Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Animal Porn

A conversation I recently had with a total idiot led me to the realization that although I stand behind the Theory of Evolution 100%, I couldn't back it up in my own words. "I learned it in school," just isn't a strong argument when the Religious Reich are so desperate to have "Intelligent Design" taught alongside or instead of Science. What a fucking shame.

So I went to the library and took out Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth and Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True. It's all there, folks. Facts. We are evolved creatures, despite the Imbeciles and Naysayers out there. "You are the result of 4 billion years of evolutionary success. Fucking act like it."  The amount of evidence to prove it is staggering and fascinating, and I highly recommend adding both books to your reading list.


So. Being a creature who likes arming herself with Facts and The Truth for the staggering amount of Imbeciles and Naysayers who care for neither Facts nor The Truth, the next subject I decided to master was the natural occurrence of Homosexuality in animals. I read that,  "Homosexuality is present in over 450 species. Homophobia is present in only one. Which one seems unnatural now?" Brilliant. Now let me get my Learnin' On so I can start repeating it to every homophobic douchebag who finds it somehow unholy for all people to have the same rights that my husband and I share.

Off to the library for Bruce Bagemihl's Biological Exuberance, a book about Animal Homosexuality which discusses scientific documentation of  animals engaging in not just homosexual behavior, but non-reproductive homosexual behavior like lifelong bonding and co-parenting. Yay Me for being so eager for knowledge.

Well, thanks to the book's first chapter, I can confirm that MANY homosexual pairs of animals raise families and in many cases exceed their heterosexual counterparts in the extent of parenting skills. Unfortunately, that same chapter has provided me with more information about animal foreplay in both hetero and homosexual animal relationships than I ever expected to find out, and I'm feeling pretty dirty. And not in a good way. I was prepared for words like Nuzzling and Mounting, but Diddling? There is, perhaps, knowledge I don't need to know.

I'm putting you aside, Biological Exuberance. The One Wattled Cassowary bird on your cover can stare me down all it likes.

Work It



As for science vs. religion
I'm issuing a restraining order. 
Religion must stay 500 yards from science at all times.



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