Gay penguin book shakes up Ill. school

[helderheid]

By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Fri Nov 17, 6:47 AM ET

SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children — and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.



The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book — available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis — tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out.

For now, "And Tango Makes Three" will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.

MORE >>>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061117/ap_on_re_us/gay_penguins_book_flap

[Caoimhe]

1. oh for FUCKSAKE!

It's a true story, idiots! God these reich wingers really piss me off.

Sorry for the :rant: but I'm losing my tolerance for the intolerant bigots!

[Bucky]

7. We must teach children about nature as God intended it, not as man, or penguin, corrupts it.

I predict the next fundy psycho will attack those penguins.

[yellerpup]

2. So "their children aren't ready to handle" the topic?

More like, the parents refuse to get a grip. Yes, I do believe this might be construed as "censorship." :sarcasm:

edited to include sarcasm

[waiting for hope]

3. Gee -

are they afraid that animal nature is geared toward nurture, regardless of the sex? Would they object to a book about a bear (or any other animal that doesn't mate for life) that mates, has a baby and the biological father ditches them to fend for themselves? Oh, the irony.

[Sugar Smack]

4. I have to say, that's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

I want that book. :loveya:

[no_hypocrisy]

5. I want to know where in this children's book does it discuss

the two adult penguins having consensual sexual relations? This protest boggles the mind.

[Swede Atlanta]

6. WTF?

Let's look at this carefully

1. It's a true story, something the child and the nervous parents could expect to see on the Animal Planet, etc.
2. Even as a gay man I can say that just because two male penguins (I haven't actually read the book or am familiar with more of the story) "adopt" an egg, see it through incubation and then care for the young penguin doesn't necessarily mean the penguins are homosexual or gay. It just means that in this case these two penguins (who knows if there were other female penguins around) did what many species do, take care of the young.
3. Even if they were gay, this is more evidence to refute the claim that being gay is against the laws of nature

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

20. My friend actually works at the zoo, so in reference to the 2nd point...

she said that even prior to adopting the egg, the two males exhibited all the behaviors that one would normally expect from a male-female pair of penguins. That is why they were given the egg.

However, after raising it, one of the males did eventually decide to go pair up with a female penguin. The other penguin was single, at least he was when I talked about this with my friend a couple months ago.

[CoffeeCat]

8. IGNORANCE and BIGOTRY...are not pretty...

Ignorant people should read--or watch the Discovery Channel--before they reveal
how dark their hearts are.

It's common for 2 male penguins to take care of a penguin egg and nurture the baby as it
grows. The female penguin lays the egg and immediately she places it on the father's feet,
and underneath his belly. The male penguin holds the egg on his feet for several weeks.

The female returns to the sea to eat. She's gone for weeks--getting strong and getting food
for the baby--which she will feed when (and if) she returns.

Many female penguins do not return. Many succumb to the harsh conditions. Some are eaten
by seals. It's common for a female penguin to fail to return to her mate and the baby.

Many babies are left without mothers--and the fathers must raise them. When the mother
doesn't return--the father is usually on the verge of starvation. He must take his turn
to feed, so he must leave the baby--who is not strong enough to swim or find food yet.
The baby penguins are often nurtured by other male penguins, as their fathers leave to feast.

Ya see...in the penguin world it's about love--and doing what's best for the young. They're
focused on taking care of each other and doing what's right. They don't sit around--worrying
what the neighbor's think or condemning male penguins for behaving immorally. They just
take care of each other.

It's pretty sad when human beings chose hatred and bigotry over compassion and love. What
does that say about the human condition--when penguins are more self actualized that us?

[RubyDuby in GA]

9. We have that book in our home

Here's what I had to say about it earlier:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5848775&mesg_id=5848775

[IntravenousDemilo]

10. To be fair, those parents likely got the unexpurgated edition (with the gannet), and read this bit:

"Roy leaned in. His beak parted and slid over Silo's mushroom-like cockhead. He slowly ran his pointy tongue around it several times. As he did that he moved his free flipper up between the legs of his black and white lover and felt around until he found his birdy num-nums. They were large, too, and Roy started fingering them through Silo's pinfeathers. He pulled his beak off the cockhead and started licking the lusty tool that was sticking out from among the plumage. He licked the full eleven inches of warm, firm meat..."

Well, you get the idea; it goes on from there and, later, they involve the gannet in a three-way fuckfest in the sling in their playroom, while little Tango watches in slightly bewildered awe. So it's no surprise the parents objected to such a dirty book. Will no one think of the children?!

[flying_monkeys]

11. LMAO

There goes the keyboard!

[keroro gunsou]

13. *sprays water all over laptop*

without the gannet!? it's a standard british bird!

i don't like them.... they wet their nests.

[IntravenousDemilo]

15. Oh, good! I hoped people would get that reference!

Big Python fan here. I guess you are, too.

[terrya]

14. !

That is the BEST thing I've read here in a long, long, long time. :-)

Thanks, sweetie.

SHMILY

[IntravenousDemilo]

21. Merci, mon petit chou!

Maybe I could make a living writing porn, eh? Of course, we'll have to try out my scenarios beforehand just to see if they're physically possible.

shmily

[Bassic]

23. "Merci mon petit chou"

I'm sorry, I don't why but I actually laughed out loud :D

[terrya]

24. Well, I think that can be arranged, mon amour.

BTW: everything is a go for 12/18.

:loveya:

SHMILY,
T

[Sabriel]

16. Damn! I can't believe I bought the G version of that book! n/t

[cwydro]

19. OMG

:rofl:

[Sugar Smack]

25. OK, THAT was hysterical. OMG, thanks for the laugh!

:rofl: :rofl:

[TlalocW]

12. Berke Breathed of Bloom County is my Nostradamus

In the 80s he devoted a few weeks to a storyline about banning and burning books, and one of them was a field guide to penguins which showed the birds nesting together on the ice and exclaimed it was "penguin lust at its vilest." I think Bill the Cat then became a tv evangelist and riled up all Bloom County about Penguin Lust, which eventually drove Opus out of town for a while (or that may have been a separate storyline).

TlalocW

[Sabriel]

17. Maybe these anti-nature nitwits should see this exhibit:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm


Oslo gay animal show draws crowds

Curators say a Norwegian exhibition on homosexuality among animals has been well received, despite initial indications of strong opposition.

The Oslo Natural History Museum opened the show last week and says it has been well attended, not least by families.

Organisers reported early criticism of the project, and being told by one opponent they would "burn in hell".

But there has been strong interest in an aspect of animal behaviour the museum says is quite common.

It says homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented.

The exhibition - entitled Against Nature? - includes photographs of one male giraffe mounting another, of apes stimulating others of the same sex, and two aroused male right whales rubbing against each other.

[cwydro]

18. That's a beautiful little book.

And a true story too.

[helderheid]

22. gotta buy it - great Christmas gift