Nature Vs. Choice - Part II

And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures each according to his kind…
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…
Genesis 1:24-31


Nature VS Choice

Is the argument that Homosexuality is a “crime against nature” still a valid one?

Part II

With the advent of 18th Century enlightenment the sciences have slowly began to unravel the mysteries of our universe- and particularly that of the animal kingdom. Fast forward to the 21st Century and we can now irrevocably concur that homosexuality is a common and widespread phenomenon in the animal world.

Various scientific study groups have theorized that homosexuality probably occurs across the whole Animal Kingdom. And homosexual behavior is most common in the larger animal species where there exists distinct male and female differentiation. This male and female differentiation has made it easier for scientists to recognize homosexual behavior and document it.

In October of 2006 The Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo, opened the first-ever museum exhibition devoted to gay animals. The exhibit featured more than 1500 species where homosexual behavior has been observed. The museum attendees were confronted, through photos, texts, models and specimens with the little known gay life of animals- a whole colorful array of queer animal life was exposed for the scrutiny of a curious public. According to the Oslo Natural History Museum the exhibits main purpose was to display “a greater understanding of how extensive and common this behavior is among animals…At least, we hope to reject the… argument that homosexual behavior is a crime against nature”.

As “animal porn” as it may sound, the exhibition included photographs of one male giraffe mounting another, Two male shelducks, mating, various primates in the act of same sex mutual masturbation, and even two aroused male Killer whales rubbing against each other- in addition to many other eyebrow raising examples.



Other installations in the exhibit showcased incidents where male bird couples will fertilize and hatch eggs that have been "donated" via a “one night stand” by a female bird of the same species. Some “gay” bird couples known to successfully raise offspring in this manner include; swans, Geese, Penguins, ducks and seagulls. In a documented case of pink flamingos: "two males can hold a much larger territory than a male/female flamingo pair, thus more chicks can grow up".

In the Animal Kingdom, not only do short-lived gay sexual relationships occur, but even long-lasting partnerships; partnerships that bring forth offspring, and more surprising, partnerships that last the animals lifetime. In some cases the entire species is bisexual.

So why is the argument, “homosexuality is a crime against nature” still a valid one?

The term “Crime against Nature” was first coined by the Church Council of Nablus in 1120 AD. During the Renaissance this term was incorporated into the laws of most European countries and has been used to this day in the widespread oppression of homosexuals. Truth be told, the term never originated in the bible, and based on what we know about the nature of the animal kingdom it is an outdated and ignorant argument. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good… Genesis 1:31

~Martyn Valenzuela


Sources:
- http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20718
- http://www.nhm.uio.no/besokende/skiftende-utstillinger/againstnature/index-eng.html
- http://www.nhm.uio.no/besokende/skiftende-utstillinger/againstnature/animal_human.html

BOOKS:
• Bagemihl, B. 1999. Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. St. Martin's Press. 752 pp.
• de Waal, F. 1997. Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape. University of California Press, Berkeley.
• de Waal, F. M. B. & R. Ren (1988): Peacemaking among Primates. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts).
• Roughgarden, J. 2004. Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People. University of California Press. Berkeley CA. 474 pp
• Sommer, V & P. L Vasey (2006): Homosexual Behaviour in Animals, An Evolutionary Perspective. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.