Queer Nature
PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS
We’re often told that nature is all about survival of the fittest, reproduction, and heterosexual pairs. But what if nature has always been far queerer than we’ve been taught? Today, I’m going to take you on a global journey through the world of science, from the earliest observations to cutting-edge research, to explore queerness in nature: from same-sex pairings among penguins and albatrosses, to gender-fluid fish, to the astonishing social lives of bonobos.
I’ll break down myths, look at what 600 years of scientific observation has taught us, and consider why acknowledging queerness in nature matters for all of us today. It turns out that the natural order isn’t what exactly you thought it was.
ANCIENT OBSERVATIONS AND EARLY CURIOSITY
Long before modern science, humans watched the natural world with wonder, and often, confusion. From the ancient Greeks to medieval Europe, people noticed animal behaviors that didn’t fit tidy categories. But without today’s vocabulary or tools, they often framed these observations as curiosities, anomalies, or even moral lessons.
Let’s go back to Aristotle in the 4th century BCE. Known as the “father of biology,” Aristotle meticulously cataloged the natural world. In his History of Animals, he noted what he called “unusual” sexual behaviors, including same-sex interactions among certain birds and mammals. Yet, for Aristotle, these were exceptions to nature’s rules, aberrations, not patterns.
Fast forward to the Middle Ages. Medieval bestiaries, lavish books describing real and mythical creatures, often mentioned animals with dual or changing sexes, like hyenas, or animals believed to mate outside of male-female pairs. But here, too, these traits were shrouded in myth or moral allegory. Hyenas, for example, were symbols of greed or deception, not subjects of biological interest.
In the 16th century, Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi, documented hundreds of animal species and their behaviors. Aldrovandi marveled at creatures like hermaphroditic snails, which blurred sexual boundaries. Two hundred years later, naturalists like Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, expanded on these observations. Buffon, who wrote the massive Histoire Naturelle, recorded homosexual behavior in dogs and other animals, though he often framed these as signs of captivity, boredom, or imbalance. The idea that such behaviors might be natural, or even widespread, was still a bridge too far.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection revolutionized biology. However, he saw sexual diversity as a dead-end. Thus, his focus on reproductive success set the stage for erasure of queerness in nature. (As a side note, Darwin was a chauvinist and believed that women were inferior.)
BREAKING THE SILENCE: 20TH CENTURY RESEARCH
The 20th century marked a turning point in how scientists viewed sex and diversity in the animal kingdom. Alfred Kinsey’s research in the 1940s and 50s documented homosexual behavior across species, laying groundwork for a broader understanding of sexuality. Around the same time, ethologists began reporting same-sex behaviors in dolphins and Japanese macaques, noting their social bonding functions. But it was the bonobo that truly reshaped perspectives, this peaceful primate, native to the Congo, engages in frequent same-sex interactions used not just for reproduction, but for building alliances, easing conflict, and maintaining social harmony within their communities.
And then came a major intellectual shift. In the early 2000s, biologist Joan Roughgarden boldly challenged Darwinian orthodoxy. In her landmark book Evolution’s Rainbow, Roughgarden argued that diversity in sexual behavior, including same-sex interactions and gender variation, wasn’t a glitch in evolution, but a feature. She proposed “social selection,” an expansion of natural selection, emphasizing cooperation and social bonding, not just competition and reproduction. Her work sparked heated debates, and opened new doors for how we think about sex and gender in nature.
By the 1990s and early 2000s, hundreds of documented cases of homosexual behavior and gender diversity in animals were emerging across scientific journals. Yet for the general public, these stories were just beginning to trickle in, often sensationalized by media headlines or dismissed as anthropomorphism, projecting human ideas onto animals.
What the research actually showed, and continues to show, is that queerness in nature is real, widespread, and deeply woven into the fabric of life itself.
GLOBAL TOUR OF QUEERNESS IN THE WILD
Around the world, nature offers a breathtaking display of diversity, far beyond human categories of male, female, straight, or gay.
Let’s start in one of the unlikeliest places: the Central Park Zoo in New York City. In the early 2000s, two male chinstrap penguins, Roy and Silo, became international celebrities. The two bonded, built a nest together, and even tried to incubate a rock as if it were an egg. Zookeepers eventually gave them a real egg to care for, and the pair successfully raised a chick named Tango. Their story sparked children’s books, headlines, and heated debates about nature and parenting, but what often got lost in the noise was this: Roy and Silo weren’t an exception. Same-sex penguin pairs have been documented in the wild and in zoos in Australia, Germany, and beyond.
In the tropical forests of the Congo Basin, the bonobos show us what it means to blur the lines between sexual and social behavior. Bonobos are famously bisexual; males and females regularly engage in same-sex genital contact. But this isn’t random or meaningless, it’s part of how they maintain peace in their groups, resolve conflicts, and build alliances. In bonobo society, sex is as much about connection as it is about reproduction.
In Japan, Japanese macaques offer another striking example. Female-female sexual behavior is common and often more frequent and intense than heterosexual pairings. Researchers have documented long-lasting female pairs that engage in mounting, grooming, and mutual support, part of the complex web of macaque social life.
On the Hawaiian islands, where Laysan albatrosses show us yet another form of queer life. On Oahu, researchers studying albatross nesting patterns were surprised to discover that around 30% of pairs were female-female. These pairs cooperate to raise chicks, often after mating with a male outside the pair. While they may face some challenges compared to male-female pairs, they can still successfully raise offspring, and their bonds can last for years.
But queerness in nature isn’t just about same-sex pairs. Even fish defy even the idea of fixed gender. Clownfish, for example, are sequential hermaphrodites: they are born male, but if the dominant female in a group dies, the largest male will change sex and become female. Wrasses and parrotfish also change sex in response to social cues, allowing them to maintain balance in their populations.
Beyond animals, the plant and fungal kingdoms add even more layers. Some corals and fungi have more than two mating types, sometimes dozens or hundreds. These species remind us that nature’s playbook is far more inventive and expansive than our human categories suggest.
WHY NATURE DEFIES BINARIES
So why does nature seem to defy the rigid binaries we humans are so fond of? One key answer is that diversity offers evolutionary advantages. Take the penguin example: in some populations, same-sex pairs help ensure that abandoned eggs survive. In the case of albatrosses, female-female pairs boost the colony’s overall reproductive success in male-scarce environments.
Gender fluidity in fish provides another clue. When environmental or social pressures shift, like the loss of a dominant female, species like clownfish adapt by changing sex, ensuring that reproduction can continue without disruption. This flexibility is a powerful survival tool.
And then there’s the social glue of sexual behavior. In bonobo societies, sex is used to build alliances, ease tensions, and foster cooperation. Same-sex interactions aren’t just tolerated, they’re essential to group stability.
What all these examples show is that nature values adaptability. Traits that promote cooperation, flexibility, and resilience often enhance survival, even if they don’t fit our narrow ideas of what’s “normal” or “natural.” And that’s perhaps the most radical lesson of all: queerness isn’t an outlier, it’s one of nature’s core strategies.
Yet for much of scientific history, researchers downplayed or ignored these phenomena, often because of their own cultural biases. When they did report same-sex behavior or gender variation, it was frequently framed as a deviation or mistake. Only in recent decades have scientists begun to reframe these behaviors as natural, adaptive, and worthy of study in their own right.
WHAT SCIENCE TEACHES US ABOUT IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY
As we enter the 21st century, new research continues to deepen, and complicate, our understanding of sexuality and gender in nature.
One important shift has been the growing recognition that identity is not determined solely by biology. Nature and nurture work together in intricate, often unpredictable ways.
Joan Roughgarden’s work has been particularly influential here. In Evolution’s Rainbow, she argues that Darwin’s focus on competition and reproductive fitness overlooked the importance of cooperation, social bonding, and sexual diversity. Roughgarden proposes that traits like same-sex attraction or gender fluidity can enhance a species’ survival, not by producing more offspring directly, but by strengthening social ties and group cohesion.
At the same time, scientists are increasingly aware of the importance of language and framing. For decades, researchers used loaded terms like “deviant,” “abnormal,” or “unnatural” to describe same-sex behavior in animals. Today, many scholars advocate for neutral, descriptive language that avoids human moral judgments.
Advances in genomics and neurobiology are also reshaping the conversation. Studies of sexual orientation in mammals, for example, suggest that a complex interplay of genes and brain structures influences behavior, but no single “gay gene” determines it. This complexity reinforces the idea that diversity is an inherent, valuable part of life.
Finally, there are ethical considerations. As scientists study animal sexuality and gender, they must be careful not to impose human categories or project human assumptions onto their subjects. Respecting the autonomy and dignity of other species is part of good science, and part of good stewardship of the natural world.
What can we learn from this?
- Across species and ecosystems, we see that diversity is everywhere. Same-sex pairings, gender fluidity, non-reproductive sex, these aren’t rare exceptions or evolutionary mistakes. They’re part of the incredible tapestry of life on Earth.
- Understanding this richness challenges us to rethink our own assumptions about what’s “natural.” It invites us to see queerness not as something outside of nature, but as deeply woven into its very fabric.
- And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that embracing diversity, whether in the wild or in our own communities, isn’t just about tolerance. It’s about recognizing the beauty, resilience, and adaptability that diversity brings to all living systems.
For those interested in exploring further, I recommend Joan Roughgarden’s Evolution’s Rainbow or Bruce Bagemihl’s Biological Exuberance, both groundbreaking works on this subject.
Thank you for joining me on this queer journey through the natural world for Pride Month. Until next time, carpe diem!
THE FOLLOWING SOURCES ARE AFFILIATE LINKS
Evolution’s Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden
Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl
Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can’t Learn About Sex from Animals by Marlene Zuk
Scientific American: “Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom”