Hello friends! Just a couple quick announcements: an event in Philly this week and the launch of The Sexual Evolution in the UK.

But first, if you are a gay man, I want to recommend the Dads and Daddies podcast, which focuses on “The lives and times of adult gay men in the here and now.” It’s two really great guys having intelligent and witty conversations. I was a guest on the podcast last week, and it’s definitely worth checking out, particularly if you are a gay man struggling to find your way in these crazy times. Give it a listen!

This Thursday (29-May) In Philadelphia, I will be joined by Agustín Fuentes and Mallika S. Sarma for a discussion entitled: Beyond the Binaries: The New Science of Sex and Gender. This is the 2025 Westbrook Lecture, an endowed annual event at the Wagner Free Institute. Some of you may remember that I delivered the 2023 Westbrook Lecture, so it is a great honor to be back!

This year, there will be three of us in conversation about the biology of sex and gender. You can read a longer description here. This event is free, but space-limited, so if you plan to attend, please register and get a ticket. And here is a short description of what we will discuss:

Beyond the Binaries: The New Science of Sex and Gender

Recent executive orders in the United States and Supreme Court decisions in the United Kingdom have claimed a scientific consensus regarding the binary nature of sex and gender. But is that what the science actually shows? Far from affirming a simple binary, the past two decades of sex and gender research, in both humans and other animals, has revealed a striking amount of diversity, adaptability, and creativity in the approach to sexed bodies and gendered behaviors. 

Biologists have long understood that variation and diversity are the hallmark of life. In fact, the entire reason that sexual reproduction is favored among plants and animals is its tendency to constantly generate and spread variation, leading to a population with a wide diversity of traits. More recently, biologists and anthropologists have begun to appreciate and describe the diversity of sex itself. Among animals, there are varied approaches to sex determination and biological sex is not always immutable. Similarly, many, perhaps most animals have multiple modes within the sexes leading to diversity, competition, and cooperation of various sexed forms. Reproductive behaviors and approaches to mating are always widely varied, leading to a rich tapestry of sexual diversity. 

Human beings are no exception. In our modern society, diverse sexualities, gender expressions, and relationship structures are challenging what is considered traditional gender roles and identities and the cherished ideal of the nuclear family. However, historical and anthropological research reveals that such narrow conventions are surprisingly recent and specific to the currently dominant culture. Global and historical surveys reveal that diverse human societies and periods have exhibited myriad approaches to sex, gender, and family structures. Sex and gender diversity flourish in our species as well. 

On May 2, at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, Professor Mallika Sarma (U. Penn) will lead a discussion with evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes (Princeton) and biologist Nathan H. Lents (CUNY) about the nature, origin, and purpose of sex and gender diversity in humans and other animals. In his new book, The Sexual Evolution, Lents takes readers on a tour through sexual diversity throughout the animal kingdom and explores its many benefits for robust and resilient populations. And Fuentes, in his new book, Sex is a Spectrum, demolishes the notion that biological sex is a simple binary reduced to eggs and sperm. In what is sure to be a penetrating, surprising, and lively discussion, these three prominent scientists explore the new science of sex and gender. 

Next week, my book comes out in the UK, and the first review is out! The Times called the book an “entertaining romp through the natural history of romping.” 🙂

I am so excited to be criss-crossing Britain June 2-8 doing book events. Below is my itinerary, with links to all of the events. If you live in the UK, I would love see you at one of these and please tell any friends you have in these cities!

• June 2nd (afternoon) – Queen Mary University of London
• June 2nd (evening) – London,  Waterstones Gower Street (w/ Lucy Cooke)
• June 3rd – Edinburgh (w/ Hermione Cockburn), Blackwells Bookshop 
• June 4th – Bristol (w/ Catherine Phipps), Waterstones Bristol 
• June 5th –  Cheltenham Science Festival (w/ Daze Aghaji)
• June 6th – Cheltenham Science Festival – This one is a panel event entitled Catching Britain’s Most Evil Killers with Nikolas Lemos (Queen Mary University of London), Gillian Fowler, and Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez (both of the University of Lincoln).
• June 7th – Oxford (w/ Oliver Mason), Gulp Fiction.

I am very excited to be back in the UK and hoping to see some of my friends there!

And this weekend marks the official start of summer in the US, and Pride Month is already upon us, so let me the first to wish you all a HAPPY PRIDE!

-NHL