Attenborough 'ignoring gay animals'

British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has been accused of ignoring gay animals in his BBC documentaries. Source: Supplied

AN ACADEMIC has accused Sir David Attenborough of failing to cover homosexuality in his famous BBC nature documentaries.

Dr Brett Mills, head of media studies at the University of East Anglia, said that while he doubted Sir David was deliberately ignoring the issues, homosexuality is "pretty much everywhere" in the animal world.

He said that by ignoring or sidelining the issue, wildlife documentary makers are skewing the audience's view of what is natural.

Dr Mills – who has previously criticised such documentaries for invading animals' rights to privacy – said: "These programmes make a valuable contribution to environmental awareness and how people think about the world around them. They are highly regarded and educational but they should also be offering alternative interpretations of animal behaviour.

"The central role in documentary stories of pairing, mating and raising offspring commonly rests on assumptions of heterosexuality within the animal kingdom.

"This is despite a wealth of scientific evidence which demonstrates that many non-human species have complex and changeable forms of sexual activity, with heterosexuality only one of the many possible options."

Dr Mills's criticisms come after watching hours of Sir David's documentaries, spanning two decades.

In one example from 2003's The Life Of Mammals, two male chimps are shown embracing. The narrator describes it as an act of friendly affection – but Dr Mills says alternative explanations should also be given.

In The Life Of Birds in 1998, viewers were treated to male sandpipers circling one another in an "aggressive" manner. Again, Dr Mills suggests another interpretation should have been addressed by the programme.

The academic also complains that Sir David's programmes place too much emphasis on traditional family values and monogamy while ignoring promiscuity and single parenting, which are also rife among many animals.

He highlighted footage of emperor penguins from 1993 that suggests "family is an essential unit for the success of the offspring". Similarly, the description of blue manakins, South American birds which have multiple mates, as "neglectful of their parental duties" feeds the idea that one type of family is better than others, it is claimed.

The researcher chose Sir David's documentaries to illustrate his point because of the "perceived authority and reverence" lent to them by the veteran broadcaster – but he stressed that other wildlife documentaries are just as guilty.

Dr Mills, who airs his arguments in the European Journal of Clinical Studies, said: "The research now suggests that [homosexual] behaviour can be found in pretty much every species to different extents.

"Anywhere people have actually looked, it will be found."

The BBC did not respond to requests for comment.

THE "CHARGES" AGAINST SIR DAVID

The Scene: Male chimps in Uganda hug in The Life of Mammals, BBC1, 2003.

The voiceover: "After a quarrel they embrace one another to re-establish their bonds of friendship."

Dr Mills: This ignores alternative interpretations, despite ample evidence of primate homosexuality.

The Scene: Male Buff-breasted sandpipers circle each other with one raising its rear in The Life of Birds, BBC1, 1998.

The voiceover: "Competing for mates all too often leads to sexual violence."

Dr Mills: One male could be mounting the other, yet the birds are assumed to be trying to court females.

The Scene: A male and female emperor penguin share the care of an egg and chick in Life in the Freezer, BBC1, 1993.

The Voiceover: "The female is eager to take charge of the chick but the male, having cared for it for so long, is reluctant to give it up."

Dr Mills: Draws on ideas of the family in which a heterosexual couple do all they can to protect their offspring. We are not given a wider view of the range of ways in which young are raised.
 

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