Title:
Lest We Forget
Subject:
Male black swans couple pairing for life and raising cygnets together are a positive part of the species.
Cited Documentation:
Roughly 80 percent of gay swan couples successfully fledge their young, compared with 30 percent for straight couples. Up to a third of Black Swans are estimated to be homosexual, and nearly a quarter of all Black Swan pairings are same-sex couples, almost always two males. These cob pairs hold territory, build nests, and raise cygnets — often by driving off a female after mating or taking over a nest outright, then co-parenting the clutch. The higher success rate is attributed to two males sharing incubation duties more evenly and together defending better territory than either could alone. The behavior is stable and recurring, not an aberration but an example of divine design in the positive impact of gay pairing on a species’ reproductive success.
Design features:
Gilded frames are employed to isolate moments in the composition, to provide emphasis. The principle of variety is featured with an asymmetrical balance and the use of elaboration in the layering of imagery to create visual interest. Scale, value and strong color palettes are employed to further increase visual interest.
Lest We Forget | The Gay Domestic | The Subdivision | Digital Photocollage | 2026
— Behan
Sources: L.W. Braithwaite, “Ecological Studies of the Black Swan III,” Australian Wildlife Research 8 (1981): 135–46; Raoul Mulder et al., University of Melbourne.
