In artist and environmentalist Perrin Ireland’s delightful new graphic nonfiction book, Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex, human conceptions of sex, gender, and sexuality are wonderfully complicated by the myriad examples of queerness and sexual fluidity within the animal kingdom—from seahorse fathers to lesbian Laysan albatross couples to clownfish born with the ability to change sex.
Amid the rampant attacks on queer and trans communities by the current presidential administration, Ireland’s book serves as a creative yet scientifically grounded tribute to the rich diversity that has always defined the natural world.
Below, in honor of Pride, is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Poking the Squid, titled “Queering Fatherhood.”
