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from Social Issues
Should Humans Imitate Bonobos?
December 7, 2005 -
Lesbian writer Laura Weinstock, writing in the October 25, 2005 issue of The
Advocate same-sex magazine, suggests that humans would be wise to imitate the
habits of Bonobos, apes that have a pansexual culture.
Weinstock's essay describes a study in the October issue of Biological
Psychology that compared sexual arousal between heterosexual males and females.
Men were sexually aroused by photos of women, but women were sexually aroused by
men, women, lesbian erotica, and mating Bonobos.
The writer asks why heterosexual women are capable of such sexual fluidity and
wonders how this impacts the institution of marriage or heterosexuality.
Weinstock believes that humans should model the social behaviors of Bonobo apes.
According to the author, Bonobos have a pansexual culture that is not
male-dominated. Bonobo females form "sisterhoods" that are strengthened by
lesbian sex. If a male attempts to attack a female, the sisterhood attacks him.
Weinstock says that female Bonobos not only have sex with females but initiate
sex with males and males have sex with each other. She says there is little
violence in the Bonobo culture. "When a fruit tree is spotted, instead of duking
it out for the bounty, the Bonobos start copulating in all manner of
combinations. A little while later, everyone is happier and ready to share the
food peacefully -- the perfect expression of the old adage, 'make love, not war.'
In these times of Neanderthal violence, we could all benefit from aping the
Bonobos. They are, after all, our ancestors."
Additional Reading: The Animal Homosexuality Myth.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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