Fritz has gone bonkers (aka. gay penguin sexual rights)

[Rune]

Gay groups reacted with outrage when four female penguins were flown in from Sweden to allow keepers to see if they had any influence on the homosexual pairings.
Since then gay activists from as far afield as Australia have been protesting at the zoo's attempts to "cure" the penguins of their homosexuality. The zoo has been bombarded with threatening letters and telephone calls. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/14/wpeng14.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/14/ixworld.html
According to homosexual spokesmen the zoologist should not try to tempt the two male penguins.

Homosexual groups claim the penguins sexuality is attempted repressed. Because it is their right to live together without interference. http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/udland/article.jhtml?articleID=234781

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=857&ncid=757&e=10&u=/nm/20050211/od_uk_nm/oukoe_life_germany_penguins

Etc.

Anyone here on this board with so many dedicated homosexual activist, who will defend these absurd allegation by homosexual spokesmen?

[Dunderman]

Not me. Keeping females around is hardly abuse of the penguins. It doesn't have anything to do with "curing" homosexuality.

Oh, and this story made me smile for like half an hour when I first read it.

[SentientMeat]

This is research, for crying out loud. Homosexuality in animals is undeniable (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312192398/104-1535383-9896750). The researchers are seeing if there is any environmental factor at all in this species of penguin, such that the presence of females causes any heterosexual behaviour whatsoever.

These activists seem to fear that any such result might be misinpterpreted as "homosexuality is curable by exposure to teh opposite sex". It's rather like asking for a football match not to be played because of fears of losing to an absurd refereeing decision.

[SteveG1]

What if the new female penguins decide to ignore the males and prefer each other? :D

[owlstretchingtime]

What if the new female penguins decide to ignore the males and prefer each other? :D

The males will be happy if they get to watch.

[jayjay]

The males will be happy if they get to watch.

Not if they're gay males...

[SentientMeat]

I think owl meant the male Germans.

Hot Swedish penguin action ... ya, das is gut

[owlstretchingtime]

Not if they're gay males...

Hot pengiun on penguin action will soon sort them out.

[Northern Piper]

Am I the only one thinking of Opus's autobiography, Naked Came I?

[JohnBckWLD]

Anyone here on this board with so many dedicated homosexual activist, who will defend these absurd allegation by homosexual spokesmen?This issue won't get off the ground. Do you really think anyone other than a troll would side with these knee jerk protestors? The penguins won't mind, and they don't even have knees.

[Magiver]

Not me. Keeping females around is hardly abuse of the penguins. It doesn't have anything to do with "curing" homosexuality.

Oh, and this story made me smile for like half an hour when I first read it.

Same here. It was one of those things that made me laugh out loud in traffic.

The Zoo is trying to breed more penguins. What a concept to bring in more females. I think the Zoo people need to get out more.

[ReuvenB]

This issue won't get off the ground. Do you really think anyone other than a troll would side with these knee jerk protestors? The penguins won't mind, and they don't even have knees.
Nice reference.

[Loopydude]

Imagine the politics-laden imbroglio if we had gay pandas at the Natl. Zoo? Oy freakin' vey!

[Capt B. Phart]

Imagine the politics-laden imbroglio if we had gay pandas at the Natl. Zoo? Oy freakin' vey!
At least they might tell the other pandas to apply the eye-liner with a bit more subtlety.

There was a headline about "Anti-gay Primates" in the Telegraph today suggesting a reactionary backlash down at the zoo -- but it turned out to be about the Anglian Church

[Jackmannii]

"Six penguins at Bremerhaven Zoo in north-west Germany provoked excitement across the world when, in the absence of any females, they were discovered wandering around in pairs, trying to mate with each other and sitting on stones as if they were eggs.

And in other breaking news that's exciting researchers around the world, homosexual behavior is observed at San Quentin.

Although the ersatz egg-hatching would be unusual.


One would assume there is more to der pengkvin-sexualitat than what the Telegraph is letting on.

[dropzone]

Nice reference.I'm not so sure. Are we allowed to even imply the "F" Name on this board?

[owlstretchingtime]

Imagine the politics-laden imbroglio if we had gay pandas at the Natl. Zoo? Oy freakin' vey!

They only eat the low fat versions of chinese food - the bamboo shoots. They keep their cages tidy. They also refuse to mate with female pandas (despite being shown how-to porn (this is, rather wonderfully, completely true). They are also non-agressive, despite being bears (sort of).

I think you may be onto something......

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Am I the only one thinking of Opus's autobiography, Naked Came I?
I was thinking of Frank Zappa's "Penguin in Bondage," myself.

[ReuvenB]

I'm not so sure. Are we allowed to even imply the "F" Name on this board?
Why wouldn't we?

[dropzone]

Just don't want to piss off Cecil by mentioning the competion, is all. :eek:

[ReuvenB]

I figure if he mentions F (counts) four times himself in his columns, there's no problem mentioning F here.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Who the hell is F?

This story made me immensely happy, too: it's just silly on so many levels. And there's not many stories involving penguins that aren't silly, mind you, but this one is extra-silly.

That said, I suspect that if North Carolina's Zoo turned up with gay penguins, the protests would me more along the lines of not displaying them in public, lest children be corrupted.

Daniel

[dropzone]

If yer so good at counting, how many times does he mention "P"?

[jayjay]

Who the hell is F?

David Feldman (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/006092327X/qid=1108764517/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-4825016-1224068?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). His Imponderables books do what the Straight Dope does, though (IMO) not as well. Also not as surly, of course, but that's part of Unca Cece's charm...

[Jackmannii]

...I suspect that if North Carolina's Zoo turned up with gay penguins, the protests would me more along the lines of not displaying them in public, lest children be corrupted.How would anyone know, unless they were playing "Y.M.C.A." on the overhead speakers?

[Ghanima]

I was thinking the only thing that could really make me side with the protesters was if the zoo didn't have the proper capacity and resources to house another four penguins and was doing this despite these conditions. But that is so hypothetical and out there and against zoo protocols that I doubt it could ever be true.

So much for playing devil's advocate.

[Loopydude]

They only eat the low fat versions of chinese food - the bamboo shoots. They keep their cages tidy. They also refuse to mate with female pandas (despite being shown how-to porn (this is, rather wonderfully, completely true). They are also non-agressive, despite being bears (sort of).

I think you may be onto something......

Oh effing effing crap, I just outed Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. I'm really sorry!

Don't tell the FotF & Dobsonites, OK?

[jayjay]

despite being bears (sort of).

Actually, they are bears. They've been reclassified out of the raccoon family.

[owlstretchingtime]

Actually, they are bears. They've been reclassified out of the raccoon family.

Then they are definately the gayest bear (previous holder of the title being the spectacled bear).

[Rune]

If you put "gay bear" into google, you get some images that would make an uncouth grizzly bear proud.

[owlstretchingtime]

As it happens I once put the phrase "gay otter" into google. That was an informative experience.

[Bryan Ekers]

As it happens I once put the phrase "gay otter" into google. That was an informative experience.


Looking for 'ot gays, were you?

[owlstretchingtime]

As it happens I was looking for a gay otter - a real one. There's one in a zoo in scotland. I had no idea that it had another meaning.

[Kolak of Twilo]

Oh good og!

Will the gay activists please stop with the gay animal thing?

puhleeze.

[Loopydude]

I wonder if there are any mammals out there that display no homosexual behaviors. I've seen some pretty randy homo dogs; I hear sheep and goats sometimes swing the other way; our primate cousins certainly have queer members; and bonobos in particular are way past bi-curious. But are there any completely hetero hairy beasts like us extant? It might be interesting to find out, if so, why.

[AngelicGemma]

What if the new female penguins decide to ignore the males and prefer each other? :D

The obvious solution is of course to bring along some bi sexual penguins. ;)

[TwistofFate]

the only thing about putting in the female penguins, is that if they do go back to mating with females, it will just add fuel to the fire of groups like FotF that homosexuality is a choice.

I certainly wouldn't agree with them, but it's one possible extrapulation of the possible results.

[Triskadecamus]

I'm just wondering how long the scientists at this zoo spent on their breeding program before they decided to have female penguins taking part. Not that that's a bad thing.

Tris

[glee]

Could the penguins simply be short-sighted?
How do they tell which sex they are?