Why Are Only Humans Homophobic? My Vote is Religion

While the Christianists rant, rave and spray spittle when confronted with the reality that homosexuality is seen across the animal kingdom - something that under cuts their efforts to blame gays on bad parenting and other invented psychobabble - the fact is that hundreds of species exhibit homosexual behavior. More importantly, only in humans does one find homophobia and mistreatment of individuals who are attracted to those of the same sex. Thus, the argument that homosexuality is "unnatural" and against the laws of nature quickly falls apart. So what cause humans to be unique in this mistreatment of other individuals? In my opinion, it's summed up in one word: religion. And if one knows accurate and true history, the development of religion and religious dogma often had little with supposed divine inspiration but instead involved uneducated and superstitious peoples (a) trying to explain the world, (ii) defining their own tribe(s) and differentiating themselves from the "other," and (c) providing a basis for the insecure to feel superior to others. Nature and so-called natural law often had little involvement and primitive social structure and circumstances were instead controlling. An article in Slate looks at the homophobia free nature of the rest of the animal kingdom. Here are highlights:

In an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan on Sunday, former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron called homosexuality “unnatural,” and a behavior that is “ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.” We’ve heard that many species of nonhuman animals engage in gay sex, which calls into question the first part of Cameron’s statement. But what about the practice of shunning gays—can animals be homophobic too?

Not as far as we know. Homosexual behavior has been documented in hundreds of animal species, but the same does not hold for gay-bashing. For starters, few animals are exclusively gay. Two female Japanese macaques might have playful sex with each other on Tuesday, then mate with males on Wednesday. Pairs of male elephants sometimes form years-long companionships that include sexual activity, while their heterosexual couplings tend to be one-night stands. For these and many other species, sexual preferences seem to be fluid rather than binary: Gay sex doesn’t make them gay, and straight sex doesn’t make them straight. In these cases, the concept of homophobia simply doesn’t apply.

Still, it’s possible that a social grouping of animals would ostracize a member for engaging in even a single act of gay sex. Indeed, members of nonhuman species have been known to shun members of their social groups on account of certain specific behaviors. A 1995 study described a young adult chimpanzee that refused to grunt submissively and seemed to bully females; eight other males assaulted him and exiled him from the group for three months. It’s not inconceivable that unwanted sexual advances, homosexual or otherwise, might warrant the same harsh treatment; it simply hasn’t been documented.

What evidence we do have suggests that no such policing of sexual behavior exists. . . . . Researchers believe that gay sex is even rewarded in certain species. For bonobos, sexual activity serves as an instrument of social harmony: It reinforces bonds and keeps the peace. For instance, when a female bonobo migrates into a new group, she often ingratiates herself to the clan’s other ladies by having a lot of sex with them. Far from being shunned, this homosexual behavior is welcomed. And former Stanford researcher Joan Roughgarden has argued that among male bighorn sheep bisexuality may be the norm; those that don’t participate end up as outcasts.

Mankind likes to view itself as superior to the rest of the animal kingdom, but perhaps we've got it backwards. If anything is "unnatural" it would seem to be the Christofascists and anti-gay Islamic fundamentalist who are unnatural. Sadly, they allow ignorance and superstition to continue to control their lives and provide a salve to their fragile egos. Not to mention allowing them to avoid having to think for themselves - perhaps the most frightening issue of all to most of the Christianists.