Speaker: Michelle Rodrigues, Assistant Professor of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University

In primatology, research on sexual behavior between individuals of the same sex are often classified based on social functions. As a result, they are euphemistically reported as “greetings” or “reassurance.” One exception to this is in bonobos, which get a lot of attention for their frequent and varied sexual behaviors. These classifications are often related to historical biases and prevent comparative research between our closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos. Additionally, evolutionary research is often framed around a concept known as “Darwin’s paradox,” which aims to justify these behaviors by linking them to reproductive success.

In this talk, Michelle Rodrigues will explain how this framing limits understanding of these behaviors, and why comparisons to human sexuality are often misleading. She will further explore the expanding research on understanding same-sex sexuality across primates, and how these behaviors can help us learn about the evolution of social complexity.