Vintage Thursday

Birds and bees may be gay

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The birds and the bees may be gay, according to the world's first museum exhibition about homosexuality among animals.

With documentation of gay or lesbian behaviour among giraffes, penguins, parrots, beetles, whales and dozens of other creatures, the Oslo Natural History Museum concludes human homosexuality cannot be viewed as "unnatural".

"We may have opinions on a lot of things, but one thing is clear -- homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom, it is not against nature," an exhibit statement said.

Geir Soeli, the project leader of the exhibition entitled "Against Nature", told Reuters: "Homosexuality has been observed for more than 1,500 animal species, and is well documented for 500 of them."

The museum said the exhibition, opening on Thursday despite condemnation from some Christians, was the first in the world on the subject. Soeli said a Dutch zoo had once organised tours to view homosexual couples among the animals.

"The sexual urge is strong in all animals. ... It's a part of life, it's fun to have sex," Soeli said of the reasons for homosexuality or bisexuality among animals.

One exhibit shows two stuffed female swans on a nest -- birds sometimes raise young in homosexual couples, either after a female has forsaken a male mate or donated an egg to a pair of males.

One photograph shows two giant erect penises flailing above the water as two male right whales rub together. Another shows a male giraffe mounting another for sex, another describes homosexuality among beetles.

BURN IN HELL

One radical Christian said organisers of the exhibition -- partly funded by the Norwegian government -- should "burn in hell", Soeli said. Laws describing homosexuality as a "crime against nature" are still on the statutes in some countries.

Greek philosopher Aristotle noted apparent homosexual behaviour among hyenas 2,300 years ago but evidence of animal homosexuality has often been ignored by researchers, perhaps because of distaste, lack of interest or fear or ridicule.

Bonobos, a type of chimpanzee, are among extremes in having sex with either males or females, apparently as part of social bonding. "Bonobos are bisexuals, all of them," Soeli said.

Still, it is unclear why homosexuality survives since it seems a genetic dead-end.

Among theories, males can sometimes win greater acceptance in a pack by having homosexual contact. That in turn can help their chances of later mating with females, he said.

And a study of homosexual men in Italy suggested that their mothers and sisters had more offspring. "The same genes that give homosexuality in men could give higher fertility among women," he said.



Dick Says He's Not Gay

Troubled comedian Andy Dick insists that he is not gay, even though he's been sexually intimate with men.

The "Employee of the Month" star recently completed his seventh stint in rehab for drug and alcohol abuse and claims he is an easy target for the tabloid media.

He tells the Washington Post, "I'm not even gay! Last year, it was anal warts, which I don't have.

"This year, it's AIDS and gay. Which I don't have and I'm not. No and no.

"Just because I've been with guys, and I'm bi (sexual), doesn't mean I'm gay."

Dick claims people are jealous of his success and his liberal attitude: "They really love to jump down my throat and rake me across the coals. Just love it.

"People love to hate. I have a love-hate relationship with the world. The world loves to hate me. It really seems that way now. It all boils down to jealousy.

"People are upset that they can't do what I do. They hold back. They see me not holding back."



Gay Man Lured On Internet, Then Beaten

A 29-year-old man is brain-dead and his family is agonizing over taking him off a respirator after he was severely beaten and hit by a car as he tried to escape the men who used the Internet to lure him to a secluded Brooklyn parking lot
Michael Sandy, nephew of popular Trinidad singer Calypso Rose, was chatting online with the men who convinced the Ikea interior designer to meet them at a location for sex, according to New York Police.

After hooking up online, one suspect agreed to meet Sandy on a street corner in Brooklyn. He then convinced the victim to drive to a secluded location at Plumb Beach, known as a gay pickup spot, where the other men, who are White, were waiting. Sandy is African American.

Nineteen year-old John Fox of Brooklyn, who has been charged with assault, robbery and hate crime charges for his alleged role in the beating, told police that he and his friends are all straight and targeted Sandy because "he was an easy mark," WCBS reported.

The four suspects attempted to rob Sandy, then beat and chased him. When Sandy tried to get away from the group, he ran onto the roadway and ended up being hit by a car. The car did not stop, police said.

As if that weren’t enough, one of the assailants dragged Sandy off the road, beat him some more, then searched his pockets before fleeing, a witness told The New York Post.

But this wasn’t the first time Fox had used the Web to snare a victim. According to investigators, Fox indicated that he has used the Internet in the past to lure and attack gay men, WCBS reported.

The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating to determine whether Sandy was the victim of a hate crime or a robbery.