Bruce Bagemihl is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, and author of the book ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity''.

Life and career

He completed his BA at the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

in 1981, and served on the faculty of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

, where he taught linguistics and cognitive science. He earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from UBC in 1988, with a dissertation entitled ''Alternate phonologies and morphologies''. ''Biological Exuberance'' cites numerous studies on more than 450 species (see

List of animals displaying homosexual behavior For these animals, there is documented evidence of homosexual behavior of one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book ''Biological Exube ...

) showing that homosexual and bisexual behaviors are common among animals and proposes a theory of sexual behavior in which reproduction is only one of its principal biological functions. Bagemihl proposes that group cohesion and lessening of tensions, seen for example among bonobos, are other important functions of sexual behavior. He also argues that the implications for humans of homosexual behaviour across the animal kingdom are "enormous." His book on homosexuality in animals was cited by the

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 37,000 members are involv ...

and other groups in their ''

amici curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

'' brief to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

in ''

Lawrence v. Texas ''Lawrence v. Texas'', 539 U.S. 558 (2003), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that most sanctions of criminal punishment for consensual, adult non- procreative sexual activity (commonly referred to as so ...

'', the case which ultimately struck down sodomy laws across the United States. The book formed the basis for the museum exhibition

Against Nature? Against Nature? was an exhibition on homosexuality in animals made by the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo, Norway. The exhibition focused on the occurrence and function of homosexuality in animals. It ran from September 2006 to Augu ...

. He has also published several essays and scientific articles on issues related to language, biology, gender, and sexuality.

Selected publications

* Bruce Bagemihl. 1988. The morphology and phonology of Katajjait (Inuit throat games). ''Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique'' 33(1), 1-58. * Bruce Bagemihl. 1999. ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity.'' St. Martin’s Press. * Bruce Bagemihl. 2001. Animals Do Do It. ''Alternatives Journal'' 27(3), 36.

References

External links

NewScientist "Queer Creatures" 07 August 1999Article about Bagemihl's work in the German weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” (in German)
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Sexual orientation and science University of British Columbia faculty Canadian biologists Linguists from Canada LGBT scientists from Canada Canadian gay writers Linguists of Salishan languages 21st-century LGBT people {{Canada-academic-bio-stub