ABSTRACT
Few areas of human life are as socially shaped as sexuality, although few are as often discussed as if they were biologically determined. Popular discourse is full of comments which assume certain forms of “natural” sexuality: men are assumed to be “naturally” promiscuous, women to be “naturally” monogamous; sexual attraction is attributed to “body chemistry”; homosexuality is condemned by traditional moralists as “unnatural” or justified by reference to the fact that it can be found in many animal species. Even though one can find evidence of almost any possible pattern of sexual behavior in some animal species, the temptation to anthropomorphism remains strong, and otherwise sensible people who would not, presumably, dismiss clothing or French cuisine on the ground that “animals don't do it” nonetheless use such arguments when it comes to sexuality.
