Apparently Koko, the famous female gorilla who communicates in Ameslan (American English Sign Language), likes to look at the bare breasts of human females.

And at least three former employees are freaking out about this;
in lawsuits where lawyers exhibit
breastphobia, homophobia, and gorillaphobia.

It's unfortunate, in my queer opinion, that the Koko Foundation has hired, from time to time, unqualified employees who don't really appreciate how wonderful Koko is. It's even more unfortunate that such employees were ever introduced to Koko.

I would respectfully suggest that being introduced to Koko is a privilege, which thousands of her fans would cherish. This privilege shouldn't be squandered on persons who cannot accept Koko's personality, habits, et cetera -- even if such persons happen to be employees.

Of course, the foundation must introduce her, one time,
to visiting VIPs and major donors.
But for repeated visitors, criteria should include:
(1) ability to sign and read Ameslan;
(2) knowledge of gorilla behavior, and of Koko's unique behavior;
(3) [for females] a relaxed attitude about exposure of the female human breast; et cetera.

Culturally, Koko has spent her life relating mainly to humans, and not much to fellow gorillas.
She understands persons speaking English orally (at least if they use her basic vocabulary of around 1,000 words) and those who sign to her in Ameslan. She expresses herself by signing in Ameslan. So her personal culture is a mixture of gorilla and human. When she deals with human culture, she's somewhat like a small human child (imagine one who only knows 1,000 words); or like a developmentally challenged adult at the same vocabulary level.

Little kids often want to see the breasts, genitals, and
bare bodies of their playmates.
They often call this "playing doctor".
If some breastphobic and nudophobic persons are prudishly offended by her desires, they should never visit her.

Besides, Koko herself lives naked. (She hasn't had any practical need for clothing since she was a baby in diapers.) Her keepers never taught her to be ashamed of her own nudity
-- so why should humans be shocked if a naked gorilla
asks them to undress?

Physically, she's no longer a child. If her female handlers were willing, and if Americans were less sexphobic, she might ask for more intimacy than just looking at their bare breasts.

(We don't know what she may have asked of human men. At any rate, none has sued about any such requests. Our U.S. culture pressures girls to be more prudish than boys; and so, on average, with many individual exceptions, most adult women usually internalize a fear of nudity. Also, a straight man isn't likely to be offended by the erotic (or proto-erotic) desires of a female; more likely he's flattered, even when he signs No. However, we don't know the sexual orientations of the humans in Koko's circle of friends and acquaintances.)

Does Koko think of herself as a human or a gorilla?
Both? Neither?
Maybe she can't resolve the contradictions in her life,
being marginal in two worlds.

The Foundation has provided Koko with male gorillas as potential mates,
yet she has no babies. Maybe the problem is that she sees them as gorillas, not as humans?
Koko has a desire to mother an infant, as shown by her
tender care for her kittens (one at a time).

Her non-reproduction is unfortunate, since researchers want to see whether she will try to teach Ameslan to her gorilla baby;
and how well her effort might succeed, or not.
I wonder if they will eventually resort to artificial insemination?
Or is she already too old?

At any rate, Koko deserves loving friendship from those humans who really appreciate her. And she should be shielded from humans who don't feel comfortable around her --
who may despise her for having same-sex desires,
or for having different-species desires.

Her life is difficult, since she cannot fully participate in human culture, nor can she fully participate in gorilla culture.
She deserves our love and sympathy,
not our phobic scorn.
......

[ Caveat: The lawsuit(s) include other employment issues, about which I know nothing and have no opinion. My remarks above concern only the alegations about breast-baring. ]
........

Tortuga Bi LIBERTY,
one of Koko's fans,
San Francisco
....

[ for news report, see SF Chronicle --

http://www.sfgate.com ]
.......