Out Spotlight LXXI

Today's Out Spotlight is Joan Roughgarden. Born Jonathan Roughgarden in Paterson, New Jersey, March 13, 1946 Roughgarden is an evolutionary ecologist whose work over the last 30 years on evolutionary adaptations to changing environments and community ecology theory has been at the forefront of the field.

Roughgarden received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from University of Rochester in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University in 1971. She is the author of 5 books and over 120 articles.

She has been on faculty at Stanford University since 1972. She founded and directed the Earth Systems Program at Stanford and has received awards for service to undergraduate education.

She used mathematical and computational techniques as well as field studies of Caribbean Anolis lizards and barnacles to address issues ranging from the evolution of sex to territorial negotiation to ecosystem reserve design.

After building a successful career as Jonathan, Roughgarden then 52, decided to transition into a transgendered woman. Since then, she has become increasingly interested in biological diversity in gender and sexuality, and wrote a book on the subject entitled Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender and Sexuality in Nature and People.

In the book she puts forth the controversial proposal that Darwin's theory of sexual selection is outdated and can only offer insight into a few unrepresentative cases. tt is a proposed correction to Darwin's explanation of the mechanism of selection. Roughgarden rejects Darwin's sexual selection theory based on instances in which animals do not follow traditional sex roles where the male attempts to impress the female, and the female chooses her mate.

The book contains a literature survey on unexpected sexual behavior in many species of animals: homosexual behavior; several genders and two sexes in a species (in which a gender that never participates directly in reproduction still participates indirectly, thus affecting natural selection.) She argues that it should be replaced by a theory of "social selection", in which gender roles and sexuality can be seen as adaptations which facilitate cooperation in complex societies.

The theory received criticism in the pages of the journal Science. Forty scientists produced ten critical letters; one claiming that the paper was "completely shoddy science and poor scholarship." However, Roughgarden, quoted as being "not altogether surprised" by the volume of dissent, argued that her team had replied to most of the criticisms.

Roughgarden is also a Christian who has written on the relationship between Christianity and science . In her book Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist, she reinterprets scripture passages commonly used to oppose evolution to emphasize her belief that the Bible does not conflict with evolutionary biology. The book further relates Christianity and evolution by saying that all life is interconnected, as members of a faith community are connected. Roughgarden opposes the theories of creationism and intelligent design but asserts her belief in God's involvement in evolution.

Roughgarden's current research links ecology with economic theory.


Stanford Alumni Magazine: On the Originality of Species

SEED Magazine: The Gay Animal Kingdom

Queerty: A Queerty Menagerie of Gay Animals

Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender and Sexuality in Nature and People

Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist