come on, IL

Illinois English teacher suspended for assigning his students an article from Seed Magazine -- "The Gay Animal Kingdom," which describes homosexuality in animal species. The problem (besides just the fact that it's downstate Illinois), is that the article starts out really... sexy:

Male big horn sheep live in what are often called “homosexual societies.” They bond through genital licking and anal intercourse, which often ends in ejaculation. If a male sheep chooses to not have gay sex, it becomes a social outcast. Ironically, scientists call such straight-laced males “effeminate.”

Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, gray whales, and West Indian manatees. Japanese macaques, on the other hand, are ardent lesbians; the females enthusiastically mount each other. Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours. Male bonobos engage in “penis fencing,” which leads, surprisingly enough, to ejaculation. They also give each other genital massages.

So some parents freaked, and he is now suspended (with pay). Article on the story from Psychology Today has some good summaries of the state of play regarding homo- and heterosexuality. Apparently this teacher is straight, but very into showing his students how heteronormativity works. Can't have that!