Rating: 
Summary: A Milestone in the Battle against Ignorance and Homophobia
Review: This book finally and unequivocally puts to rest the notion that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism is somehow "unnatural". The first half is a very interesting read, which throws a stark spotlight on how homophobic attitudes within academia and the scientific community contributed to extraordinary distortions of science. Ultimately, the scientific method is a one of humanity's most powerful tools for seeking truth. However, the observation of phenomena, which is the cornerstone of the scientific method, is obviously vulnerable to the subjective views and biases of the observer. Baghemil exposes how this vulnerability contributed to 150 years of distortion, obfuscation, and misinterpretation in biology and zoology. The first half of the book is very engaging, but the second half of the book, The Wondrous Bestiary, is the real gem that you keep going back to again and again and want to read out loud from to friends and family. In this section, Baghemil profiles the sexuality of more than a hundred different species ranging from the Mute Swan to the Bottlenosed Dolphin. My favorite is the description of the "necking" behavior of Giraffes, which, it turns out, is a sexual/affectionate activity exclusive to MALE Giraffes. Think about that next time you see a photo of one Giraffe wrapping its neck around anothers. Finally, I believe that this book should be required reading for every religious person who harbors homophobic views or who has accepted the distorted interpretations of scripture that have been used to justify persecution of individuals with variant sexualities for hundreds of years. As a person of faith and an environmentalist, I think there is no more elegant a statement of the fact that gay people are an instrinsic facet of the beautiful mosaic that is Creation than the incredible diversity of species that are profiled in this book. I highly recommend it. Arturo
Rating: 
Summary: Good book but...
Review: This is a good book for reference. However, the homosexual behaviors described in the book are not quite what I expected. It should have been titled Animal sexuality instead of homosexuality.
| 
