…and the story of the gay seagulls
led by Tom Molloy, Jen Dooley, Alan Schimpff, Jeff Bates
Photo above: The landing at Scorpion Cove on Santa Cruz Island
Story by Tom Molloy
The Santa Cruz Island trip began with fine weather. A perfect calm marine layer ensured a smooth crossing to the island. We had 12 participants and 4 leaders and we split into a moderately difficult hike and an easy hike. Participants came from several other Sierra Club chapters and we even had a college intern visiting from Ohio. Highlights of the trip included learning about how lesbian seagulls on the islands (Anacapa Island to be exact) changed the gay rights movement in the 1970s. (He said what?!!)
We learned that we need at least one more hour next time because the ranger talk given upon arrival on the island is now at least 30 minutes longer than it used to be, and we needed to stop for potty break upon arrival as the leaders forgot to remind everyone to use the facilities on the boat to avoid that extra 20-minute bathroom line on shore.
We experienced that once you leave the shoreline that time of year on the islands the temperature rises dramatically as the participants who did the longer hike to the top of El Montañon were reminded of. Luckily the write up warned of this possibility, so although very hot, it wasn’t surprising.
Despite heat challenges the participants of the more difficult 9-mile hike to El Montañon got back with almost an hour to spare to boat departure time. Most opted to have lunch on the ridge top, then go the extra half mile to the actual top. Thus, only two of us made it to the actual top, but nobody seemed to care given the high heat we were experiencing. Those that did the easier 5-mile hike to Potato Harbor got back a couple hours before departure and had time to relax around the beautiful bay and campground where we could also see the island fox.
Most of us assembled for the optional dinner at the Mexican restaurant in Ventura harbor, walking distance from the boat. They got us seating in about 20 minutes. (And separate checks no problem!)
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Now, most importantly, back to those lesbian Seagulls on Anacapa that changed the gay rights movement.
UC Irvine researchers George and Molly Hunt were working on Anacapa Island, just east of Santa Cruz Island, studying bird behavior and ecology. One day in 1972, Molly noticed that one of the nests on the island was being built by two female seagulls. Not only that, the two seagulls were also raising a chick together! At that time, most people believed that homosexuality only existed in humans fueling one of the arguments extensively used by anti-gay rights groups and most religious people that homosexuality was unnatural, thus it must be evil and against God’s will. In 1977, they published their research “Science and the Gay Gull” (LA Times, Provincetown Independent). As we see today with scientists that research manmade climate change, the couple was quickly met with huge amounts of backlash. If accepted, this discovery could overturn the belief held by many religious people that homosexuality was unnatural. Some people questioned their credibility as scientists, believing that they were using their research to promote a political agenda. Even Congress during a 1978 hearing, threatened to cut funding for the National Science Foundation if they kept supporting research into these seagulls.
The chicks raised by lesbian parents behaved no differently than those raised by other seagulls. The seagull community on the island seemed to accept these lesbian couples. There were no hostile behaviors toward them. Even the male surrogates who fertilized the eggs were not bothered by the lesbian seagulls. Their research stopped in the 1980s when the effects of DDT decimated the seagull population.
Homosexuality has since been reported in hundreds of species ranging from reptile to bird to mammal. From an evolutionary perspective, the “kin selection theory” proposes that even though homosexual animals themselves cannot have their own kids, they usually help to raise offspring from their relatives, which increases the overall survival rate of the family.
And how did it change the gay rights movement? Finally, the religious contentions of “unnaturalness” could be combatted scientifically.
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A good time appeared to be had by all on our Santa Cruz Hikes and after hike dinner! Next time, we’ll take the later boat home to give ourselves at least an hour more time.
