Animals

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It's the last day of Pride Month, 2026. Do animals have any relevance upon that? Let's check it out... (europe.pub)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social to c/animals@lemmy.world

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Straight up question-- can animals be gay?

So, based on my findings? Uhhh... yes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior

And some infographics, if such help:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7c/a8/c9/7ca8c90d59620bbab6775d8148b671f7.jpg

https://www.ideabooks.nl/media/c2/ff/3a/1759454690/250793.posterswans.jpg.jpg

https://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Gay-Animals.jpg

So here's my question-- if homosexuality is so absolutely common across nature, then what are we doing putting it down so hard when it comes to us naked apes? Like, why is there any stigma whatsoever upon our sexual attraction choices, anyway?

Now, I hate to link to the Evil Empire, but this here dude seemed to offer some insights:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/pnhuwg/u300trees_and_replies_give_examples_of_incorrect/

In any case, my current takeaway is this-- whatever one's attraction is upon others, such is completely normal, ordinary and common when it comes to Nature. We know that from the landslide of available evidence seen again & again, as above.

Which suggests to me that if someone's trying to tell you that there's anything wrong with liking whoever you're sexually attracted to, then chances are they're the weirdos from the healthy standpoint of Nature.

So "why are they doing that..?" one might ask. "Who trained them to be so strangely judgemental in the first place?" Those might be some followup questions...

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[–] Solumbran@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Homophobia comes from fascism and the hatred towards minorities, as well as the weaponisation of gender as a tool for oppression. It never came from nature or science or whatever "reason", it just comes from a will to dominate.

I mean, look at the US now.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Thanks for commenting.

So, I largely agree, altho I do think homophobia and the attempt to stamp out gay people can come from more common sources than far-right thinking and outright fascism. For example, it may come from sheer personal reaction to something that seems strange, confusing and unknown, and if there's one thing that consistently terrifies us naked apes, it's the unknown.

But anti-homosexualism can also come from hierarchies, institutions and imagined orders, like Christian or Muslim churches (etc) through the ages. They want to control, and they want families increasing their numbers in order to create more adherents and more power for the ones in charge. They want to impose thought control and dictate how people live their lives, even though I don't believe their sacred texts say much if anything about homosexuality itself. What a great irony.

[–] Solumbran@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's a question of definition, all of what you've said is part of what I see as fascism. Fascism boils down to thinking that your group is intrinsically better or more "right" than others, even without justification. The reason homosexuality can seem strange, confusing and unknown is only if it's something foreign to your social group; disliking it for that reason is fascism to me.

Same for hierarchies and orders, it's also another form of fascism.

It's not necessarily extreme, nazi-like, but it is fascism.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago

You know, I think I remember discussing the meaning of "fascism" with you last week or so, and found it to pretty much be a dead-end. Oh well.