From: carlson@ab24.larc.nasa.gov (Ann Carlson)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.homosexuality
Subject: Re: TWISTED LOGIC!
Date: 22 Dec 1992 14:13:39 GMT
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: ab24.larc.nasa.gov

In article <1992Dec21.213347.2194@nwnexus.WA.COM>, elf@halcyon.com (Elf Sternberg) writes:
|> In article <1gu05dINN15b@mizar.usc.edu>
|>      adolphso@mizar.usc.edu (adolphson) writes:
|> 
|> >In article <18DEC199217413519@zeus.tamu.edu> 
|> >crr4574@zeus.tamu.edu (LARUE, CHARLES L.) writes:
|> 
|> >> What species has members that engage in exclusively homosexual behavior? 
|> >> Or are there any examples of animals which mate for life engaging in 
|> >> exclusive homosexual behavior? 
|> 
|> To which adolphson accurately replies:
|> 
|> >  Who cares?
|> 
|>    More to the point, why does Charles Larue argue that it "can't" be
|> natural for animals to engage in exclusive homosexual behavior?
|> After all, there is a very clear example of a species that does engage
|> in exclusive homosexual behavior, for life.  Because this species does
|> have members that engage in exclusive homosexual behavior, and this has
|> been comprhensively documented and demonstrated, I argue that
|> homosexuality is natural for this species.
|> 
|>    Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
|> 

Actually, I believe several species have been identified in which some 
individuals behave in an exculsively homosexual manner.  I agree that this
has little relevance to the general debate on human sexuality.  We ordinarily
argue about the *morality* of sexual behavior, which is a concept that is
applied only to human behavior.  However, it is disturbing to see the 
propagation of incorrect information by those who ignore scientific fact
in their desire to believe that the human behavior is unique.  

Having grown up on a farm, althoug we didn't ourselves raise sheep, I have
often heard stories about some rams kept for impregnating the ewes who were
called "duds" because they had no interest in the females of their species.
Selling off these duds to unsuspecting farmers was considered to be part
of the fine art of swindling.  The duds usually show a marked interest in
other rams, and the behavior is lifelong as far as I know.  Cats are
another species which I've been told often exhibit exclusively homosexual
behavior.  I grew up with a "fairy-kitty" and can vouch for at least one
instance of a male cat who had a lifelong interest in other males and 
never appeared at all attracted to females.  Someone posted a few months
ago a summary of an article studying female-female long term relationships
in a species of bird, too.  I believe the conclusion was that the mating
behavior in the female-female couples was identical to the behavior in
the male-female couples.  The differences being that the eggs produced 
were both unfertalized and smaller than normal.  Interesting? Yes. Relevant
to what is natural?  Probably.  Relevant to what is moral?  No.  


*************************************************      
*Dr. Ann B. Carlson (a.b.carlson@larc.nasa.gov) *       O .
*MS 366                                         *         o  _///_ //
*NASA Langley Research Center                   *          <`)=  _<<
*Hampton, VA 23681-0001                         *             \\\  \\
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Newsgroups: alt.politics.homosexuality