‘Queer Planet’s’ Animals Are So Gay (Review)
metroweekly.comQueer Planet aims to broaden perspectives about sexuality in the natural world.Narrated by out actor Andrew Rannells, the 90-minute documentary boasts a mostly queer lineup of esteemed scientists who guide the global voyage.
Expounding on bighorn bromances in the Rockies, promiscuous pansexual bonobos in the Congo basin, and laidback lesbian macaques in Japan, among others, the show offers an intimate look at a fascinating spectrum of sex and gender, and configurations of family that defy convention.We’ve heard about gay penguins at the zoo — several zoos, in fact, have discovered same-sex couples among their captive colonies.
But penguins are just the tip of the iceberg.As reported here, queer behaviors and gender presentation have been observed and/or studied in more than 1,500 species.
Though discussing only a relatively small portion of the LGBTQ animal kingdom, Queer Planet persuasively shores up one scientist’s assertion that “queerness is abundant in nature.”It’s certainly abundant in penguin populations.