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In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science-and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Witty, playful, and daring, this book will revolutionize our understanding of sexuality. Roughgarden argues that principal elements of Darwinian sexual selection theory are false and suggests a new theory that emphasizes social inclusion and control of access to resources and mating opportunity. She disputes a range of scientific and medical concepts, including Wilson's genetic determinism of behavior, evolutionary psychology, the existence of a gay gene, the role of parenting in determining gender identity, and Dawkins's "selfish gene" as the driver of natural selection. She dares social science to respect the agency and rationality of diverse people; shows that many cultures across the world and throughout history accommodate people we label today as lesbian, gay, and transgendered; and calls on the Christian religion to acknowledge the Bible's many passages endorsing diversity in gender and sexuality. Evolution's Rainbow concludes with bold recommendations for improving education in biology, psychology, and medicine; for democratizing genetic engineering and medical practice; and for building a public monument to affirm diversity as one of our nation's defining principles.

Biodiversity. --- Sexual behavior in animals. --- Gender identity. --- Sexual orientation. --- Biological diversification --- Biological diversity --- Biotic diversity --- Diversification, Biological --- Diversity, Biological --- Biology --- Biocomplexity --- Ecological heterogeneity --- Numbers of species --- Orientation, Sexual --- Sexual preference --- Sex (Psychology) --- Sexual reorientation programs --- Sex identity (Gender identity) --- Sexual identity (Gender identity) --- Identity (Psychology) --- Queer theory --- Animals --- Breeding behavior --- Copulation behavior in animals --- Copulation in animals --- Copulatory behavior in animals --- Copulatory pattern (Animal behavior) --- Mating behavior --- Reproductive behavior --- Sex behavior in animals --- Animal behavior --- Sexual behavior --- Gender nonconformity. --- Sex role --- Sexual selection. --- Sexual selection --- Sex role. --- Gender Identity. --- Sexual Behavior. --- Premarital Sex Behavior --- Sex Behavior --- Sex Orientation --- Sexual Activities --- Anal Sex --- Oral Sex --- Sexual Activity --- Sexual Orientation --- Activities, Sexual --- Activity, Sexual --- Behavior, Premarital Sex --- Behavior, Sex --- Behavior, Sexual --- Sex, Anal --- Sex, Oral --- Sex --- Reproductive Behavior --- Gender --- Gender Identities --- Identity, Gender --- Transgender Persons --- Biological Diversity --- Gender dysphoria --- Conversion therapy --- animals. --- bible. --- biology. --- body and behavior. --- creatures. --- darwinian sexual selection. --- diversity. --- evolutionary biology. --- evolutionary psychology. --- feminist theory. --- gay gene. --- gender and sexuality. --- gender identity. --- gender studies. --- genes and hormones. --- humans. --- individuality. --- mating opportunities. --- medical establishment. --- natural selection. --- religion. --- scientists. --- selfish gene. --- sex gender and sexuality. --- sexual orientation. --- social inclusion. --- social science. --- theoretical. --- transgender criticism. --- wilsons genetic determinism of behavior.