Two male gentoo penguins raised a baby chick. What’s the big deal?
I met these cheery penguins in 2023 when I went to Antarctica. Gender and sexual preference unknown. Just cheery penguins.
Turns out that penguins monogamously mate for life — sometimes same sex couples. In San Antonio’s Sea World, two male gentoo penguins mated, then raised a chinstrap penguin egg. “They both took parenting to the next level. They did an amazing job,” said Andrea Roggenbock, a SeaWorld bird specialist.
Same-sex penguin families are not uncommon. You may know about Roy and Silo in New York’s Central Park Zoo, the subject of the award-winning book, And Tango Makes Three, published in 2005.
So what’s the big deal? If same-gender families are part of the good Lord’s creation, why are people hung up on same-gender human families?
Author Evan Smith put it this way in his book, Gay LDS Crossroads: My Journey, Your Journey, and a Scripture-based Path Forward (a free navigable e-book here on this website):
Interestingly, as I continued my research, I also learned that same-sex sexual behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, occurring in every major animal group. I also didn’t know that the percentage of animals within many species that exhibit same-sex sexual behavior is about the same as the percentage of humans who are LGBTQ (between around 2-10% of the population, depending on the study and location.
Let me say that again: 2-10% of animals, including humans, are same-sex attracted.
I think God’s creations more expansive, more interesting, more diverse than we can possibly imagine. Even in the animal kingdom, love is love.
-Marci
PS - looking for more children’s books to discuss queer topics? Check out What are your favorite LGBTQ-affirming children’s books?