It isn't just us...

[sleigh]

Homosexual/bisexual behavior among other species is relatively common is the contention of a recent Scientific American article.

My favorite quote from the article: "“Animals don’t do sexual identity. They just do sex,” says sociologist Eric Anderson of the University of Bath in England."

Comments

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

Hee!

One of my current favorite books: Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, by Bruce Bagemihl.

It's EVERYWHERE. :) And unfortunately incredibly repressed by scientific literature, as a matter of course. (Part of that same underlying impulse that led to lobotomies or castration in early animals expressing sexually diverse behavior.)

Bruce also effectively refutes some of the implications even in this article (which I found to have a very positive tone, but still noted some of the "assumptions" that BB targets re sexual behavior, likely because these assumptions come directly from the scientists quoted, who often treat them as facts). For instance - that homosexual or bisexual behavior occurs at a "much higher" rate in captivity. Bruce also challenges the common assumption that animal homosexuality occurs mainly due to a lack of opposite sex partners.

It's a GREAT book. :)

Thanks for linking the article... it's so nice to see stuff like that. I loved the sentence that was recounting reasons why animals might practice homosexual or bisexual behavior, and ended with "and because it's fun." LOL!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check out that book. Sounds interesting...