Humans apparently only species to exhibit anti-gay bigotry

“Gay” penguins Six Point and Slash

Maybe there’s something to be said about that “natural law” stuff after all – just not in the way the bigots intend. In addition to displaying all sorts of homosexual tendencies, it appears that the very concept of anti-gay intolerance simply doesn’t exist amongst our animal brethren:

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 doesn’t make them gay, and straight sex doesn’t make them straight. In these cases, the concept of homophobia simply doesn’t apply.

[…]

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 there’s no sign that it takes any more offense than would a female that’s not in heat. In some primate species, young females will take umbrage at advances from males of their father’s age, probably as a defense against incest. But while they may scream and run away, the rest of the group doesn’t seem to get riled up about it.

Researchers believe that gay sex is even rewarded in certain species. For bonobos, sexual activity serves as an instrument of social harmony: It reinforces bonds and keeps the peace. For instance, when a female bonobo migrates into a new group, she often ingratiates herself to the clan’s other ladies by having a lot of sex with them. Far from being shunned, this homosexual behavior is welcomed.

Keep all these cases of animalistic sexual debauchery in mind the next time anyone spouts nonsense about homosexuality being “unnatural”. By their own logic, if anything, we should all be in constant gay orgies with every newcomer we meet. And better yet, it’s the gay-bashers who would be regarded as an abomination upon nature. Now that’s a reversal.

(via Joe. My. God.)

Tags: homosexuality • homophobia • anti-gay