What "Caused" it??
Genetics for sure!!!

My explanation...
My father had 2 brothers. All 3 were married to unrelated women. Between them, in my generation there are 4 male children. Of these 4 I crossdress and my 3 cousins are all gay. We were all brought up in separate homes and are slightly different in ages, enough so that we did not have the same experiences growing up.
I see no other explanation besides Genetics!!