Birds Do It. Bees Do It. Even Lesbian Fruit Flies Do It.

from Wired.com

"When it comes to same-sex sexual behavior, scientists need to keep an open mind.
Sure, it’s widely recognized that the animal kingdom is full of male-on-male and female-on-female action, from fruit flies on up to bottlenose dolphins and, of course, Homo sapiens.
But though the origins and evolutionary consequences of homosexuality are varied, biologists tend to oversimplify such behavior....

Beyond searching for mechanistics explanations in simple creatures like fruit flies—who rely on smell to recognize each other, and aren’t very good at it—biologists have focused on homosexuality as a paradox.....They’ve tended to explain homosexuality as an adaptation that serves to strengthen social bonds, reduce sexual competition and refine mating technique. "

Examples:

• Male dung flies are believed to mate with other males simply to occupy their time. I know guys, and girls, like that.
• Small male Goodeid fishes camouflage themselves as female, and mate with females while males pursue them. I know guys like that, too.
• Fruit flies seem to do better at heterosexual mating once they’ve had some same-sex practice. Well, then, I guess we know what that means.
• Laysan albatross, where monogamy is common but females outnumber males, nearly one-third of all couples are female-female pairs. They’re better at rearing chicks than single females, and their coupling reduces the likelihood of single females luring married men from the nest. So much for that whole children need a mother and a father nonsense.

"That’s also one possible consequence, albeit unmentioned in this study, for human homosexuality. Perhaps communities in which some non-reproducing, same-sex-preferring members devoted their energies to caring for unrelated individuals have historically been

healthier than those in which heterosexuality was absolute."

Just sayin'.