Why Can’t We Let Gay Penguins Love Each Other?

Meet Buddy and Pedro. They are two adorable little penguins at the Toronto Zoo. They also happen to be gay lovers. Zoo keepers claim they spend their nights together instead of with females and exhibit many mating behaviours and sounds.

Buddy and Pedro have caused somewhat of an outrage with their homosexuality. The Toronto Zoo has decided to separate them so that they can fulfill their “normal” mating roles. Since when does homophobia apply to animals?

This story is ridiculous, and a bit heartbreaking. Most of the news coverage of the penguins is missing a very important point: homosexuality is normal in the animal kingdom. It is humans that are the weird ones. We are the only species that finds two gay penguins wrong.

There have always been animals who engage in homosexuality. In many species, such as monkeys, you pretty much have sex with whoever is closest — male, female, whatever. In fact 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality, according to one source. The dwarf chimpanzee, one of our closest relatives, is well known for homosexuality. The entire species is bisexual. Even male lions, a seemingly “masculine” animal, have sex with each other to strengthen the herd’s bond.

So poor little Buddy and Pedro are not the freaks, we are. The only thing unnatural about this situation is taking an animal from the wild and subjecting it to human prejudice. Sexual standards and even the concept of heterosexuality being the “norm” is human made, so leave animals out of it. We invented gender and homophobia so we should suffer the consequences. Leave Pedro and Buddy in peace.

Contact the author here: jennY@morningquickie.com