the bartender says, "we don't serve your kind here."

Whoa whoa whoa whoa.

I wouldn't turn a lion away. That's discrimination!

He's not lying.

Howdy friends! Trace here for D News with a special guest Natalia Reagan.

She is an anthropologist, and a primatologist, and she's awesome.

Hey guys!

There's currently a great debate raging across the United States about a law in Indiana which allegedly allows businesses to discriminate based on religious freedoms.

Ironically called The Religious Freedom Act.

Sparking outrage from the LGBT community as they are clear targets of this legislation.

Discrimination and prejudice has evolutionary roots. But then again, so does homosexuality.

Research done in the 90's and early 2000's look at sheeps' sexual orientation.

As they are some of the gayest animals in the animal kingdom.

As many in one in ten rams can be gay and will live exclusively gay lives with only male partners even with fertile females around.

The researchers believe they found a biological underpinning for homosexuality by studying these rams' hypothalamuses.

Gay ram's hypothalami maybe was biologically different than straight ram's.

Bah bah. They were born this way.

You know it.

It's not just sheep. More than 450 vertebrates and more than 1500 species overall engage in homosexual acts of plenty,

illustrating that homosexuality isn't against nature.

It's completely part of nature.

Beetles, birds, bonobos, bats,

dolphins, orangutans, macaques, and penguins.

Dragonflies, albatrosses, dogs and cats, even lions all exhibit homosexual behavior.

Yep. That mighty king of the jungle ain't afraid to engage in a little spooning, sporking, and even forking of the same sex.

But why? Why would nature evolve something that seems counter to evolution?

Right? If the origin of species is correct, and we're all here to achieve reproductive success allowing us to spread our genes far and wide,

then why would organisms evolve not to do that?

Science is still working on it.

There are a number of theories though.

Female Japanese macaques were observed mounting each other even when suitable males were around.

And they hypothesize it may be a way to climb the social ladder.

By becoming a dominant female in a social group and thus, gaining influence and resources.

Though other researchers claim that homosexual behavior could come down as something as simple as seeking pleasure.

These animals are just doing what feels good.

Research with giraffes found one in twenty would be necking with a member of the same sex at any given moment.

While bonobos and dolphins are generally bisexual.

But will go through phases of exclusive homosexual activity.

They gotta give it the old college try right?

But it's not just for show.

Some animals sustain lifelong homosexual relationships, like penguins.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota found permanently pair bonded female-female couples raised chicks and nearly as well as female-male couples.

Not quite as well, but better than a single female penguin would have done.

This indicates to those researchers that homosexual pair bonds may have evolved as a way to better raise young.

They can even raise chicks that were fertilized by a dominant male that was separated from the pair bond without having to pair bond with that male.

Benefits all around.

Totally. Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins that once lived in the central park zoo had a long term love affair that included an adoption of a chick.

The two remained together for 6 six years until Silo found his eyes were wandering to a newly introduced female named Scrappy.

So just because Roy shtupped Silo yesterday doesn't mean he can't get down with Scrappy today too. Right?

Right? Yeah! If these animals can teach us something it's that sexuality is not static or fixed, but fluid and flexible.

Obviously, ya'll are gonna have comments about this.

So go down into the comments section and leave them there.

You can also subscribe for for D News and Natalia, where can they find you if they wanna learn more?

They can actually find me on Youtube. I have a Youtube channel Natalia13Reagan.

Please subscribe and see some fun science comedy videos.

Thanks for watching everybody.