1. • Congratulations to former Vasey lab member, Lucas Court, who obtained funding to conduct his doctoral studies at the Université de Liège in Belgium in Charlotte Cornil’s neuroendocrinology lab.
   

1. • Our article on sexual interactions between female Japanese macaque and sika deer at Minoo, Japan, published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, is getting tons of media attention and, during the days following its publication, it was one of the most read science stories online according to Google News.  If you google “monkey deer sex” there are over 15 pages of links to news stories.  Here is just some of the coverage
   

Scientists say Japanese monkeys are having ‘sexual interactions’ with deer

Yes, that’s a monkey grinding on top of a deer

Sex between snow monkeys and sika deer may be a ‘new behavioural tradition’

Wild monkeys and deer are now having sex with each other

Female Monkeys seen having ‘sexual interactions’ with deer

In addition to all the print media attention, my co-author, Dr. Jean Baptiste Leca, gave a fantastic interview about our study on CBC’s radio program, As it Happens.

1. • A new article by Noëlle Gunst, Paul L. Vasey & Jean-Baptiste Leca entitled, “Deer mates: A quantitative study of heterospecific sexual behaviors performed by Japanese macaques toward sika deer” is now available online at the website for the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • Here’s another University of Lethbridge news item about the Canadian Sex Research Forum honouring my research program with their Outstanding Contribution Award.
   

1. • Here’s a University of Lethbridge news item about my SSHRC funded research program on inter-sexual mate competition in cultures with third gender males.
   

1. • A new article by Eduard Playà, Lucio Vinicius, and Paul L. Vasey entitled “Need for Alloparental Care and Attitudes Toward Homosexuals in 58 Countries: Implications for the Kin Selection Hypothesis” is now in print in the journal, Evolutionary Psychological Science.
   

1. • The Vasey lab attended the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference in Atlanta, Georgia and gave a symposium entitled: Beyond the Binary: Recent Research in Cultures that Recognize Third Gender Males.  As part of the symposium the following three talks were presented:
   

Francisco Gómez, Scott Semenyna, Lucas Court & Paul L. Vasey (2017). Elevated offspring production among the female relatives of Istmo Zapotec muxes. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 11, Atlanta, Georgia.

Lanna Petterson, Barnaby Dixson, Anthony Little & Paul L. Vasey (2017). Self-report and viewing time measures of sexual attraction in feminine and masculine same-sex attracted Samoan males. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 11, Atlanta, Georgia.

Scott Semenyna, S., Francisco Gómez, & Paul L. Vasey (2017). The perception of heterosexual versus homosexual infidelity in Samoa and the Istmo Zapotec. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 11, Atlanta, Georgia.

Vasey lab members also presented the following posters at the meeting:

Lanna Petterson, Barnaby Dixson, Anthony Little & Paul L. Vasey (2017). Sexual attraction and anal-sex positioning in Samoan males. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 9, Atlanta, Georgia.

Scott Semenyna, S., P. Lynne Honey & Paul L. Vasey (2017). Prima Donna and the Prince: The relationship between Dark Triad Traits and sexual excitation/inhibition. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 9, Atlanta, Georgia.

Francisco Gómez, Scott Semenyna, Lucas Court & Paul L. Vasey (2017). Recalled gendered behavior in childhood among Istmo Zapotec men, women & muxes. Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference, November 9, Atlanta, Georgia.

1. • A new article by Lanna Petterson, Doug VanderLaan, Tonje Persson & Paul Vasey entitled “The Relationship Between Indicators of Depression and Anxiety and Sexual Orientation in Canadian Women” is now available online at the website for the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • Paul Vasey gave two talks at the Kinsey Institute in Bloomington, Indiana; one on this cross-cultural research in Samoa and Mexico and the other on his Japanese macaque research.  One unexpected outcome of his visit to the Kinsey was a meeting with the actress, Glenn Close.
   

1. • Paul Vasey received the 2017 Outstanding Contribution Award for sexuality research in Canada from the Canadian Sex Research Forum. Here’s a photo.
   

1. • Paul Vasey gave two talks at the 2017 Canadian Sex Research Forum meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick; one was an overview of his research program and the other was a grant writing workshop.
   

1. • In October, Paul Vasey visited his former Japanese macaque fieldsite in Arashiyama, Japan.  Here’s a photo.
   

1. • In October, Paul Vasey travelled to Japan in October to conduct research on a ritual cross-dressing of boys during a little-known festival in the mountains outside of Kyoto.  Here’s is a photo.
   

1. • Paul Vasey was quoted in a recent National Post article: Research can help combat homophobia--If LGBT activists don’t shut it down.
   

1. • A University of Lethbridge news item on Paul Vasey’s recent NIH funding.
   

1. • A new article by Scott Semenyna, Doug VanderLaan, Lanna Petterson & Paul Vasey entitled “Familial Patterning and Prevailence of Male Androphilia in Samoa” was published in the Journal of Sex Research.
   

1. • One of our fieldsites, Juchitán, in the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico was struck by a 8.1 earthquake on shortly before midnight on September 7, 2017.  Vasey lab members Lanna Petterson and Francisco Gómez were in Juchitán the night of the earthquake.  You can read about there experiences here and here.  Lanna & Francisco gave a television interview about their experience, which can be viewed here.  Lanna also wrote about her experience for the Calgary Herald, which you can access here. If you can afford to donate funds to the relief effort please do so.  You can find more information here.
   

1. • Paul Vasey spent part of August and September in Samoa collecting more data. Here are some photos from the Miss Samoan Fa’afafine Association pageant that took place while Paul was in Samoa.
   

1. • Paul Vasey was in Edmonton to serve as the external committee member for Nathan Bartlett’s MSc defence.  Nathan successfully defended his extremely interesting thesis on methylation of the brain promoter region of Cyp19 and its affect on the development of sex-typical psychological traits.  Here’s a photo of Nathan and his happy supervisor, Pete Hurd.
   

1. •  When You Travel Around the World Studying Sex. Debra Soh interviews Paul Vasey for Playboy.
   

1. • Paul Vasey gave a plenary address on his Samoan fa’afafine and Zapotec muxes research at the American Psychology Association meetings in Washington, DC. Here’s a photo from the conference.
   

1. • Another interview by Francisco Gómez this time on CBC Radio about his research on the evolution of male androphila.
   

1. • Francisco Gómez was awarded a Student Research Development Award from the International Academy of Sex Research.
   

1. • Scott Semenyna presented a poster at the International Academy of Sex Research meeting in Charleston, North Carolina, entitled “Not straight and not straightforward: Sexual orientation, sociosexuality, and Dark Triad traits among women.”
   

1. • Francisco Gómez successfully defended his MSc thesis entitled “Cross-culturally universal aspects of male androphilia in Istmo Zapotec.”
   

1. • Paul Vasey spent June and early July at his fieldsite in Samoa.
   

1. • More publicity for Francisco Gómez who was interviewed about his research with the muxe community in the Istmo region of Oacaca on CTV News Calgary. Click here to watch the interview.
   

1. • Francisco Gómez’s research was discussed in a recent article, U of L student awarded a National Geographic Society Early Career Grant.
   

1. • A new article by Lanna Petterson, Doug VanderLaan & Paul Vasey entitled “Sex, sexual orientation, gender atypicality, and traits of depression and anxiety in childhood and adulthood” was published in the July issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • A new article by Scott Semenyna & Paul Vasey entitled “Bullying, physical aggression, gender atypicality, and sexual orientation in Samoan males” was published in the July issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • A new article by Scott Semenyna, Charlene Belu, Paul Vasey & Lynn Honey entitled “Not straight and not straightforward: Sexual orientation, sociosexuality, and Dark Triad traits among women” is now available online at the webpage for the journal, Evolutionary Psychological Science.
   

1. • Paul Vasey was award a National Institute of Mental Health Grant to study the genetics of male sexual orientation.
   

1. • Paul Vasey was quote in an article in the Calgary Herald about vandalism of LGBT crosswalks and flags in southern Alberta.
   

1. • Former Vasey lab member, Lucas Court, was accepted into the PhD program at Liège University in Belgium where he will be conducting neuroscience research in Jacque Belthazart & Charlotte Cornil’s lab.
   

1. • Paul Vasey gave a talk about his Samoan fa’afafine and Zapotec muxes research in the Department of Psychology at the University of Auckland.
   

1. • Congratulations to Francisco Gómez who was awarded a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research to support his work on Zapotec muxes!  What a great birthday present!
   

1. • A new article by Eduard Playà, Lucio Vinicius, and Paul L. Vasey entitled “Need for Alloparental Care and Attitudes Toward Homosexuals in 58 Countries: Implications for the Kin Selection Hypothesis” is now available online at the webpage for the journal, Evolutionary Psychological Science.
   

1. • Congratulations to Lanna Petterson who was awarded the University of Lethbridge Graduate Students’ Association Student Service Award. Well done!
   

1. • Paul Vasey appeared on Radio-Canada discussing his research on Samoan fa’afafine and Zapotec muxe in light of the Government of Alberta’s pending legislation to have third gender markers on birth certificates.  Here’s a web story by Radio-Canada on the same topic with me drawing upon my rusty French at the end of a long and tiring day.
   

1. • Paul Vasey was the external examiner for Samuel Austin’s MA thesis defence at the University of Montana in Missoula.
   

1. • Paul L. Vasey was in Montréal to celebrate the retirement of his Ph.D supervisor, Bernard Chapais.  Here’s a photo.
   

1. • Paul L. Vasey gave a talk about Samoan and Zapotec third gender males at the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia as part of their AAAS Science for Seminaries speakers series.
   

1. • “Cross-cultural evidence for the genetics of homosexuality” by Debra Soh appeared in Scientific American and discusses Francisco Gómez’s research on recalled childhood separation anxiety in Istmo Zapotec men, women, and muxes.
   

1. • Paul L. Vasey gave a talk about his Samoan fa’afafine and Zapotec muxes research to the members of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Feinburg School of Medicine Northwestern University.
   

1. • Paul L. Vasey gave the 2017 Brian Harder keynote address at the University of Alberta entitled: “Third Gender Males and their Impact on Heterosexual Mating Systems”.
   

1. • I am thrilled to announce that my MSc student, Francisco Gómez, was named a National Geographic Young Explorer.  Congratulations, Francisco, for this incredibly prestigious honour!
   

1. • “Sexuality distinctions not clear cut”--a write-up in the Lethbridge Herald of Paul Vasey’s talk for the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.
   

1. • Paul Vasey gave a talk in Lethbridge, Alberta, to the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs entitled “Beyond the Binary: What the West Can Learn from Non-Western Approaches to Gender Diversity.”
   

1. • Tatjana Kaufmann gave a podium presentation that she co-authored with Jean-Baptiste Leca, Amanda Pelletier, Noelle Gunst & Paul Vasey entitled “Testing the sex toy hypothesis in Balinese monkeys playing with stones” at the Meeting of the Minds Conference in Lethbridge, Alberta.
   

1. • A new article by Scott Semenyna, Doug VanderLaan & Paul L. Vasey entitled “Birth order and childhood gender nonconformity in Samoan men and fa’afafine” is now available online at the website for the journal, Developmental Psychobiology.
   

1. • An article, “University Professor in the Spotlight”, about Paul Vasey’s National Geographic Channel interview was published in the Lethbridge Herald.
   

1. • National Geographic Channel aired a documentary, Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, on February 6, 2017, in which Paul L. Vasey was interviewed by Katie Couric about his work with the fa’afafine community of Samoa.
   

1. • Here’s an article out of my University about the recent coverage of my research by National Geographic and Katie Couric.
   

1. • An article in the Spanish language publication, El País, on Zapotec muxes, with a link to our recent study on recalled childhood separation anxiety.
   

1. • Back in September 2016, Katie Couric interviewed me for the National Geographic documentary, Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric.  The trailer is out now and that’s me at 1:56.
   

1. • A new article by Francisco Gómez, Scott Semenyna, Lucas Court & Paul L. Vasey entitled, “Recalled separation anxiety in childhood in Istmo Zapotec men, women and muxes” was published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • A new article by Doug VanderLaan, Lanna Petterson & Paul L. Vasey entitled, “Elevated kin-directed altruism emerges in childhood and is linked to feminine gender expression in Samoan fa’afafine: A retrospective study” was published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • A new article by Scott Semenyna, Lanna Petterson, Doug VanderLaan, & Paul L. Vasey entitled, “A comparison of the reproductive output among the relatives of Samoan androphilic fa’afafine and gynephilic men,” was published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • A new article by Lanna J. Petterson, Chelsea R. Wrightson, & Paul L. Vasey entitled, “Recalled Gendered Behavior in Childhood: A Comparison of Androphilic Men, Gynephilic Men, and Androphilic Women in Japan” was published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • Paul Vasey’s “Introduction to the Special Section: The Puzzle of Sexual Orientation: What is it and How Does it Work?” was published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior.
   

1. • The proceedings of the 2015 Puzzle of Sexual Orientation conference were published in a special issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior that was edited by Paul L. Vasey, Kelly Suschinsky & Doug P. VanderLaan.
   

1. • A new National Geographic magazine article entitled “How Science is Helping us Understand Gender” discusses Paul Vasey’s Samoan fa’afafine research. Check out Lynn Johnson’s beautiful photos and Robin Marantz Henig’s thoughtful text.