Can animals be homosexual?

[kweerwolf]

Very probably, but declaring it might not be wise, as Oxford student Sam Brown discovered when he was arrested for asking a mounted police officer if he knew his horse was gay.

In his 1999 book, Biological Exuberance, Bruce Bagemihl documented many cases of homosexual behaviour in animals. But as researchers point out, occasional homosexual behaviour is not the same as exclusive homosexuality. "The issue is complicated because we don't know anything about the eroticism in the heads of animals," says Linda Wolfe, head of anthropology at East Carolina University.

Wolfe has spent much of her time studying homosexual behaviour in animals, chiefly non-human primates. The variety of same-sex interactions is as diverse as any dreamed up by humans, she says, although prudishness often prevents it being discussed. "It's particularly bad in the US," she says. "There's a video some researchers made of male bachelor gorillas engaging in fellatio, but it still hasn't been shown in the US," she says. "As far as I know, homosexual behaviour has been observed in all manner of animals, and if pleasure is driving it, why wouldn't they?"

Last year, Charles Roselli at the Ohio Health and Science University reported differences in the brains of gay rams. Certain groups of cells that govern sexuality in the rams' brains were different in those that preferred rams to ewes. According to Roselli, about 8% of domestic rams show a sexual preference for other males.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0,12977,1506964,00.html

[NVMojo]

1. my friend had a gay dog. So, who really cares?

[Retired AF Dem]

3. With dogs it usually is a

dominance thing, not a gay thing.

[kweerwolf]

10. I used to think it was a dominance thing too ...

... but I've got three dogs (two males and a female) in my house. One male, a collie-samoyed, will mount the female - don't worry... they're all 'fixed' - but the other dog (a German shorthair pointer) shows a definite preference for being mounted by the other male to the point of 'presenting his rump' for mounting.

I've seen the pointer attempt to mount the female twice. Both times he tried to mount her from the side by throwing his paws over her and humping air.

Being a modern 'daddy,' I've promised Bubba the pointer that I will still love him regardless of who or what he humps and I'll never send him to an "ex-gay" doggie obedience camp. I even got him a rainbow collar.

:D

[Retired AF Dem]

11. Don't matter if they are all fixed

it is still a pain in the ass. :) With my dogs it is usually the females humping each other. I don't consider them lesbians, just who is top bitch.
www.geocities.com/newlandzoi

[ladeuxiemevoiture]

19. Baghemil addresses the fallacy of "the dominance thing" in his book

He observes that the historically prevailing notion (in zoological circles) of homosexuality in animals reflecting a domination dynamic (in contrast to the idea that animals engage in gay sex simply because it's so much fun, or for to satiate some fundamental homosexual desire) is a reflection, in part, of Victorian/puritanical prudishness/sexophobia. Zoologists, like many scientists, project their own psychological selves onto their subjects, as a means of understanding them or "humanizing" them. But what that does effectively is to project their own biases and prejudices, at the same time. Ergo, gorillas can't possibly be performing fellatio because they want to; it's all about "establishing hierarchical structures" and other such hogwash.

[kweerwolf]

4. The fundies care ...

... because if it's proven that homosexuality occurs in nature, they can't fall back on that "it's unnatural!" argument that's been used against gays since the dark ages.

[lostinacause]

9. I disagree with you

The argument with it being unnatural has, in my opinion, more to do with the argument about procreation. A male and female are designed to fit together and be together. Interestingly enough though monogamy is something that is usually stressed by the people who support "family values", from what I understand biologically speaking we are generally not designed to be monogamous.

[Occulus]

15. which still doesn't address their other arguments

regarding, for example, marriage and childraising, which they have no difficulty allowing other persons who will likely not procreate themselves to do.

If we're going to allow infertile straight singles or couples to adopt, then there's no reason whatever to refuse to allow homosexuals to do the same.

[Rowdyboy]

2. Kweerwolf, please read the story of Wendell and Cass, the gay penguins

These long-time sweethearts are a case study in loving homosexual monogamy in the animal world...

http://www.emperor-penguin.com/gay-penguins.html

[kweerwolf]

6. OMG! I know couples just like Wendall and Cass!

"Based on penguin characteristics, Cass tends to be more aggressive, more masculine. He does the male thing. Whether Wendell is with a male because he's a meek male, I don't know. But he's a 'fraidy-cat; he's afraid of his own shadow. He's a very difficult bird."

LOL... and all those references to flipper-snapping have me flushed!

:wow:

[Rowdyboy]

7. Just the idea that, when challenged, Cass goes on the attack while

Wendell rank away shreiking and flapping his fins leaves me with a beautiful picture of queer domesticity!. God bless Wendell and Cass!

You did notice that they have the primo nesting location, didn't you? I suppose it should be obvious....

[mitchtv]

13. then there are the gay male penguins in Germany

they imported a group of buxom Swedish female penguins to turn them around , they didn't change them.

[KaliTracy]

5. recent study on fruit flies was interesting

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/03/news/cell.php

A single gene answers question of sex
By Elisabeth Rosenthal International Herald Tribune

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2005


When the genetically altered fruit fly was released into the observation chamber, it did what these breeders-par-excellence tend to do: It pursued a waiting virgin female.

It gently tapped the girl with its leg, played her a song (using wings as instruments) and, only then, dared to lick her - all part of standard fruit fly seduction.

The observing scientist looked with disbelief at the show, knowing that this was where this courtship ended: The suitor in this case was not a male, but a female that researchers had artificially endowed with a single male-type gene.

That one gene, the researchers announced in the journal Cell, is apparently by itself enough to create patterns of sexual behavior, a kind of master sexual gene that normally exists in two distinct male and female variants.

[s23frog]

18. I read about that in "The Week".

It should be interesting to see if they find a similar gene in humans.

What would the religious right do?

[Broken_Hero]

8. My dog is Bi...

My male dog, got screwed in his ass, by our outside dog, so does that make him gay? I would say, no, but bisexual, or raped? Maybe...probably raped. :) I would say animals can be homosexual.

[kweerwolf]

12. Hey petersond ... a belated welcome to the DU

Always nice to see fellow Missourians on here. :hi:

[elshiva]

14. We had gay cats...

[undergroundpanther]

16. Our gay kitties

This is Rustle and Sparkle.
Rustle is the big yellow bearcat he sings like a songbird to Sparkle it's just beautiful listening to Rustle warble..Rustle is laid back and very social.....And in his paws is Sparkle the biggest little Queenkitty you ever saw in your life, he even swishes when he walks! He is devistatingly beautiful and he knows it .He is very vocal,he gets quite adamant about getting his attention. Sparkles got a flamboyant yet timid personality.

[elshiva]

17. Lovely gay kitties!