Editing Homosexual behavior in animals (section)

==Research==
A majority of the research available concerning homosexual behavior in animals lacks specification between animals that exclusively exhibit same-sex tendencies and those that participate in heterosexual and homosexual mating activities interchangeably. This lack of distinction has led to differing opinions and conflicting interpretations of collected data amongst scientists and researchers. For instance, [[Bruce Bagemihl]], author of the book ''Biological Exuberence: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity'', emphasizes that there are no anatomical or endocrinological differences between exclusively homosexual and exclusively heterosexual animal pairs.<ref name=Bagemihl/>{{rp|164}} However, if the definition of "homosexual behavior" is made to include animals that participate in both same-sex and opposite-sex mating activities, hormonal differences have been documented among key [[sex hormones]], such as [[testosterone]] and [[estradiol]], when compared to those who participate solely in heterosexual mating.<ref name=Bagemihl/>{{rp|164}}

Many of the animals used in laboratory-based studies of homosexuality do not appear to spontaneously exhibit these tendencies often in the wild. Such behavior is often elicited and exaggerated by the researcher during experimentation through the destruction of a portion of brain tissue, or by exposing the animal to high levels of steroid hormones prenatally.<ref name="Somer_2010">{{cite book| veditors = Somer V, Vasey PL |title=Homosexual Behavior In Animals: An Evolutionary Perspective |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge Press|location=Cambridge | isbn = 978-0-521-18230-0 |id= {{ASIN|0521182301|country=uk}}}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2016}} Information gathered from these studies is limited when applied to spontaneously occurring same-sex behavior in animals outside of the laboratory.<ref name="Somer_2010"/>

Homosexual behaviour in animals has been discussed since [[classical antiquity]]. The earliest written mention of animal homosexuality appears to date back to 2,300 years ago, when [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BC) described copulation between pigeons, partridges and quails of the same sex.<ref name="Riccucci2011">{{cite journal| vauthors = Riccucci M |title=Same-sex sexual behaviour in bats|journal=Hystrix It. J. Mammal.|date=2011|volume=22|issue=1|pages=139–47|doi=10.4404/hystrix-22.1-4478}}</ref><ref name="OxfordAcademicZoo">{{cite journal |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/195/1/1/6568055 |author = Aristotle |author2 = Pliny (transl. Rackham, 1947, Vol. 3: 399; Aristotle, transl. Peck, 1970, Vol. 2: 233; see also: Aelian, transl. Wilson, 1997: 37) |title=Oxford Academic Zoologic Journal|journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |date = May 2022 |volume = 195 |issue = 1 |pages = 1–32 |doi = 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab127 |doi-access = free }}</ref> The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo, written in the 4th century AD by the Egyptian writer [[Horapollo]], mentions "hermaphroditism" in hyenas and homosexuality in partridges.<ref name="Riccucci2011"/> The first review of animal homosexuality was written by the zoologist [[Ferdinand Karsch-Haack]] in 1900.<ref name="Riccucci2011"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karsch |first1=F. |title=Päderastie und Tribadie bei den Tieren auf Grund Literatur |journal=Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen |date=1900 |volume=2 |hdl-access=free |hdl=2027/mdp.39015016472477?urlappend=%3Bseq=442}}</ref>

Academic research into the ubiquity of same-sex sexual behavior was not carried out on a large scale, possibly due to [[observer bias]] caused by social attitudes to same-sex sexual behavior,<ref name=Rainbow/> innocent confusion, lack of interest, distaste, scientists fearing loss of their [[Grant (money)|grants]] or even from a fear of "being ridiculed by their colleagues".<ref name="1,500 Animal Species Practice">{{cite web|url=http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20718 |title=1,500 Animal Species Practice Homosexuality |date=2006-10-23 |publisher=News-medical.net |access-date=2007-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528115402/http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20718 |archive-date=May 28, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="HITAK">{{cite web|title=Homosexuality in the Animal kingdom |date=February 2009|access-date=October 6, 2017 |url=http://www.nhm.uio.no/besok-oss/utstillinger/skiftende/againstnature/gayanimals.html|website=nhm.uio.no |publisher=Natural History Museum, University of Oslo}}</ref> Georgetown University [[biologist]] Janet Mann states "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."<ref name="Homosexuality Commo">{{cite news | last = Moskowitz | first =Clara | name-list-style = vanc | title=Homosexuality Common in the Wild, Scientists Say| publisher=Fox News | date=19 May 2008 | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356639,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528041830/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356639,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=28 May 2008| access-date = 2008-07-02}}</ref> They also noted "Not every sexual act has a reproductive function ... that's true of humans and non-humans."<ref name="Homosexuality Commo"/> Studies have demonstrated homosexual behavior in a number of species,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2907.1984.tb00344.x | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1984.tb00344.x | title=Homosexual behaviour and female-male mounting in mammals—a first survey | year=1984 | last1=Dagg | first1=Anne Innis | author-link1=Anne Innis Dagg | journal=Mammal Review | volume=14 | issue=4 | pages=155–185 | bibcode=1984MamRv..14..155D | url-access=subscription }}</ref> but the true extent of homosexuality in animals is not known.

[[File:Two Giraffes.PNG|thumb|Two male [[giraffe]]s in [[Kenya]]]]
Some researchers believe this behavior to have its origin in male social organization and social dominance, similar to the dominance traits shown in [[prison sexuality]]. Others, particularly Bagemihl, [[Joan Roughgarden]], [[Thierry Lodé]]<ref>[[Thierry Lodé]] ''La guerre des sexes chez les animaux'' Eds O Jacb, Paris, 2006, {{ISBN|2-7381-1901-8}}</ref> and Paul Vasey suggest the social function of sex (both homosexual and heterosexual) is not necessarily connected to dominance, but serves to strengthen alliances and social ties within a flock. While reports on many such mating scenarios are still only anecdotal, a growing body of scientific work confirms that permanent homosexuality occurs not only in species with permanent pair bonds,<ref name="Homosexual selection: The power of same-sex liaisons"/> but also in non-monogamous species like sheep. One report on sheep found that 8% of rams exhibited homosexual preferences—that is, even when given a choice, they chose male over female partners.<ref name="The Volume of a Sexually Dimorphic">{{cite journal | vauthors = Roselli CE, Larkin K, Resko JA, Stellflug JN, Stormshak F | title = The volume of a sexually dimorphic nucleus in the ovine medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus varies with sexual partner preference | journal = Endocrinology | volume = 145 | issue = 2 | pages = 478–83 | date = February 2004 | pmid = 14525915 | doi = 10.1210/en.2003-1098 | doi-access = free }}</ref> In fact, apparent homosexual individuals are known from all of the traditional domestic species, from sheep, cattle and horses to cats, dogs and [[budgerigars]].<ref name=Bagemihl/>{{Rp|pages=|page=81}} In October 2023, biologists reported  studies of animals (over 1,500 different species) that found [[same-sex behavior]] (not necessarily related to human orientation) may help improve social stability by reducing conflict within the groups studied.<ref name="NYT-20231003cz">{{cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |authorlink=Carl Zimmer |title=Same-Sex Behavior Evolved in Many Mammals to Reduce Conflict, Study Suggests|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/science/same-sex-behavior-evolution-mammals.html |date=3 October 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020175203/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/science/same-sex-behavior-evolution-mammals.html |archive-date=20 October 2023 |url-access=limited |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref name="NAT-20231003">{{cite journal |author=Gómez, José M. |display-authors=et al. |title=The evolution of same-sex sexual behaviour in mammals |date=3 October 2023 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=14 |number=5719 |page=5719 |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-41290-x |doi-access=free |pmid=37788987 |pmc=10547684 |bibcode=2023NatCo..14.5719G }}</ref>