The primary evolutionary function of sex is not to create offspring, as cloning is far more efficient. Instead, sex's purpose is to shuffle genes, creating the variation that allows species to adapt, flush out harmful mutations, and survive environmental changes. Babies are simply the vehicle for this genetic reshuffling.
Common markers like chromosomes (XX/XY), gonads, and genitals are not consistent across the natural world. Biologists use a more fundamental definition: sex is determined by gamete size. Small gametes are sperm (male), and large ones are eggs (female). All other traits are variable outputs of this core divide.
Individuals don't have to reproduce to pass on their genes. Through a process called kin selection, helping relatives (like a queen bee or a human sibling) reproduce successfully also ensures shared genes are passed to the next generation. This broadens the definition of evolutionary success beyond direct offspring.
Contrary to popular belief, the 17th-century Puritans were not anti-sex. They considered sexual intercourse within marriage a sacred obligation and a spiritual experience, using erotic metaphors to describe their relationship with Christ. Their reputation for prudishness is a historical mischaracterization.
The roots of American sexual repression lie less with the Puritans and more with Anthony Comstock. His successful lobbying for the 1873 Comstock Act created a powerful federal mechanism to police morality, criminalizing everything from contraception information to art, and establishing a precedent for government oversight of personal lives.
In the 19th century, same-sex intimacy was common and did not define a person's core identity. The concepts and words for "gay" or "bisexual" did not exist. People could engage in what we now call queer behavior without being categorized, as the act was separate from a fixed personal identity.