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Gay Sex Rampant in Animal Kingdom

When the good folks in the family values crowd just can't say anything else to convince you that homosexuals will bring about the end of civilization as we know it, they can always pull out their ace in the hole: "But it's UNnatural!!!" That's been a reliable standby in the rhetorical lexicon of the homophobe for eons, but unfortunately, scientific research says it just ain't so. Nathan Bailey, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside, says that you can find same-sex sexuality not only in humans and the occasional penguin or bonobo, but in almost any animal species you can name. Bailey co-authored a review of research that has just been released, showing that not only is same-sex activity widespread, but it has different purposes in different species. While male fruit flies might court other male fruit flies because they are genetically unable to distinguish between sexes, same-sex couplings between male bottlenose dolphins act as a method of group bonding. He also notes that female Laysan Albatrosses can form lifetime pairs. Now that we know about all the deviant same-sex coupling going on among animals, Animal Planet can probably expect a boycott from the American Family Association any day now.

Source:
http://carnalnation.com/content/9129/10 ... al-kingdom

Homosexual behaviour widespread in animals according to new study
Homosexual behaviour is a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom, according to a new study.

Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Published: 5:19PM BST 16 Jun 2009

Dolphins have been known engage in same-sex interactions to facilitate group bonding Photo: GETTY
The pairing of same sex couples had previously been observed in more than 1,000 species including penguins, dolphins and primates.

However, in the latest study the authors claim the phenomenon is not only widespread but part of a necessary biological adaptation for the survival of the species.

Why male-dominated panel shows are a jokeThey found that on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, almost a third of the Laysan albatross population is raised by pairs of two females because of the shortage of males. Through these 'lesbian' unions, Laysan albatross are flourishing. Their existence had been dwindling before the adaptation was noticed.

Other species form same-sex bonds for other reasons, they found. Dolphins have been known engage in same-sex interactions to facilitate group bonding while male-male pairings in locusts killed off the weaker males.

A pair of "gay" penguins recently hatched an egg at a German zoo after being given the egg that had been rejected by its biological parents by keepers.

Writing in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Dr Nathan Bailey, an evolutionary biologist at California University, said previous studies have failed to consider the evolutionary consequences of homosexuality.

He said same homosexual behaviour was often a product of natural selection to further the survival of the species.

Dr Bailey said: "It's clear same-sex sexual behaviour extends far beyond the well-known examples that dominate both the scientific and popular literature – for example, bonobos, dolphins, penguins and fruit flies.

"Same-sex behaviours – courtship, mounting or parenting – are traits that may have been shaped by natural selection, a basic mechanism of evolution that occurs over successive generations," he said.

"But our review of studies also suggests that these same-sex behaviours might act as selective forces in and of themselves."

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/5550488/Homosexual-behaviour-widespread-in-animals-according-to-new-study.html