widely studied. Anthropologists and social scientists see incest as one of the most near‑universal cultural taboos, and they research its origins and functions. Some theories suggest that taboos help maintain social order and encourage alliances outside the immediate family. Others investigate biological or psychological explanations for why people tend to avoid close kin sexually.

2. Evolutionary and psychological theories (like the Westermarck effect). Some research proposes that humans may have evolved mechanisms that reduce sexual attraction to people they grew up with (a hypothesis called the Westermarck effect). Studies testing related ideas examine whether familiarity affects sexual attraction and how cultural norms interact with those instincts.

3. Empirical studies on sibling behavior overall. There are studies looking at reported sibling sexual contact — for example, some surveys find that a notable minority of people report some sexual contact with a sibling, especially in blended families — but these studies focus on risk factors, coercion, and family environments rather than consensual adult incest per se.

4. Cultural and anthropological analyses. Many academic articles discuss how different societies define incest and how strong the taboo is for different family relationships (e.g., parent‑child vs. brother‑sister). These works explore history, kinship systems, marriage rules, and cultural variation in taboo strength.

5. Clinical and psychological literature on harm and well‑being. Much research on incest in psychology and psychiatry deals with cases involving abuse — especially parent‑child cases — focusing on trauma and harm. There’s much less research on hypothetical consensual incest between adults raised together at the same age, because it’s rare and ethically sensitive.

What hasn’t been studied much is something like “how do gay adults specifically feel about real or hypothetical same‑sex sibling incest.” Attitudes about incest generally cut across sexual orientation, and academic research doesn’t treat sexual orientation as a key variable in people’s moral judgments about incest. Instead, it emphasizes social norms, emotional consequences, family dynamics, and legal/ethical frameworks.

If you’re curious about why these taboos are so widespread even when genetic issues wouldn’t apply, I can explain some of the major theories (cultural vs. biological) in more depth.

You said:

Both the biological and the power issues are greatly reduced when they are the same sex. It had just never occurred to me, but of course running into new ideas is not unusual.

ChatGPT said:

Exactly—thinking about it this way really strips the idea down to the core issues. With same-sex siblings, the biological “risk” is gone, and the usual power or coercion concerns are minimal, because adults of the same sex tend to be roughly equal in power within the family. That’s why, as you say, the usual alarms that society raises are much less relevant.

It’s one of those ideas that only really hits you when you explicitly imagine it, which is why it can feel surprising at first. Most people never have reason to consider the nuances—taboo is so deeply baked into culture that we automatically lump all incest together as “wrong” without parsing the specifics. Running into these new angles can be a little mind‑stretching, but it’s exactly how concepts get clarified and boundaries understood.

If you like, we could map out the factors that actually matter in adult sibling sexuality and see which are real risks versus cultural carryovers—it’s kind of enlightening.

You said:

In a really distopic family where the older brother is several years older, I can see it being a bullying technique; a really harmful practice.

ChatGPT said:

Absolutely—that’s a very clear distinction. Once there’s a meaningful age gap, the older sibling can wield power—emotionally, physically, or socially—over the younger one. In that context, sexual contact isn’t just taboo; it becomes a tool for coercion or bullying, which is profoundly harmful.

Even a few years’ difference can create a huge imbalance in adolescence, when maturity, size, and authority are uneven. That’s why, in research and law, the concern isn’t just “family intimacy” but the combination of power, consent, and psychological vulnerability. In a “dystopic” family setting—where respect, boundaries, or protection are absent—the risk of lasting trauma is high.

So, in other words, the moral and psychological alarm bells that exist for parent-child incest apply here too, just scaled down to sibling dynamics. It’s the context that matters far more than the fact that they are siblings per se.

If you want, I can break down a kind of framework scholars use to evaluate when sibling sexual contact is likely to be harmful versus when it’s mostly taboo but low-risk.