News & Politics - "Gay penguin book" raises complaints in Illinois school

elisheva · 11-19-2006, 06:30 PM

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Gay penguin book shakes up Ill. school

By JIM SUHR, Associated Press WriterFri Nov 17, 6:47 AM ET

A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children — and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book — available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis — tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out.

For now, "And Tango Makes Three" will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.

Filyaw considers the book "adorable" and age appropriate, written for children ages 4 to 8.

"My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," she said. "It means you represent different families in a society — different religions, different beliefs."

Lilly Del Pinto thought the book looked charming when her 5-year-old daughter brought it home in September. Del Pinto said she was halfway through reading it to her daughter "when the zookeeper said the two penguins must be in love."

"That's when I ended the story," she said.

Del Pinto said her daughter's teacher told her she was unfamiliar with the book, and the school's librarian directed the mother to Filyaw.

"I wasn't armed with pitchforks or anything. I innocently was seeking answers," Del Pinto said, agreeing with Filyaw's belief that pulling the book from the shelves could constitute censorship.

The book has created similar flaps elsewhere. Earlier this year, two parents voiced concerns about the book with librarians at the Rolling Hills' Consolidated Library's branch in the northwest Missouri town of Savannah.

Barbara Read, Rolling Hills' director, has said she consulted with staff members at the Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City zoos and the University of Oklahoma's zoology department, who told her adoptions aren't unusual in the world of penguins.

She said the book was then moved to the nonfiction section because it was based on actual events. In that section, she said, there was less of a chance that the book would "blindside" someone.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press.

Source - Yahoo News

I think moving the book out of the children's section would be ridiculous. Kids' books are a good way of introducing different ideas to kids, anyway. If the ideas are ones you're uncomfortable with, for whatever reason, then TALK to your kids about it - don't just stop them from learning about them.

(Also, penguins are cute.)

migamoo · 11-19-2006, 07:33 PM

I really don't see anything wrong with this book. It's about two penguins that just happen to be males, who take care of an egg and then the actual baby. It has nothing to do with homosexuality at all like the parents seem to think it is. It is a children's book and should stay where it is.

chicah · 11-20-2006, 12:27 AM

And even if the penguins are in love, it's nothing wrong with it. It has been researched that homosexuality is very common amongst animals (so anyone who said it's not natural, are obviously wrong), a lot more common that it is amongst humans, and it is also accepted in the animal world. Homosexuality shouldn't be a taboo in 2006, parents should talk to their kids and simply explain that sometimes, people fall in love with their own gender, but it's not really any different from a man and a woman falling in love. A man and a woman aren't better or anything like that.
I agree that removing the book from the shelves is censorship.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 07:24 AM

Homosexuality isn't the main point of this book though. Hell, I don't even think that it is a point in the book. It's a true story of two penguins who adopt an egg, end of story.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 10:31 AM

I can see why the parents don't want their young children to see it. Homosexuality is a sensitive issue and I bet that most young children at the age of 5 and younger don't understand it. In my opinion, I would have to say that children's book shouldn't have homosexual undertones or themes. In all my experiences at zoos, I haven't really seen gay animals. From what I've seen, many animals get really mad and hostile about homosexuality. And the zoos that I have been to aren't crappy rinky dink ones either. Chicago has some of the best zoos in America in my opinion.

So are the two male penguins gay in the story or what? Or are they too heterosexual penguins who are just friends and are taking care of an egg?

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 10:55 AM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

Chicago has some of the best zoos in America in my opinion.

I didn't really care for the Lincoln Park Zoo myself.

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So are the two male penguins gay in the story or what? Or are they too heterosexual penguins who are just friends and are taking care of an egg?

I believe they were in a homosexual relationship yes, but that's not the point of the book. It's a true story of penguins adopting the egg and raising the baby.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 11:38 AM

A children's book that has a homosexual relationship in it? Little kids don't need to be exposed to that in my opinion. They're young and fragile and they definately don't understand it.
Why couldn't author just say that the book was inspired by two penguins and leave out the homosexual relationship? If that author would have done that then there probably wouldn't be a big deal about it. I would have to say that most young children probably aren't interested in homosexual themes especially if they are in books. Besides, I believe that children until a certain mature age are innocent. They aren't perfect but they have that innocence.

A lot of people say that San Diego has the best zoo in America. I've never been to it so I don't know. In my personal experience, I liked the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago the best.

chicah · 11-20-2006, 01:20 PM

Jacob1983: If they are able to understand that their parents love each other, or at least that their parents like to be with each other, for instance, then they won't have any problem imagining others doing so and they won't have any problems with two boys or two girls feeling that way about each other either. Children are very often more tolerant and nice that adults, because the children still don't have these built-up under many years-prejudices and opinions of certain people.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 03:25 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

A children's book that has a homosexual relationship in it?

While I've never read the book, I don't think it's the main point of the book at all.

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Little kids don't need to be exposed to that in my opinion. They're young and fragile and they definitely don't understand it.

Kids are not as fragile as you think. They are some of the most resilient people I've ever met. And how do you know they won’t understand it? Were you told what homosexuality was at that age? I’ve known what it was for longer than I can remember. The first thing I can remember, I was told it was two boys or two girls who love each other like a mommy loves a daddy. You tell that to someone and they know what it means. It has nothing to do with sex, but love, and only love. My girlfriend has two younger brothers, one 6 and one 11, and they’ve known what homosexuality was since a young age, and they understood it.

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Why couldn't author just say that the book was inspired by two penguins and leave out the homosexual relationship?

I think that is what the book is.

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Besides, I believe that children until a certain mature age are innocent. They aren't perfect but they have that innocence.

Children are only so innocent. At what age would you put it? Me? I’d say it’s until they know the difference between right and wrong.

Chicah I completely agree with what you said about children. Great points to bring up.

elisheva · 11-20-2006, 05:52 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

A children's book that has a homosexual relationship in it? Little kids don't need to be exposed to that in my opinion. They're young and fragile and they definately don't understand it.
Why couldn't author just say that the book was inspired by two penguins and leave out the homosexual relationship? If that author would have done that then there probably wouldn't be a big deal about it. I would have to say that most young children probably aren't interested in homosexual themes especially if they are in books. Besides, I believe that children until a certain mature age are innocent. They aren't perfect but they have that innocence.

A lot of people say that San Diego has the best zoo in America. I've never been to it so I don't know. In my personal experience, I liked the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago the best.

I agree with chicah, first of all, that kids can soemtimes accept ideas faster than adults becvause they have less built-up walls of opinion. But the thing is, saying that kids are too innocent to be exposed to homosexual relationships automatically suggests that there's something wrong/corrupt/immoral about homosexuality. Parents are free to believe that and teach their children that (as long as it's not accompanied by "therefore, gay people are evil") but that's a specific moral-religious standpoint that public libraries should not be endorsing.

TokyoNiGHTS · 11-20-2006, 06:03 PM

Some parents are way too touchy when it comes to homosexuality. Look no further than the big fuss that was made over the purple Teletubby. All it did I believe was have a purse and people autoamtically assumed it was gay and many so called groups for family got angry about it. And while this is somewhat different its also nothing to get pissed about. Most kids won't understand it anyway. And those that do might actually grow up to not discriminate against an entire segment of people just because of who they might fall in love with. Which is really a good thing for everyone.

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 07:33 PM

When I was a little kid, things were way different than they are now. I honestly probably didn't know even what homosexuality was until I was about in 5th grade or at the start of middles chool.

I believe that parents have the right to protect and shield their children from things that they find offensive. If I was a parent, I wouldn't want my young children to see a book that had homosexual themes. Children should be allowed to be as innocent as long as possible.

A lot of people might disagree with this but I think that all human beings have some type of built-in biases and prejudices. It's a flaw that humans have but we all know that people aren't perfect.

migamoo · 11-20-2006, 07:46 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

When I was a little kid, things were way different than they are now.

You are two years older than I am and the only thing that I think has changed is the attitude of parenting. What I mean by this is that I remember when I was younger parents actually spent time with their children and now it seems like they let the TV or the computer or a video game babysit their kids. But when something so trivial like this comes up, parents get into a hissy fit. Personally, I don't think they have the right to. I mean, if you don't properly raise your children, what say do you have in not allowing them to read a story?

Jacob1983 · 11-20-2006, 07:57 PM

If parents believe that homosexuality is immoral and dangerous for their kids to be expose to, then I see nothing wrong with them wanting to avoid the issue. Children shouldn't be expected to have to grow up so fast and deal with all the stuff of the real world.

Parents have the right to dictate what their children are exposed to. Parents have the right in my opinion to determine what their children read, watch on tv, what kind of music they listen, what kind of friends they have, etc...

A story about two gay penguins is just weird to me. When I was a little kid, I never saw any stories in books about gay animals or gay humans.

elisheva · 11-20-2006, 08:05 PM

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Originally Posted by Jacob1983 (View Post)

If parents believe that homosexuality is immoral and dangerous for their kids to be expose to, then I see nothing wrong with them wanting to avoid the issue. Children shouldn't be expected to have to grow up so fast and deal with all the stuff of the real world.

Sure, parents can keep the issue out of their homes. But that's not the job of a PUBLIC library. A private religious library could do that. Not a public school or county or city library.

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Parents have the right to dictate what their children are exposed to. Parents have the right in my opinion to determine what their children read, watch on tv, what kind of music they listen, what kind of friends they have, etc...

To what degree, though? Does this extend to denying them the full education they have a legal right to? (For ex., trying to deny children the right to science classes.) And until what age? 12? 16? 25?


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