October 18, 2006 | Sex & Society

Gay animals flaunt it

Oslo's National History Museum is being attacked by local religious groups over its controversial  exhibit "Against Nature?," the first major museum show to ever delve into the issue of homosexuality in the animal world.

Homosexuality has been observed in more than 1,500 animal species, and is well documented in 500 of them, said exhibit organizer Geir Soeli.

For example, Bonobo chimpanzees routinely have sex with both males and females in their group as a part of their normal social bonding.

Local conservative Christians are calling the museum display pornographic because it features photos of whales and giraffes having same-sex relations. One evangelical pastor said museum directors should burn in hell.

• Birds and bees may be gay: museum exhibition [abc.com]