LGBT
Related: About this forumCan Animals Be Homophobic?
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/03/animals_and_homophobia_are_humans_the_only_species_that_discriminates_against_gays_.htmlTwo male penguin pair "Sechs Punkt" (Six Point) and "Schraegstrich" (Slash) cuddle at the Bremerhaven Zoo, where three male homosexual penguin pairs live in couple
Photograph by David Hecker/Getty Images.
In an interview with CNNs Piers Morgan on Sunday, former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron called homosexuality unnatural, and a behavior that is ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization. Weve heard that many species of nonhuman animals engage in gay sex, which calls into question the first part of Camerons statement. But what about the practice of shunning gayscan animals be homophobic too?
Not as far as we know. Homosexual behavior has been documented in hundreds of animal species, but the same does not hold for gay-bashing. For starters, few animals are exclusively gay. Two female Japanese macaques might have playful sex with each other on Tuesday, then mate with males on Wednesday. Pairs of male elephants sometimes form years-long companionships that include sexual activity, while their heterosexual couplings tend to be one-night stands. For these and many other species, sexual preferences seem to be fluid rather than binary: Gay sex doesnt make them gay, and straight sex doesnt make them straight. In these cases, the concept of homophobia simply doesnt apply.
Still, its possible that a social grouping of animals would ostracize a member for engaging in even a single act of gay sex. Indeed, members of nonhuman species have been known to shun members of their social groups on account of certain specific behaviors. A 1995 study described a young adult chimpanzee that refused to grunt submissively and seemed to bully females; eight other males assaulted him and exiled him from the group for three months. Its not inconceivable that unwanted sexual advances, homosexual or otherwise, might warrant the same harsh treatment; it simply hasnt been documented.
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What evidence we do have suggests that no such policing of sexual behavior exists. A male dog mounted by another male dog might reject the coupling, but theres no sign that it takes any more offense than would a female thats not in heat. In some primate species, young females will take umbrage at advances from males of their fathers age, probably as a defense against incest. But while they may scream and run away, the rest of the group doesnt seem to get riled up about it.
William769
(55,147 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,469 posts)homosexuality in something like 250 species. I lost the drive on that computer where I had the study stored.
marginlized
(357 posts)And it's nearly 1500 species.
sinkingfeeling
(51,469 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)Because I could equally raise the question, how do we know that pigs can't fly? As with the possibility of animal homophobia, there is an absence of supporting data. But we can't rule either possibility out, on that basis.
See what I mean? No, I say - let human homophobes do that work, I'm interested in seeing MORE homosexuality in the animal kingdom. If reichtards have evidence purportedly showing animal homophobia, let's see it. Otherwise, I'm not going to waste any time disputing a hypothetical, that - if accepted as 'probable' - would serve to bolster Catholic dogma about "natural law" and about how 'homophobia is natural.'
By all means, if that's your thing, anyone here, go for it. But it's simply not my thing.
And on a side note, isn't it ironic how discussions about heterosexual intercourse were always couched in terms like "birds and the bees do it; therefore, it's natural for people to do it" and yet, when academicians like Bruce Baghemil compile research demonstrating that birds and bees also engage in homosexual intercourse, people like Cameron continue to argue that this merely demonstrates how uncivilized such behavior is. Crazy talk.
William769
(55,147 posts)I'd like to know if I have any homophobic pets!
closeupready
(29,503 posts)That smiley must mean you're channeling John Waters here...
Fearless
(18,421 posts)xchrom
(108,903 posts)Fearless
(18,421 posts)As for gays, I wouldn't speak for everyone, but I can be an animal from time to time... in only the best possible sense of course!
Rhiannon12866
(205,731 posts)I adopted a nine-year-old Brussels Griffon who'd belonged to an elderly lady who died. He bonded with me the very first day, as well as with my other dog (he'd been raised with his sister), but he never was all that comfortable with men, and that included his vet.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,967 posts)I couldn't resist.