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[Lewis]

As gay couples celebrate their newfound right to marry in California and opposition groups rally to fight the ruling, many struggle with this question: Is homosexuality natural?

On this issue, Nature has spoken: Same-sex lovin' is common in hundreds of species, scientists say.

Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo, were a couple for about six years, during which they nurtured a fertilized egg together (given to them by a zookeeper) and raised the young chick that hatched.

According to University of Oslo zoologist Petter Böckman, about 1,500 animal species are known to practice same-sex coupling, including bears, gorillas, flamingos, owls, salmon and many others.

If homosexuality is natural in the animal kingdom, then there is the question of why evolution hasn't eliminated this trait from the gene pool, since it doesn’t lead to reproduction.

It may simply be for pleasure.

"Not every sexual act has a reproductive function," said Janet Mann, a biologist at Georgetown University who studies dolphins (homosexual behavior is very common in these marine mammals). "That's true of humans and non-humans."

Some scientists have proposed that being gay may serve its own evolutionary purpose.

"It could be a way that you strengthen bonds — that's one hypothesis," Mann told LiveScience. "Another is that it could be practice for heterosexual sex. Bottlenose dolphin calves mount each other a lot. That might benefit them later on."

Marlene Zuk, a biologist at the University of California, Riverside, suggested that gay individuals contribute to the gene pool of their community by nurturing their relatives’ young without diverting resources by having their own offspring.

One thing that does seem to be exclusive to humans is homophobia.

"It's a very interesting question as to why anybody ever cares," Mann said. "There are different theories about why people find it threatening. Some think it disrupts male bonds, like you're not playing for the right team. The funny thing is that people say homosexuality is unnatural, that non-humans don't engage in homosexual behavior, but that's not true. Then they'll say it's base and animalistic."

Humans' resistance to the idea of homosexuality extends even to research on the behavior in animals. Scientists who study the topic are often accused of trying to forward an agenda, and their work can come under greater scrutiny than that of their colleagues who study other topics, Mann said

"It's kind of a shame because I think that probably is a reason why people don't look at it more," Mann said. "That's probably why we haven't gotten further. You would think we'd know more than we do by now."

[JohnT]

Lewis the ruling got overturned by the voters last November outlawing same sex marriages in California.

Has official registry for same-sex couples and law banning same-sex marriage. Although on 5/15/08 the California Supreme Court ruled that "the right to marry in California extends equally to all, gay and straight alike," Proposition 8 banning gay marriage was approved by voters in November 2008.


Iowa and Massachusetts have gay marriage laws in place.

[jram]

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outlawing same sex marriages in California.

I have proof they didn't. http://www.smartestc...tyle_emoticons/default/yahoo.gif http://www.smartestc...tyle_emoticons/default/yahoo.gif

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[Audrey]

[rokytnji]

At one time in my life, I was exposed to many gay people. It was while I was in the job corp when I was 20 years old. I noticed a few things while there. I had guys coming to me, (because I was the only white guy in a 2,500 man facility) asking if they could do my laundry, touch me, do my hair. You get the idea. I politely refused. And they would understand. While there I walked in on 2 guys in a mop closet. Sounded like they were sawing wood. Never slammed a door so fast in my life. Now you think with all this exposure I would be quite homophobic. Quite the opposite happened though. I have never been harrased, been forced upon. (but then prison we all know is a different story, but predators come in all shapes and sizes and sexual orienatation). I think affection is good in all its forms. I'm glad nature shows us this. Immature morals only hold people back,especially when based on fear. Nothing being wrong with being a self assured heterosexual. Should be nothing wrong with a self assured homo sexual either. Like Mahat Maghandi said, a few black raindrops do not turn the whole ocean black, when refering to a statement on how all humanity is bad, Just my opinion though.

[fairlopgirl]

I'm glad they found someone to love - never mind the sex of the other person. Happiness is hard to find!!

[Lewis]

JohnT, on Apr 9 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

Lewis the ruling got overturned by the voters last November outlawing same sex marriages in California.

Has official registry for same-sex couples and law banning same-sex marriage. Although on 5/15/08 the California Supreme Court ruled that "the right to marry in California extends equally to all, gay and straight alike," Proposition 8 banning gay marriage was approved by voters in November 2008.
Iowa and Massachusetts have gay marriage laws in place.

I know John, I was just talking about the animal thing, not the human thing. I should have posted another animal gay article, which there are many.