In true Leslie Knope fashion, the ZSL London Zoo will be hosting a pride event next weekend for its same-sex penguin couples, according to The Hill. The zoo has 93 penguin couples, three of which are same-sex ones.
In honor of the event, zookeeper placed a banner that reads “Some penguins are gay. Get over it,” alluding to Stonewall’s “Get Over It Campaign.”
Penguin Beach is home to the Zoo’s most famous same-sex couple, Ronnie and Reggie, and our #penguins are joining in on the #Pride celebrations! 🐧 Discover more about our pride-themed activities at the Zoo! 🏳️🌈 https://t.co/G62kM4oKGA #PrideInLondon @PrideInLondon #ZooLife pic.twitter.com/uIWSb7Ah5F
— ZSL London Zoo (@zsllondonzoo) June 26, 2019
At the event, zoogoers will be able to learn about gender and mating in the animal kingdom along with how common it is for animals to enter into same-sex pairings, with animals ranging from (but not limited to) “penguins and pandas to goats and giraffes.”
The zoo highlights its “most famous gay residents,” Ronnie and Reggie, a same-sex penguin couple who have been together since 2014 who, after a year of pairing, adopted a chick that had been abandoned by another penguin couple. A zookeeper at the ZSL London said that the two “remain as strong as ever and are often found snuggled up in their nest box together.”
It’s always nice to take a break from the doom and gloom of today’s world (which is, of course, what I write mostly about) and take a step back to enjoy that something this cute and innocuous will occur and that it will be a teaching opportunity to anyone willing to learn. While not humans, I suppose it’s also important to normalize homosexuality in the animal kingdom so maybe one day people will stop saying that being LGBTQ is unnatural.
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Source: The Hill