Saturday, June 17, 2006

Gay: The New Straight

I've been meaning to post on this topic for about two weeks, ever since I saw an article in the science magazine Seed about it. In all actuality, this isn't something I really want to give commentary on. Just so you know subjective lens I'm focusing all this through, my opinion on homosexuality is that it's just another form of sexuality. Three years ago, you might have heard me saying insane, stupid things like "homosexuality is a disease," but I've luckily grown out of that. Some people see homosexuality as a defect, or as a psychological illness, or as any other number of "problems." In my opinion, it's just another expression of love.

That said, the article I referenced above is titled The Gay Animal Kingdom. It basically talks about how homosexuality is not just natural, but extremely prevalent amongst other mammals. Cool stuff. I  advise you read the entire article. It's really informative and interesting.

However, the part that really got my attention is as follows. Warning: if you're prudish, don't read on. Pick up where the italics end!

Male big horn sheep live in what are often called "homosexual societies." They bond through genital licking and anal intercourse, which often ends in ejaculation. If a male sheep chooses to not have gay sex, it becomes a social outcast. Ironically, scientists call such straight-laced males "effeminate."

Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, gray whales, and West Indian manatees. Japanese macaques, on the other hand, are ardent lesbians; the females enthusiastically mount each other. Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours. Male bonobos engage in "penis fencing," which leads, surprisingly enough, to ejaculation. They also give each other genital massages.

Hilarious! Well, if you're immature like me, that is! I think I laughed for a good minute or so when I first read that. Luckily, this really hooked me into reading the rest of the article (which, once again, is good stuff).

Enough of my commentary. Remember, don't be close minded like me. People do things differently. Sometimes it's okay to celebrate the difference.

Namaste.

Blogged with Flock

No comments: