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Recent studies in animal sexuality serve to dispel two common
myths: that sex is exclusively about reproduction and that
homosexuality is an unnatural sexual preference. It now appears
that sex is also about recreation as it frequently occurs out of
the mating season. And same-sex copulation and bonding are
common in hundreds of species, from bonobo apes to gulls.
Moreover, homosexual couples in the Animal Kingdom are prone to
behaviors commonly - and erroneously - attributed only to
heterosexuals. The New York Times reported in its February 7,
2004 issue about a couple of gay penguins who are desperately
and recurrently seeking to incubate eggs together.
In the same article ("Love that Dare not Squeak its Name"),
Bruce Bagemihl, author of the groundbreaking "Biological
Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity", defines
homosexuality as "any of these behaviors between members of the
same sex: long-term bonding, sexual contact, courtship displays
or the rearing of young."
Still, that a certain behavior occurs in nature (is "natural")
does not render it moral. Infanticide, patricide, suicide,
gender bias, and substance abuse - are all to be found in
various animal species. It is futile to argue for homosexuality
or against it based on zoological observations. Ethics is about
surpassing nature - not about emulating it.
The more perplexing question remains: what are the evolutionary
and biological advantages of recreational sex and homosexuality?
Surely, both entail the waste of scarce resources.
Convoluted explanations, such as the one proffered by Marlene
Zuk (homosexuals contribute to the gene pool by nurturing and
raising young relatives) defy common sense, experience, and the
calculus of evolution. There are no field studies that show
conclusively or even indicate that homosexuals tend to raise and
nurture their younger relatives more that straights do.
Moreover, the arithmetic of genetics would rule out such a
stratagem. If the aim of life is to pass on one's genes from one
generation to the next, the homosexual would have been far
better off raising his own children (who carry forward half his
DNA) - rather than his nephew or niece (with whom he shares
merely one quarter of his genetic material.) What is more,
though genetically-predisposed, homosexuality may be partly
acquired, the outcome of environment and nurture, rather than
nature.
An oft-overlooked fact is that recreational sex and
homosexuality have one thing in common: they do not lead to
reproduction. Homosexuality may, therefore, be a form of
pleasurable sexual play. It may also enhance same-sex bonding
and train the young to form cohesive, purposeful groups (the
army and the boarding school come to mind).
Furthermore, homosexuality amounts to the culling of 10-15% of
the gene pool in each generation. The genetic material of the
homosexual is not propagated and is effectively excluded from
the big roulette of life. Growers - of anything from cereals to
cattle - similarly use random culling to improve their stock. As
mathematical models show, such repeated mass removal of DNA from
the common brew seems to optimize the species and increase its
resilience and efficiency.
It is ironic to realize that homosexuality and other forms of
non-reproductive, pleasure-seeking sex may be key evolutionary
mechanisms and integral drivers of population dynamics.
Reproduction is but one goal among many, equally important, end
results. Heterosexuality is but one strategy among a few optimal
solutions. Studying biology may yet lead to greater tolerance
for the vast repertory of human sexual foibles, preferences, and
predilections. Back to nature, in this case, may be forward to
civilization.
Suggested Literature
Bagemihl, Bruce - "Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality
and Natural Diversity" - St. Martin's Press, 1999
De-Waal, Frans and Lanting, Frans - "Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape"
- University of California Press, 1997
De Waal, Frans - "Bonobo Sex and Society" - March 1995 issue of
Scientific American, pp. 82-88
Trivers, Robert - Natural Selection and Social Theory: Selected
Papers - Oxford University Press, 2002
Zuk, Marlene - "Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn
About Sex From Animals" - University of California Press, 2002
About the author:
Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of
Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain -
How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central
Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , and Bellaonline, and
as a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business
Correspondent. He is the the editor of mental health and Central
East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.
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