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After Much Debate, Denmark to Ban Bestiality

October 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

In response to an onslaught of negative press, Denmark is outlawing bestiality on the grounds that animals cannot consent to sex. Denmark is the last European country where sex with animals is legal, which explains why busloads of tourists from other countries travel there to engage in legal bestiality.

Animal rights activists have been lobbying for a ban for years, but authorities resisted due to fears that it could drive the worst offenders underground. Lawmakers also rejected the idea in the past because Denmark’s ethics advisory body said that a crime is not committed if the animal isn’t injured. That argument, however, was diminished by evidence of atrocities against animals used in the sex trade.

ban_bestiality

The 2014 documentary Animal F*ckers, which chronicles the efforts of animal rights activists to ban sex with animals, presented a nuanced view of the practice, informing viewers that zoophilia (attraction to animals) is, for some, a sexual orientation, not a fetish, and that “zoophiles” love and care for their animal companions.

In the film, Oliver Burdinski, a German man who speaks openly about his sexual relationship with his dog, says, “When I was 14 or 15, I wasn’t sure if it was right, so I tried to get human partners. But I was not happy with them. I tried to be normal. In 1994, I got internet and realized that I’m not alone.”

Oliver Burdinski says his huskie decides when they have sex.

Oliver Burdinski says his Siberian Husky decides when they have sex. (photo: Vice.com)

Opinion

If Denmark outlaws bestiality on the grounds that the animals cannot consent, then will lawmakers take a closer look at other circumstances in which animals are exploited without their consent? Gestation crates on factory farms have been banned in other European countries, yet they’re still legal in Denmark. What pig would willingly reside in an indoor crate that is so small that she can’t turn around or lie down?


Filed under: Companion Animals, Victories
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A Nuanced Look at “Zoophilia”

August 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

A new documentary film about efforts by animal rights activists to ban beastiality (zoophilia) in Denmark shines a spotlight on the one “zoophile,” Oliver Burdinski, who was willing to speak on camera. In an in depth interview, Mr. Burdinski argues that animals can consent through physical cues and that he, not his dog, is the passive partner. The opposite, he says, would be cruel.

Mr. Burdinski speaks very candidly about his experience: “When I was 14 or 15, I wasn’t sure if it was right, so I tried to get human partners. But I was not happy with them. I tried to be normal. In 1994, I got internet and realized that I’m not alone.”

The video below is the in-depth interview. To see the new documentary, which is very interesting, click the link at the top of the story.

Opinion

Mr. Burdinski says he did not choose to be a zoophile; he insists that it’s his sexual orientation. He reminds me of a childhood neighbor who is now in prison for pedophilia. His parents told me his addiction to “touching boys” was kept in check by high doses of an antidepressant, but, when he reduced his dose due to side effects, the urges came back. I don’t know if he has OCD or if his sexual orientation is pedophilia. Either way, he is a very nice guy born with a very big problem. Sad for him. Sad for his victims.

Unlike my childhood neighbor, who has not spoken publicly about his struggles, Mr. Burdinski is very brave to be the public face of zoophilia and to educate the public about the issue. Even though a ban on zoophilia cannot be enforced in peoples’ homes, I do think it should be outlawed in order to end animal sex tourism in Denmark. I can’t believe that even exists! Then again, Denmark is home to one of the cruelest events on earth – “The Grind” – during which 800 pilot whales are rounded up and brutally slaughtered each year in the Faroe Islands.


Filed under: Companion Animals
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