Article: “Homosexual Activity Among Animals Stirs Debate.” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2004/07/homosexual-animals-debate/
There is a large body of scientific research discussed in this National Geographic article about homosexuality behavior among animals. While this animal behavior is well-documented in the scientific community, some people interpret it in different ways.
Supporters of LGBT rights may use the research to support their views that if homosexual activity is fairly common in the animal world, then it supports the argument that LGBT people should not be discriminated against and should the exact same rights as everyone else. Some types of social conservatives may not accept the validity of the research or may argue that animal behavior should not be equated with human behavior.
May 2021 TOK essay Prescribed Title #6 essays focus on the positive and negative roles that bias play in the pursuit of knowledge. This RLE (and the larger debate about homosexuality) definitely have numerous areas of bias. Consider the following:
- How the scientific method deals with bias
- Biases in animal research
- The role bias plays in specific research projects discussed in this article
- What kind of role bias plays in the writers and readers of the National Geographic article
- How different perspectives (e.g. liberal / conservative) view issues of bias in this article and in other LGBT-related RLEs