Why can’t gay or lesbian twins have sex with or marry each other? Why is incest wrong between same-sex siblings?

If you’ve watched Game of Thrones, you’ll know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with f**king your sibling in Westeros. Jaime and Cersei Lannister make a really great couple, and aside from Joffrey, their kids turned out just great.

And let’s not forget the Targaryens – who always used to marry brother and sister to keep bloodlines pure. However, even in George RR Martin’s fictional world, incest is frowned upon (so much so that poor old dead Ned lost his head).

Wait, what’s incest? And why is it so taboo?

Incest is, simply, sexual activity between family members and close relatives. The English word is derived from the Latin word incestus, which means “impure, unchaste”.

For one, incest is illegal/frowned upon/no good because of inbreeding. Children of biologically-related parents have a higher possibility of congenital birth defects.

First degree relatives – your parents, children and siblings – are the individuals you share 50 percent of your genes with.

“The problem with having sex close with relatives is that there is an astonishingly high chance that your offspring will be born with a serious birth defect,” Psychology Today states.

University of Miami psychologists Debra Lieberman and Adam Smith also pointed out in an article in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science that humans have social and psychological mechanisms to discourage incest.

Although some anthropologists have argued that incest taboos are learned social conventions, they point out that even animals and plants have evolved and developed mechanisms to prevent incest. It’s not just that it seems utterly grim to shag your relative.

In many places, sleeping with one’s sibling is punishable by prison time, though others argue that ‘consensual incest’ is a victimless crime – providing the sex/relationship takes place between consenting adults.

Way back in 2013, Jeremy Irons, when reminded about laws preventing incest, said: “It’s not incest between men”, because “incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don’t breed”.

Erick Erickson, a contributor to Fox News, and a political blogger posted on his own blog RedState, commenting on what Irons said, and asked why not legalise incest, if the US is to legalise equal marriage.

He wrote: “Seriously. Why not incest… If love and commitment are the justification for marriage, why exempt this?”

It’s not just the biological issue, though. Incest laws also exist in order to protect children from sexually abusive parents and older relatives.

Incest between an adult and a person under the age of consent is considered a form of child sexual abuse, and often results in serious and long-term psychological trauma.

“People link incest to other sorts of things, such as abuse and pedophilia,” Katherine – who dated her brother Scott – told Broadly, “but we already have laws for that. A child can’t consent to sex, so there’s already a law for pedophilia.

“It shouldn’t matter whether [the people in the relationship are] related or not. The fact is, if they’re not of age, it’s wrong to begin with. Children cannot consent, but adults can.

“If I can consent to have sex with an entire football team, why can’t I consent to have sex with my brother who is over the age of 30?” she adds, her voice rising.

“It just doesn’t make sense to me that I can consent to one but not to the other. I don’t think that is correct at all.”

twincest: the gay twin porn fetish

A quick search on Google shows that same-sex ‘twincest‘ is, erm, popular online – check out the screengrabs above and below.

Well known Czech identical twins Elijah and Milo Peters famously starred in several porn films together – and claimed to be in love.

One of the twins said previously: “My brother is my boyfriend, and I am his boyfriend. He is my lifeblood, and he is my only love.”

Fauxcest: another incest porn fetish

Speaking to Refinery29, adult entertainment giant GameLink’s Jeff Dillon said that “family roleplay” or “fauxcest” is growing in the porn industry.

Most viewers of this branch of porn are women or couples, and it ranges from fake father-daughter relationships, to sister sex.

Meanwhile, PornHub says that incest porn is one of its top trending searches – also among women.

Why can’t gay or lesbian twins have sex or get married?

Incest is still illegal in most places, and it’s still very taboo. There’s a very high risk that children conceived of incest will be born with a serious birth defect, and the laws against it are – very importantly – in place to protect children from sexual abuse.

Some argue that between consenting adults, of the same or a similar age, incest is a victimless crime. That is, of course, providing they don’t reproduce.

So, between twins of the same-sex, where there are no grey areas regarding consent or abuse, and there’s absolutely no chance that either will conceive, why not?

We wouldn’t like to say – but it’s an interesting theory.

That said, in the interest of fairness and equality, if gay or lesbian siblings/twins fall in love and are legally allowed to marry or have sex, it’s not really fair if straight siblings/twins aren’t given the same rights just because some of them can reproduce.

Where would the line be drawn? What if both siblings were infertile? It’s a minefield – though probably one that will be discussed more in the future.