Lately, the legalization of gay marriage in various states has been a very prominent topic in the media which has caused me to want to explore the topic further. It got me thinking about different species of animals and who they are attracted to both physically and emotionally.
According to a Yale study, “Although Darwin’s theory of natural selection predicts an evolutionary disadvantage for animals that fail to pass along their traits through reproduction with the opposite sex, the validity of this part his theory has been questioned with the discoveries of homosexual behavior in more than 10%of prevailing species throughout the world.” As most of us know, reproduction is the ultimate goal for species, so the fact that 10% of species are venturing away from this act shows what a strong and real force homosexual actions and feelings can be for animals too. It also causes me to wonder if animals did not have such tremendous need to reproduce to keep their specifies from going extinct, would the number be even higher than ten percent?
However, many scientists question whether animals are truly gay or lesbian, or if they simply are curious. Perhaps, some animals do not even have the intelligence level to truly understand the difference and just crave physical interaction. Linda Wolfe, head of anthropology at East Carolina University commented, “The issue is complicated because because we don’t know anything about the eroticism in the heads of animals.” This too is a decent point and part of the reason this topic continues to be wondered about and studied. Unlike with humans, we cannot simply ask a bird or a reptile about their feelings towards the subject. Although that perhaps sounds silly, in all seriousness, the lack of communication does make it hard to differentiate between animals being curious and truly being homosexual.
James Owen for National Geographic did a study on birds behavior regarding this subject. He found that many females participated in sexual activity with other females on a regular basis. These observations at first were thought to be strong evidence that the birds were homosexual. Alongside Owen though was another researcher who believed the two female birds behavior was simply a way to gain power for reproduction. Parish argued, “Female macaques may enhance their social position through homosexual intimacy which in turn influences breeding success. Taking something that’s non reproductive, like mounting another female—if it leads to control of a resource or acquisition of a resource or a good alliance partner, that could directly impact your reproductive success.”
Are females in this case participating in sexual acts because they truly are homosexual for each other, or are they smart enough to recognize that these acts can attract a male so the act of homosexual behavior is being done in hopes of better reproduction? Again, it goes back to the fact that at this point humans are not fully able to know animals intentions and what their minds are thinking so the topic will have to continually be explored.
Overall, much of the evidence found would suggest that yes, animals can be gay. However, many opposing viewpoints makes reverse causation come into play. Are homosexual animals participating in sexual activity with each other because they truly want to be with that sex both physically and emotionally, or do animals simply crave sexual activity and in turn, we are concluding that these animals are gay and lesbian?
Work Cited:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal.html