Penguins are not like sharks, now that’s information you can use. Brilliant observation.
40
Thank goodness the penguins don't have evangelicals.
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Wonderful!
What a relief that Magic and Sphen make a great supportive couple and outstanding parents! They best the heteros!
But what if they weren’t — what if they were lousy mates and parents just like the heteros. Could they still be a couple? Could they still raise a baby? May be not. It’s a bit sad. Gay penguins can be a couple and parents if they are outstanding. For people and penguins for those that are average or below a shot at happiness is often reserved for the heteros.
50
January doldrums and these fellas from down under curing my case of the blues. I can see these two starring in their very own Bravo reality TV show about the travails of two gay dads parenting while wearing a tux all day.
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When this baby penguin is not abused by its parents and is continued to be brought up by loving same sex parents, when it grows up to have its own babies in an opposite or same sex couple, and everything in nature works out well . When Sphengic turns out to be a wonderful functional sensitive penguin that is a responsible member of a penguin colony then maybe humans will discard their awful prejudices against same sex couples. Isn’t the goal to raise penguins like these two are doing so well? And Sphengic isn’t rejecting them! Humans have so much to learn.
And to think we are eliminating these beautiful animals with global warming!
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Best story I read all day! Love it
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HAPPY FEET 4 <3
46
What a wonderful and enlightening story, but shouldn’t it be in the Science instead of Style section?? :)
I.e. being gay is not a “lifestyle” as the right wingers like to say.
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Will never happen in the wild in nature , only the captured ones can be confused like this .
18
@Miahona
Maybe not 'never', but quite rare ... it's only been observed in a few hundred species in the wild:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior
Note: the lists on that wiki page are just a 'selection'.
38
How do you know this? How much time have you spent observing penguins in the wild?
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I'm curious a out what makes these penguins homosexual - were there specific activities observed or are they simply a same sex pair which are devoted to each other?
24
How exactly do we know these penquins are gay? Sounds like the premise for My Two Dads to me... and Joey and Michael were not gay. They simply loved a child that could have been theirs.
25
They performed all the normal bonding rituals that penguins do when they are preparing to mate for life: courting each other, bringing each other gift pebbles to build a nest, learning each other’s songs. So far as penguins go, that’s about as clear an indication of a romantic bond as you can get.
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Thank you for this beautifully written love (and parent) story. A bright spot of light! Can't wait for the next one!
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@Rich Skalski
That would make sense. But these penguins voted in favor of same sex marriage in the latest penguin state elections.
36
The true heroes of this story are the writers of Parks & Rec who prophesied this beautiful moment nearly 10 years ago
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Indeed, this is a lovely article. However, it also is revealing about the ways in which we use terms like “sex” and “gender”. Although “sex” and “gender” are often used interchangeably (even in biological journals), they are different ideas. “Sex” is used to refer to biological and anatomical features, while the concept of “gender” was developed to refer to culturally-shaped concepts of “masculinity” and “femininity”. To have gender, an organism has to be immersed in some sort of culture. And since penguins don’t have the capacity to create shared distinctions (which generally requires the use of language), we don’t know the baby penguin’s gender because, well, “he”, “she” or “it” doesn’t have “gender” at all. We can come to know the “sex” or “sexual features” of the penguin, but “gender” is simply not the kind of category that applies to animals who the capacity to share culturally-constructed categories.
44
Someone is going to make this into a children’s book, where it will be popular reading in gay households, methinks!
Charming story. And a couple that wanted a child became great parents!
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@Jean As another reader shared, there is the American story that was turned in to a children's book: And Tango Makes Three, written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole, but there is no reason why Australia can't have their own book too!
30
And it is: And Tango Makes Three
16
@Jean already exists. And it is adorable.
(search "And Tango Makes Three")
17
Such a lovely story. Thanks.
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I absolutely adored this article, still smiling and saying awwwww to myself !
81
Gay penguins make better parents than most humans... (This should be a movie or a book.)
52
Wonderful article! One glaring error: “Nor does the penguin have a gender.” Of course it has a gender — just can’t tell yet, as correctly stated in the article’s subtitle.
19
More stories like this, please.
80
Love is love.
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Do you mean none of the other penguins told them that they couldn't be a couple? Shocking, since they kept flaunting it with all that singing.
188
Nature always gets it right!
Best wishes and lots of love to this wonderful family and their keepers!
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@Linda
“Now I know why tigers eat their young” from the movie Caddyshack.
3
I love this story! And the penguin keepers are right. Love is love!
95
So wonderful and sweet! Uplifting!
54
Just what I need this morning. Thank you for such a positive start to my day.
75
This is so pure!!! Thank you for sharing such an uplifting story
52
Another pair! And Tango Makes Three, written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole, is the most challenged book in the US .... despite the fact that it is a true story, people want to see it pulled from library shelves. Maybe Sphen and Magic will help take some of the heat off.
86
This is so beautiful, thank you.
49
As crazy as it may be, moving down under keeps getting more attractive!
46
This delightful story brought a smile into our house, much needed after reading all of woes surrounding the Brexit mess in the UK and the serious consequences unfolding due to the government shutdown caused by the refusal of President Trump to back down from his misguided pursuit of building the wall.
72
I wish humans were as accepting of nature and the way it works.
142
When this baby penguin is not abused by its parents and is continued to be brought up by loving same sex parents, when it grows up to have its own babies in an opposite or same sex couple, and everything in nature works out well . When Sphengic turns out to be a wonderful functional sensitive penguin that is a responsible member of a penguin colony then maybe humans will discard their awful prejudices against same sex couples. Isn’t the goal to raise penguins like these two are doing so well? And Sphengic isn’t rejecting them! Humans have so much to learn.
And to think we are eliminating these beautiful animals with global warming!
25
Oh god please let Disney make this a movie! While reading this article, I kept imagining the dads talking to Sphengic in Australian accents.
93
How happy this story made me feel. Thanks
60
Thank you so much for this joyful story. A much needed break from all the hate and bitterness going on right now.
142
Amazing story! Penguins are truly magical.
70
Love is love is a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing this wonderful slice of life from the penguin world. Their love and dedication enriches us all.
109
Thank you! It is so nice to see a happy story, and one that shows just how much we can learn from such character and maturity.
105
Uplifting images of a loving penguin family. Good news at last!
142
This is an inspiring darling story, let us all learn from this little family.
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