silversolitaire

I was just researching a bit on the subject of homosexuality in the animal kingdom. I found out a lot of interesting stuff. Among other things, I found this book: Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. I ordered it! ^_^ This promises to be a very interesting read.

However, on the site I was looking at, there was this review. Needless to say, it annoyed the fuck out of me:

Fascinating but troubling!, 19. April 1999
Reviewer from San Francisco, California

Mr. Bagemihl's work is thorough and amazing! He clearly shows that the accepted paradigm of animal sexuality needs updating. But that's all this book speaks to: Animal behavior. When Mr. Bagemihl tries to make the jump to human behavior, however, significant problems arise. After all, animals are just that: Animals. If we accept the premise that something occurring in nature can then naturally occur in humans, we should easily be able to accept the following human behaviors: bestiality, public masturbation, public excretion, licking one's own anus publicly, scratching one's own wounds until infected, eating one's own children, and eating the children of other humans, among others. These are not acceptable human behaviors, but yet this type of activity occurs in the animal kingdom every day, and is entirely accepted by those dwelling in the animal kingdom. Mr. Bagemihl himself cites the behavior of some Black Swan males, who in some cases "mate for life." When they want children, they either copulate with a female, then forcibly remove her from the nest once she's laid eggs, or they "take over" the existing nest of a female Black Swan. Could two homosexual male humans do the same without repercussions in our society? Of course not! Humans differ in that we have a soul and innate morality. Animals were created by God, but humans were created by God AND "in the image of God." This book shows very clearly how animals behave: For survival and, if time allows, for selfish pleasure. Nothing wrong with that in the animal kingdom. Something VERY wrong with that in the realm of human beings. In an attempt to explain the "natural" occurrence of human homosexuality, Mr. Bagemihl's book fails.
Of course, the reviewer has a point. Animals indeed do things that humans don't. But putting homosexuality into the same category as this "beastly behavior" is simply insulting. This is the perfect example for someone who realized that there could in fact be a very scientific proof that homosexual behavior is natural and he/she immediately bashes it down by saying that not every animals do is socially acceptable.

I think that's exactly the point. It's still natural, but it's being snubbed by society. So far, the idea of homosexuality was being rejected as unnatural as it does not serve the natural purpose of procreation. Through animals that show homosexual behavior we have learnt that animals actually do have sex just for fun!

Homosexuality should be NO means be equated with clearly animal behavior such as wallowing in your own feces or eating your own children. This is simply ridiculous and highly offensive since it bears no grounds of comparison.

Am I immature for rating this review as not helpful? *click* I don't care! :-P

Edit:

While I'm at it I might as well post the links for the articles I retrieved.

Salon Ivory Tower: The Fabulous Kingdom of Gay Animals; very interesting read!
Radio Netherlands: Gay Animals; not as informative as the first one, but still rather amusing.