Cockroaches show bisexual tendencies among males
Now, some people would say that bisexuals can't be good parents, and bisexuals certainly can't be good dads. Well, this Father's Day not only will our two boys be giving my partner a father's day present, but also to me (their uncle).
We're good bisexual dads. And those "some people" (some of you reading this column, too), will say that bisexuals as dads is "unnatural."
Now, I want to prove you wrong. Plenty of animals are shown to have bisexual tendencies in the animal kingdom, but most recently, a study shows that cockroaches, yes, COCKROACHES, are ideal bisexual fathers!
This whole thing is kind of funny because I was quoted in a recent documentary, "Bi the Way" as a cultural commentator (along with Michael Musto), as saying that bisexuals are like cockroaches and will always survive and be around on the planet. That's before I found about this:
"In a lab test, some 20 percent of male giant hissing roaches went romantic when they met another male, says David Logue of the University of Lethbridge in Canada. Males can’t actually mate, but flirtatious Gromphadorhina portentosa males, some outweighing a mouse, hissed gently and made the thrusting gestures of courtship among male roachkind.
Same-sex courters had no objection to females and, given a chance, courted them with unusual ardor. These linked tendencies, flirting with males and wowing females, define a behavioral syndrome, Logue said at the Animal Behavior Society meeting held in Snowbird, Utah, this week. That link, he speculated, may end up explaining the evolutionary puzzle of male flirtation among roaches."
The study shows that cockroaches can be heterosexual, of course, but that they still interested in same-sex liaisons, and that they have incredible parenting skills.
And, in fact, broods of baby roaches tended to be larger if the dad had shown a taste for courting other males. Prof. So, could that be extrapolated to mean that human bisexuals may grow happier, healthier kids?
Now, some people may use this information to compare bisexuals to cockroaches (sort of like I did unintentionally in "Bi the Way"), but others may see this as another exampe of how we all can learn from each other all sorts of things—even from cockroaches, and bisexuals.
* The bisexual cockroach study.
* Bi things across the country to do.
Comments
So humans should feel good about bisexuality because one of the lowest,filthiest forms of life on the planet show the same tendancies?
Right on!
No human in their right mind would compare themselves to a disgusting bug. You can't be serious. Gross. Sick. Disgusting.
As you continue to compare yourself to lower life species, I can assure you, you will never be taken seriously. Absolutely, positively sickening.
Actually, Mike understates it. Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom, a study which came out 7/10/08 in Scientific American, shows that virtually every single animal species, from, yes, insects on up, is bisexual. Bisexuality IS the natural order and the way of nature. The authors conclude that the ideas of "gay" and "straight" were created by humans - they are not found in nature. If you wish to read about it in greater detail, you can read the book "Biological Exuberance" which very specifically describes bisexuality in 450 different animal species, including ones we traditionally consider far more "noble" than the cockroach.
You ready for some approval yet? ;-) Longtime lurker, first-time commenter...
I linked to this at my blog last night, at the tail end of a *very* depressing post. This was a bright spot in my day. I'm going to tell my good friend who's a bi dad about this, as soon as he gets over the fact that his Detroit Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup. :-) Roaches are survivors, just like bi people, and they flourish even when people try to eradicate them. Not such a horrid role .
And the kids know the truth. They do. It's amazing how easily kids get things that s will themselves to misunderstand. It's not you that traumatizes them, it's people like the posters above telling them how awful they and their parents are.
Happy Father's Day!
Apologies for the comment below being less than perfectly coherent. Bi women make good babysitters, too. I was babysitting a little girl this afternoon and let her go online with heavy filtering, so heavy it won't let the user post certain words. Like "model" or "adult," apparently. And I forgot to turn it off! *blushes*
I hope you get more support soon. Love that there is a dedicated Bisexuality examiner here, and love how you approach the task.
Bisexuality is not the natural order of things only a fantasy -- just like porn. Trying to say the bi way is really how most people are (yeah, right!) is like turning an apple into an orange. Won't work. Not reading your yucky recommended books either. Anyone who compares themselves to nasty insects are gross themselves, unless you think you're one. If you're trying to be funny, sorry it's not working because I find the comparison to bugs absolutely tasteless.
Mike can use the bi label a thousand times but if you do your research, one should clearly see he's really into men. Why doesn't anyone else see this? What he needs is to stop feeling sorry for himself and go find some self-esteem for a change. He has accomplished more than many people. Maybe he should focus on that instead of himself and his labels. People aren't trying to eradicate bi people. We just sick of hearing them talk about their orientation like a broken record. Everything is bi bi bi and if he continues people will really be saying 'bye'. You know, the meaning of life is not in your pants.
Why don't people just say 'women make good babysitters.' Why the bi label? What does sexual orientation have to do with a task? Only a minority orientation does this. The bi-labeling is too much. Can people for once write an article without using labels??? Probably too much of a challenge but something to ponder.
Blue Jay, when a person requests that a member of a minority group "stop using labels," that is basically tantamount to saying "shut up, I don't want to hear it." But part of you does, since you're here. What does it matter to you what Mike "really" is or likes? It only matters if you are him or are sleeping with him.
Personally, I don't think most people are bi. The world would be a very different place if they were. We wouldn't need this site, and it would be perfectly normal for me to, say, have my wife pick me up for lunch and stare at the UPS guy at my work. But it's not. That doesn't mean bisexuality or any other minority trait is good or bad. It just means we need to find and support each other when we can. You and other commenters are the very reason why this site is needed--can you see that?
Oh, and I did tell my friend about the roach thing today. He laughed. We kidded that we'd feel bad about using bug spray now--for a second!
Approval comes first, from within -- not externally. Once you accept yourself you will gain more respect and acceptance than you ever imagined / dreamed possible. Think of the people that are less off than you are. Once you do that you will feel really lucky. And this has nothing to do w/ labels.
Biology 101: when a man and woman have sexual intercourse a child is born and has a mom and dad. Most people are not gay and don't have their sister conceive with their partner! You had a mom and dad yet you choose to bring up a child in an uncle/father arrangement -- totally not a natural arrangement. Never will be. Is that fair??? Not saying you're a bad person. I'm just saying that arrangment is FAR from natural. I find this type of sarrogacy donation scenario unethical. You shouldn't be playing around with others' eggs even if a family member. You had the proper equipment, failed to hook w/ the appropriate gender to produce kids of your own, that look just like you, and that can carry on your name and legacy. Well, you have to live w/ it -- each and every day. And if ppl don't like my comment, tough, because I don't care. You should be in the guinness book of world records for the number of times you use 'bisexual' as an adjective in everything you comment on.
C'mon people, it's only an article with a nice touch. Interesting read by the way!
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