Penguins!

 June 11. 

Gay Penguins. 

Look, for everyone out there saying that gays are flamboyant. I'm not sure where these tuxedo clad birds fall on that spectrum, but I like that you're now going to have to think about that. You might even have to consider the various types of penguins and if any are more flamboyant than others. 

You might even find out about the Fairy Penguin, which is adorably blue and tiny, and have to consider where that one falls on the spectrum, because Fairy, but also, adorable. I am definitely going to tell you more about them later, because of the sheer number of adorable pictures you probably haven't seen yet and I need to show you. 

Back to the gay thing though. 

These guys get on the list because it's not about sex. The list of creatures that have gay sex is extensive. The list of creatures that have gay sex just as often as straight sex is also pretty long. 

The list of creatures that form gay partnerships that last for longer than the sex is shorter, in part because the list of creatures that form partnerships that last for longer than the sex is shorter. 

That's a different matter. 

Also a different matter, but I'm not being specific with species because it seems to be a thing all penguins do. (Do not think about Happy Feet right now, think about that later.)

Another interesting part of this is that male penguins and female penguins have both shown interest in their own sex, and both have found ways to be parents. In the zoo, that's sometimes with the help of kindly zookeepers. In the wild, that could be someone stealing an egg from another penguin. This might actually cause for more eggs to survive, so don't feel too bad about it. It's hard to keep eggs warm, and having another penguin take one might be good. 

One of the more famous gay penguin couples is at Sea Life London, and they actually labelled their baby with a genderless tag and name, because gender doesn't matter to penguins and they wanted to make a point about how we seem to put a lot of importance on it when it doesn't matter. 

Something that makes me happy though is that they 'court' each other, and the males/females in these same-sex couples actually choose to court each other. It's not just sex, they are partners, and they choose each other. That's awesome. 

All of this boils down to, Penguins be gay, so it's natural, and bigots need to find another argument. 

If you google it, you'll get lots of information about particular pairs of penguins that you might find adorable to investigate further. I'll leave that to you though, if you want. 

Sources:

Museum Studies Blog at Tufts-- What's With All The Gay Penguins

The Guardian-- 'Sexual Depravity' of Penguins (Warning, this is actually about some depravity of penguins beyond being gay)

Penguin International-- Penguin Pride

Hitchcock Center-- Gay Penguins, Mutual Aid, and the Survival of the Fittest

Psychology Today-- Gay Penguins, Geese Thruples, and Bi-Bonobos

CBC-- Reports on Homosexual Penguins were hidden for a Century

Dazed Digital-- Why are Penguins So gay

The Star- Why Penguins are the Perfect Gay Icon

Smithsonian Magazine-- Same Sex Penguin Couple Incubating an Egg