Frans may or may not have remembered me. I interviewed him for my podcast and exchanged a few emails over the years. But I looked up to him as a man who broke rank with the boy’s club in his scientific community by pointing out that bonobos are matriarchal. He pissed off a lot of male scientists when he did that. It was an entirely feminist thing to do, whether he realized it or not.
And thanks to him, entire communities adopted an animal (bonobos) that wasn’t violent and male dominated and it became something of a mascot for their way of life (polyamorous and sex positive communities). I promoted a lot of his findings in my articles, presentations and workshops. The scientific data he unearthed gave me hope and made living on this damned planet more tolerable.
Capuchin monkeys with a sense of fairness. Bonobos who enjoy sex with same sex partners. Sex as a way to solve conflict across tribal populations. These were revolutionary scientific findings and they seemed to suggest that some of the human movements with similar agendas might be a return to our genetic birthright or at least possible as a sustainable way of life for humans.
Frans gave us a window into morality that was NOT defined by religion. A morality that is innate to many sentient beings. And a sense of fairness that challenged prevailing dogma around animal consciousness. He had a lot of empathy and an equal measure of courage to challenge the status quo. He was more of a rebel than he probably envisioned himself. And I am deeply grateful for his research and his vision for a kinder world for all of us, regardless of hair follicles.
Thank you Frans.