When God felt the earth was corrupt, He told Noah to build an ark. In the ark, Noah would take his family.And a male and female of every creature on Earth — and Noah thought he had. But he was mistaken.Slithering off the boat after the waters receded were 27 species of lizards, void of males – procreating of their own accord.This was possible through an asexual form of reproduction called parthenogenesis.Parthenogenesis allows a female to lay unfertilized eggs that will hatch as exact genetic replicas of the mother. These “virgin creations,” or parthenogens, are found among higher organisms including fish, amphibians and reptiles.But these lizards are special — 4 of the 27 parthenogenetic lizard species engage in homosexual intercourse. That’s right, “lesbian sex.”In the lesbianistic encounter, an active female mounts a passive one and strokes her partner’s back, neck and “privates” with her tail. The interesting part of these lesbian sexual encounters is what determines which female will be the pitcher and catcher.Researchers found the active female role-playing as the male will always have underdeveloped eggs while the passive female’s eggs will be pre-ovulatory and ready to be laid.These roles may reverse as the female’s egg cycle progresses. A female can take on the reverse role of her previous encounter depending on her eggs’ maturity.Researchers don’t know if the mock male-female sex functions to better facilitate reproduction. But whether it does or not, the eggs will hatch normally with or without it.This form of reproduction shouldn’t be confused with hermaphroditism — a condition where both the eggs and sperm can be produced by the same organism, like in flowers.Many lower organisms such as plants and insects reproduce in an asexual fashion. If asexual reproduction is natural for lower organisms, it shouldn’t be strange for it to present itself in higher organisms like lizards.
There are two reasonable explanations for this phenomenon: evolution or God.
Assuming God made all creatures, this reproduction form cannot result from evolution.
This would mean God meant for these lizards to be homosexual.
The assumption would be contrary to popular religious belief. But it would explain why all gays and lesbians haven’t been smited by some divine power.
Maybe God did make homosexuals. Maybe by creating different sexual orientations, races and cultures, He tests the world’s kindness toward others — the core of the golden rule.
But if God opposes homosexuality, there must be other powers at work.
Most would expect these lizards had male representatives at one point in history. Either the devil is creating sexual mayhem, or evolution is taking place.
Evolution would allow the females to keep reproducing after the death of the last male.
But this doesn’t answer how a female of any species can lay a virgin egg without females of its species doing so before.
Maybe they have and didn’t know it. The quality would only become important when the last male of the species dies, so nobody would notice.
Maybe in the future, human females will be able to give birth to a genetically identical twin.
Lesbians of the human kind could also rejoice in having children without the use of a sperm donor.
Believe what you may. But the fact that there are homosexual organisms other than humans can be a window into the nature of homosexuality.
Noah may have made the mistake, but God saw it was good and showed his rainbow pride.Isabel Blum is a 20-year-old communication disorders junior from New Orleans.—-Contact Isabel Blum at [email protected]