Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Mr. Worf
The funny thing about is that some of the same people that are against
it are self-hating closeted gays.

On 7/20/09, Martin Baxter  wrote:
> Really can't fathom the collective worth of the discussion, but I have no
> right to bar it. My words to the matter are summed up in my previous post in
> this thread.
>
>
>
>
>
> -[ Received Mail Content ]------
>
>  Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love
> triangle ignites debate
>
>  Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:51:31 -0400
>
>  From : Justin Mohareb 
>
>  To : "scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com" 
>
>
> Probably.
>
> Justin
>
> On 2009-07-20, at 8:20 AM, "Martin Baxter"
> wrote:
>
>> Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>>
>> Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love
>> triangle ignites debate
>>
>> Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -
>>
>> From : "ravenadal"
>>
>> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
>>
>>
>> http://chueme.notlong.com
>>
>> From the Los Angeles Times
>>
>> Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
>> At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda.
>> Now the blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about
>> whether homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
>>
>> By Maria L. La Ganga
>>
>> July 17, 2009
>>
>> Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for
>> days over the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his lo
>> ngtime partner.
>>
>> She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes
>> with witch, and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own
>> happiness, no matter who gets hurt."
>>
>> Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and
>> poor, cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether
>> homosexuality is a choice. Even People magazine has called for
>> details.
>>
>> So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the
>> news recently broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate
>> of six years, leaving zookeepers scrambling to explain what one
>> described as "the big philosophical issues."
>>
>> The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about
>> whether animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or
>> homosexual," said Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are
>> people who are trying to draw conclusions from our birds, and I'm
>> not really sure whether that can be done."
>>
>> One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian
>> antics: "Is this something that only happens in San Francisco?"
>>
>> The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New
>> York City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for
>> Scrappy, a California girl who joined them via Sea World.
>>
>> The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the
>> West's are magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the
>> same: Boy meets boy. Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads
>> take notice.
>>
>> Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on
>> Thursday who parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature
>> prefers heterosexual relationships."
>>
>> Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative
>> Liberty Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on
>> Townhall.com
>> that ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen.
>> Larry Craig, who was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an
>> airport bathroom.
>>
>> "In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the
>> zoo's public men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping
>> his flipper. There's even speculation that, as things continue to
>> spiral, he may consider a run for public office."
>>
>> Other commentators were more sympathetic to Pepper. John wrote on a
>> blog called "The Friggin Loon" that he is "heartbroken" for the
>> lovelorn loser and "hopes that he finds another male penguin that is
>> ten times hotter than Harry!"
>>
>> The blog Queerty.com floated another possibility: "Maybe," the
>>

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Martin Baxter
Really can't fathom the collective worth of the discussion, but I have no right 
to bar it. My words to the matter are summed up in my previous post in this 
thread.





-[ Received Mail Content ]--

 Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle 
ignites debate

 Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:51:31 -0400

 From : Justin Mohareb 

 To : "scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com" 


Probably.

Justin

On 2009-07-20, at 8:20 AM, "Martin Baxter"  
wrote:

> Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?
>
>
>
>
>
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>
> Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love 
> triangle ignites debate
>
> Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -
>
> From : "ravenadal" 
>
> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
>
>
> http://chueme.notlong.com
>
> From the Los Angeles Times
>
> Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
> At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda. 
> Now the blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about 
> whether homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
>
> By Maria L. La Ganga
>
> July 17, 2009
>
> Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for 
> days over the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his lo 
> ngtime partner.
>
> She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes 
> with witch, and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own 
> happiness, no matter who gets hurt."
>
> Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and 
> poor, cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether 
> homosexuality is a choice. Even People magazine has called for 
> details.
>
> So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the 
> news recently broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate 
> of six years, leaving zookeepers scrambling to explain what one 
> described as "the big philosophical issues."
>
> The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about 
> whether animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or 
> homosexual," said Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are 
> people who are trying to draw conclusions from our birds, and I'm 
> not really sure whether that can be done."
>
> One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian 
> antics: "Is this something that only happens in San Francisco?"
>
> The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New 
> York City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for 
> Scrappy, a California girl who joined them via Sea World.
>
> The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the 
> West's are magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the 
> same: Boy meets boy. Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads 
> take notice.
>
> Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on 
> Thursday who parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature 
> prefers heterosexual relationships."
>
> Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative 
> Liberty Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on 
> Townhall.com 
> that ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen. 
> Larry Craig, who was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an 
> airport bathroom.
>
> "In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the 
> zoo's public men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping 
> his flipper. There's even speculation that, as things continue to 
> spiral, he may consider a run for public office."
>
> Other commentators were more sympathetic to Pepper. John wrote on a 
> blog called "The Friggin Loon" that he is "heartbroken" for the 
> lovelorn loser and "hopes that he finds another male penguin that is 
> ten times hotter than Harry!"
>
> The blog Queerty.com floated another possibility: "Maybe," the 
> writer posited, "Harry is actually bi?"
>
> In their six years together, Pepper and Harry were foster fathers to 
> a couple of abandoned eggs and hatched a chick named Norris.
>
> They lived near Linda and her partner Fig, a kind of Penguin Island 
> older statesman who controlled "not one but two burrows," said 
> Edell, the bird curator. Fig died in January, and Linda kept them 
> both.
>
> "For penguins, real estate means a lot," Edell noted, so "as far as 
> penguins go, she was a pretty attractiv

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Martin Baxter
And the scary thing about that, Mr Worf, is that some "think tank" with an 
anti-gay agenda is going to pick up this "research" and trumpet its results 
around as a basis for redefining homosexuality as a disease/disorder. I have a 
great many gay friends, and the only "disorders" I've picked up in them are 
some of their tastes in music.





-[ Received Mail Content ]------

 Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle  
ignites debate

 Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:04:11 -0700

 From : "Mr. Worf" 

 To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com


I live in the SF area and haven't seen this on the news yet. I do
think that this ties into the larger debate that was going on a few
years ago. (still going on) The BBC did a documentary about gay
animals. Many people made a lot of assumptions about animals over the
years, but documentary opened an international debate on animal
sexuality. The assumption over the years was that animals were
primarily heterosexual, but after looking at it closer they see that
there are the same variations in sexuality as humans. (also inter
species relationships) They will keep going until they totally run it
into the ground.

On 7/20/09, Justin Mohareb  wrote:
> Probably.
>
> Justin
>
> On 2009-07-20, at 8:20 AM, "Martin Baxter" 
> wrote:
>
>> Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>>
>> Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love
>> triangle ignites debate
>>
>> Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -
>>
>> From : "ravenadal" 
>>
>> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
>>
>>
>> http://chueme.notlong.com
>>
>> From the Los Angeles Times
>>
>> Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
>> At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda.
>> Now the blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about
>> whether homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
>>
>> By Maria L. La Ganga
>>
>> July 17, 2009
>>
>> Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for
>> days over the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his lo
>> ngtime partner.
>>
>> She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes
>> with witch, and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own
>> happiness, no matter who gets hurt."
>>
>> Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and
>> poor, cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether
>> homosexuality is a choice. Even People magazine has called for
>> details.
>>
>> So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the
>> news recently broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate
>> of six years, leaving zookeepers scrambling to explain what one
>> described as "the big philosophical issues."
>>
>> The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about
>> whether animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or
>> homosexual," said Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are
>> people who are trying to draw conclusions from our birds, and I'm
>> not really sure whether that can be done."
>>
>> One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian
>> antics: "Is this something that only happens in San Francisco?"
>>
>> The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New
>> York City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for
>> Scrappy, a California girl who joined them via Sea World.
>>
>> The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the
>> West's are magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the
>> same: Boy meets boy. Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads
>> take notice.
>>
>> Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on
>> Thursday who parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature
>> prefers heterosexual relationships."
>>
>> Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative
>> Liberty Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on
>> Townhall.com
>> that ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen.
>> Larry Craig, who was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an
>> airport bathroom.
>>
>> "In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the
>

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Mr. Worf
I live in the SF area and haven't seen this on the news yet. I do
think that this ties into the larger debate that was going on a few
years ago. (still going on) The BBC did a documentary about gay
animals. Many people made a lot of assumptions about animals over the
years, but documentary opened an international debate on animal
sexuality. The assumption over the years was that animals were
primarily heterosexual, but after looking at it closer they see that
there are the same variations in sexuality as humans. (also inter
species relationships) They will keep going until they totally run it
into the ground.

On 7/20/09, Justin Mohareb  wrote:
> Probably.
>
> Justin
>
> On 2009-07-20, at 8:20 AM, "Martin Baxter" 
> wrote:
>
>> Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>>
>> Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love
>> triangle ignites debate
>>
>> Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -
>>
>> From : "ravenadal" 
>>
>> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
>>
>>
>> http://chueme.notlong.com
>>
>> From the Los Angeles Times
>>
>> Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
>> At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda.
>> Now the blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about
>> whether homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
>>
>> By Maria L. La Ganga
>>
>> July 17, 2009
>>
>> Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for
>> days over the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his lo
>> ngtime partner.
>>
>> She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes
>> with witch, and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own
>> happiness, no matter who gets hurt."
>>
>> Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and
>> poor, cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether
>> homosexuality is a choice. Even People magazine has called for
>> details.
>>
>> So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the
>> news recently broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate
>> of six years, leaving zookeepers scrambling to explain what one
>> described as "the big philosophical issues."
>>
>> The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about
>> whether animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or
>> homosexual," said Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are
>> people who are trying to draw conclusions from our birds, and I'm
>> not really sure whether that can be done."
>>
>> One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian
>> antics: "Is this something that only happens in San Francisco?"
>>
>> The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New
>> York City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for
>> Scrappy, a California girl who joined them via Sea World.
>>
>> The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the
>> West's are magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the
>> same: Boy meets boy. Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads
>> take notice.
>>
>> Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on
>> Thursday who parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature
>> prefers heterosexual relationships."
>>
>> Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative
>> Liberty Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on
>> Townhall.com
>>  that ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen.
>> Larry Craig, who was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an
>> airport bathroom.
>>
>> "In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the
>> zoo's public men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping
>> his flipper. There's even speculation that, as things continue to
>> spiral, he may consider a run for public office."
>>
>> Other commentators were more sympathetic to Pepper. John wrote on a
>> blog called "The Friggin Loon" that he is "heartbroken" for the
>> lovelorn loser and "hopes that he finds another male penguin that is
>> ten times hotter than Harry!"
>>
>> The blog Queerty.com floated another possibility: "Maybe," the
>> writer posited, "Harry is actually bi?"
>>
>> In their six years together, Pepper and Harry were foster fathers to
>> a couple of abandoned eggs and hatched a chick named Norris.
>>
>> They lived near Linda and her partner Fig, a kind of Penguin Island
>> older statesman who controlled "not one but two burrows," said
>> Edell, the bird curator. Fig died in January, and Linda kept them
>> both.
>>
>> "For penguins, real estate means a lot," Edell noted, so "as far as
>> penguins go, she was a pretty attractive prospect."
>>
>> Harry started hanging around. Then he moved in. Linda laid two
>> fertile eggs. Pepper was left living the bachelor's life, along with
>> seven other lonely guys on Penguin Island.
>>
>> Some have argued that Harry and Pepper hooked 

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Justin Mohareb
Probably.

Justin

On 2009-07-20, at 8:20 AM, "Martin Baxter"   
wrote:

> Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?
>
>
>
>
>
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>
> Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love  
> triangle ignites debate
>
> Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -
>
> From : "ravenadal" 
>
> To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
>
>
> http://chueme.notlong.com
>
> From the Los Angeles Times
>
> Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
> At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda.  
> Now the blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about  
> whether homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
>
> By Maria L. La Ganga
>
> July 17, 2009
>
> Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for  
> days over the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his lo 
> ngtime partner.
>
> She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes  
> with witch, and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own  
> happiness, no matter who gets hurt."
>
> Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and  
> poor, cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether  
> homosexuality is a choice. Even People magazine has called for  
> details.
>
> So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the  
> news recently broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate  
> of six years, leaving zookeepers scrambling to explain what one  
> described as "the big philosophical issues."
>
> The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about  
> whether animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or  
> homosexual," said Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are  
> people who are trying to draw conclusions from our birds, and I'm  
> not really sure whether that can be done."
>
> One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian  
> antics: "Is this something that only happens in San Francisco?"
>
> The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New  
> York City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for  
> Scrappy, a California girl who joined them via Sea World.
>
> The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the  
> West's are magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the  
> same: Boy meets boy. Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads  
> take notice.
>
> Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on  
> Thursday who parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature  
> prefers heterosexual relationships."
>
> Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative  
> Liberty Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on 
> Townhall.com 
>  that ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen.  
> Larry Craig, who was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an  
> airport bathroom.
>
> "In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the  
> zoo's public men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping  
> his flipper. There's even speculation that, as things continue to  
> spiral, he may consider a run for public office."
>
> Other commentators were more sympathetic to Pepper. John wrote on a  
> blog called "The Friggin Loon" that he is "heartbroken" for the  
> lovelorn loser and "hopes that he finds another male penguin that is  
> ten times hotter than Harry!"
>
> The blog Queerty.com floated another possibility: "Maybe," the  
> writer posited, "Harry is actually bi?"
>
> In their six years together, Pepper and Harry were foster fathers to  
> a couple of abandoned eggs and hatched a chick named Norris.
>
> They lived near Linda and her partner Fig, a kind of Penguin Island  
> older statesman who controlled "not one but two burrows," said  
> Edell, the bird curator. Fig died in January, and Linda kept them  
> both.
>
> "For penguins, real estate means a lot," Edell noted, so "as far as  
> penguins go, she was a pretty attractive prospect."
>
> Harry started hanging around. Then he moved in. Linda laid two  
> fertile eggs. Pepper was left living the bachelor's life, along with  
> seven other lonely guys on Penguin Island.
>
> Some have argued that Harry and Pepper hooked up because of supply  
> and demand. And the truth is that there aren't enough females on the  
> island -- 21 for the 29 males.
>
> But if that were the only factor, Edell said, there would have been  
> four same-sex pairings instead of just Harry and Pepper. Today,  
> there are none.
>
> "We'll be really interested in the next year or two to see if Pepper  
> pairs up again, and with whom," Edell said. "Give me a call in March."
>
> maria.laga...@latimes.com
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds


[RE][scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites debate

2009-07-20 Thread Martin Baxter
Am I the only person who's amazed that this is even drawing debate?





-[ Received Mail Content ]--

 Subject : [scifinoir2] Penguin soap opera: Straight-gay love triangle ignites 
debate

 Date : Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:38 -

 From : "ravenadal" 

 To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com


http://chueme.notlong.com

>From the Los Angeles Times

Love triangle on Penguin Island arouses passionate debate
At the San Francisco Zoo, Harry left male partner Pepper for Linda. Now the 
blogosphere is enthralled with the scandal, arguing about whether homosexuality 
is a lifestyle choice.

By Maria L. La Ganga

July 17, 2009

Reporting from San Francisco — The blogosphere has been buzzing for days over 
the perky widow who stole the handsome gay guy from his longtime partner.

She's been called a "home wrecker" and the sobriquet that rhymes with witch, 
and lambasted as a wretch "who only lives for her own happiness, no matter who 
gets hurt."

Cherchez la femme notwithstanding, the saga of Linda and Harry and poor, 
cuckolded Pepper has ignited a fierce debate about whether homosexuality is a 
choice. Even People magazine has called for details.

So it goes on Penguin Island at the San Francisco Zoo, where the news recently 
broke that Harry ditched Pepper, his male burrowmate of six years, leaving 
zookeepers scrambling to explain what one described as "the big philosophical 
issues."

The love triangle has spurred a "nature-versus-nurture debate about whether 
animals or people are hard-wired to be heterosexual or homosexual," said 
Harrison Edell, curator of birds. "There are people who are trying to draw 
conclusions from our birds, and I'm not really sure whether that can be done."

One recent zoo guest posed the other big question about the avian antics: "Is 
this something that only happens in San Francisco?"

The answer to that one, thank goodness, is a lot simpler: No. At New York 
City's Central Park Zoo a few years back, Silo left Roy for Scrappy, a 
California girl who joined them via Sea World.

The East Coast's unhappy threesome are chinstrap penguins, the West's are 
magellanics. Aside from that, the saga's pretty much the same: Boy meets boy. 
Boy loses boy. Girl takes blame. Talking heads take notice.

Christian website OneNewsNow.com quoted a "pro-family advocate" on Thursday who 
parsed the Harry-Pepper split as proof that "nature prefers heterosexual 
relationships."

Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with the conservative Liberty 
Counsel, took a more tongue-in-cheek approach in a column on Townhall.com that 
ended with a veiled comparison of Pepper and former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, who 
was arrested for homosexual lewd conduct in an airport bathroom.

"In recent days he has reportedly been spotted waddling around the zoo's public 
men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping his flipper. There's 
even speculation that, as things continue to spiral, he may consider a run for 
public office."

Other commentators were more sympathetic to Pepper. John wrote on a blog called 
"The Friggin Loon" that he is "heartbroken" for the lovelorn loser and "hopes 
that he finds another male penguin that is ten times hotter than Harry!"

The blog Queerty.com floated another possibility: "Maybe," the writer posited, 
"Harry is actually bi?"

In their six years together, Pepper and Harry were foster fathers to a couple 
of abandoned eggs and hatched a chick named Norris.

They lived near Linda and her partner Fig, a kind of Penguin Island older 
statesman who controlled "not one but two burrows," said Edell, the bird 
curator. Fig died in January, and Linda kept them both.

"For penguins, real estate means a lot," Edell noted, so "as far as penguins 
go, she was a pretty attractive prospect."

Harry started hanging around. Then he moved in. Linda laid two fertile eggs. 
Pepper was left living the bachelor's life, along with seven other lonely guys 
on Penguin Island.

Some have argued that Harry and Pepper hooked up because of supply and demand. 
And the truth is that there aren't enough females on the island -- 21 for the 
29 males.

But if that were the only factor, Edell said, there would have been four 
same-sex pairings instead of just Harry and Pepper. Today, there are none.

"We'll be really interested in the next year or two to see if Pepper pairs up 
again, and with whom," Edell said. "Give me a call in March."

maria.laga...@latimes.com





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds