Gay Penguins Fight Back

categories: LGBT Adoption, LGBT Education, LGBT Entertainment

Published October 02, 2009 @ 06:14AM PT

And Tango Makes Three

And Tango Makes Three, the book about two gay male penguins that raise an adopted little penguin, sends shivers down the spines of anti-LGBT people, many of whom race to their nearest library to request that the book be banned from the stacks. The book is the most banned book in the world, according to official library statistics, but this year the penguins aren't taking homophobic rage lying down. Instead, they're the focus of Banned Books Week, a celebration of reading materials that are targeted by extremely conservative forces in communities across the globe.

And that celebration has paid off, literally. Because of the renewed attention on And Tango Makes Three during Banned Books Week 2009, the book has shot up the Amazon.com charts, racing to the top of Amazon's "Movers and Shakers" list, which monitors books that see sudden surges in orders and demand.

And that has both gay rights supporters, as well as the book's publisher, Simon & Schuster, feeling pretty darn smug (and rightly so).

"The current boost in its popularity during Banned Books Week will only spread its positive message to more families," Simon & Schuster's Ingrid Selberg told the Guardian. ""And Tango Makes Three is a charming picture book about love and family. We are proud to have it on our list."

Even more touching? The authors of And Tango Makes Three just became fathers themselves this year, proving that life imitates art, at least just a little bit.

(Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster Children's Books.)

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Comments (9)

It is a shame that people want to ban that book.A book like that can raise awareness for our cause. Closed minds like those that want to ban the book harm our cause more than anything else.

Posted by Martin Martinez on 10/02/2009 @ 08:16AM PT
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Funny how often banning a book brings it even more attention. I'll have to check out this one out. BTW we were just at the San Francisco Zoo and they had a similar story in their penguin populations-- a love triangle where 2 male penguins named Harry and Pepper were together for 6 years and raised a penguin baby together... then recently Harry strayed and is now coupled up with a female penguin named Linda! I took a picture of the sign telling their story:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightymarce/3927332545/in/set-72157622392627850/

Posted by Marcy Hogan on 10/02/2009 @ 08:51AM PT
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Im getting me a copy of that book.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/02/2009 @ 04:55PM PT
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It's good to see the book "And Tango Makes Three" has become popular because of Banned Books Week. Intolerant conservatives who have banned or want that book banned don't have a credible reason for their intolerance. "And Tango Makes Three" deserves the popularity because it supports necessary tolerance for LGBT people. Hopefully, all libraries in the United States that have banned that book will bring "And Tango Makes Three" back to the shelf.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 10/02/2009 @ 05:08PM PT
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"Intolerant conservatives"...please, if the animals are gay then what does that tell you about science? We were all born that way including some penguins. If there are gay penquins then there will be gay people. What does it take for these "intolerant conservatives" to finally get the picture - do they need to be struck by lightning? Here in NY we have on nynonstop.com a commercial that has gay penguins - the comment made was "we have gay penguins? So why was this kept in the closet?" Whats the moral? If the animals are gay why would we not have gay men and lesbian women? HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Chris . on 10/07/2009 @ 04:40PM PT
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P/S...the penguins did not "CHOOSE" to be gay. They were born that way. Just like us mo's!

Posted by Chris . on 10/07/2009 @ 04:43PM PT
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There is a picture of the happy new family in the Times article...and it took them almost 6 years to do. The rock didn't work.

Posted by Lee Dorsey on 10/03/2009 @ 09:33PM PT
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As for whether or not this is a 'reasonable' topic. Or a reality.

I think this wording from a MONTANA Supreme Court Judges deicision on a parent custody case, say all we need to hear..and all we need to keep repeating to ALL AMERICA.

""In his specially concurring decision, Nelson denounced discrimination against gays and lesbians as 'bigotry' and called it 'a prevalent societal cancer grounded in bigotry and hate.' ... 'I remain absolutely convinced ... that homosexuals are entitled to enjoy precisely the same civil and natural rights as heterosexuals, as a matter of constitutional law,' "

http://tinyurl.com/yc7gm2k

Posted by Lee Dorsey on 10/07/2009 @ 07:11PM PT
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Lee, thanks for posting and my heartfelt kudos to that judge! He has the "right sow by the ear" (Henry VIII remark in regards to Cranmer and his solution to the king's marital difficulties). He indeed has the right critter by the ear.

I'm glad to hear that the authors of this delightful book have themselves become fathers. Congrats, guys!

Posted by Ioan Lightoller on 10/08/2009 @ 10:21PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.