'Queer Planet': NBCUniversal to debut series about gay and trans animals

On June 6, a new series called "Queer Planet" is set to debut on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service, with numerous episodes about animals and plants that appear to be LGBTQ, from "multi-gendered mushrooms" to "pansexual primates." 

While there have been documentaries on nearly every aspect of the natural world, this appears to be one of the first carried out by a major network to showcase "queer" flora and fauna. 

The trailer begins with narrator Andrew Rannells informing the viewer that, "Everything you were taught as a kid is wrong," and that, "This is a queer planet." 

"Queerness has always existed," one of the many "experts" brought on to the show then notes, with another adding, "It's only in humans that we have such a stigma about it." 

One of the messages pushed by the series is that "the idea of just having two fixed sexes is clearly out of style." To prove their point, they rely on the fact that many plants, and certain animals, shift from one to the other. 

According to a synopsis cited by SYFY, the documentary "looks at extraordinary creatures, witnesses amazing behaviors, and introduces the scientists questioning the traditional concept of what’s natural when it comes to sex and gender." 

"We've all heard of gay penguins, but this film really opened my eyes to the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ behaviors across the natural world," Rannells said in a statement, per SYFY, "and what could be more natural than being who you are? I’m excited to be part of Queer Planet, especially during Pride Month, and on Peacock, surely the most colorful and glamorous of all the streaming services." 

Reactions poked fun at the show online.  

"Well how about cannibal animals?" one user wrote. "Because animals eat others of their own species, does that mean humans should too?" 

https://x.com/Eye_C_U_Smith/status/1791205657502253362?s=20 

"How exactly does an animal tell you they are transgender?" another added.