famed swan coupLe, actuaLLy same sex coupLe

[sniffa]

Boston's beloved pair of swans -- feted by city leaders, residents, and tourists alike as one of the Hub's most celebrated summer attractions -- are a same-sex couple. Yes, scientific tests have shown that the pair, named Romeo and Juliet, are really Juliet and Juliet.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department conducted the tests months ago, but didn't announce the results for fear of destroying the image of a Shakespearean love story unfolding each year in the Public Garden.

''Each year when the swans go in, the kids immediately come to us and say, 'Which one's Romeo, and which one's Juliet?' " parks spokeswoman Mary Hines said yesterday in response to a Globe inquiry. ''It's just like one of those fairy tales; why spoil it?"

This year and last, the swans have laid eggs in the spring and then stood guard at the nest as visitors and nearby residents made regular pilgrimages, hoping to see the eggs hatch. Neither batch did. Turns out, that's because they were never fertilized by a male swan.

The news ignited something of a debate among swan spectators in the Public Garden yesterday, with some insisting the city now should buy a true Romeo and others saying the city should embrace the two as a couple.

''If these two swans are happy together, they shouldn't have to have a guy," said Emma Stokien, a 15-year-old from New York. ''It's good to have the swans as a symbol of the acceptance in Massachusetts."

Some advocates involved in the heated debate on same-sex marriage took the opportunity to rejuvenate their argument, with a touch of levity.

''I think this proves that there's something in the environment in Massachusetts," Brian Camenker, director of the Article 8 Alliance, a Waltham-based organization fighting same-sex marriage, joked in a telephone interview. ''Maybe it's the water that's causing all this lunacy."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/08/12/thou_art_no_romeo/

[matcom]

1. THIS is the reason for the priest scandal

:hide:

[Connie_Corleone]

2. Those swans need to go to sex re-education camp...NOW!!

[Trigger Hippie]

3. I can't wait on a statement

from Mr. Santorum on this. :silly:

[sui generis]

5. good thing they weren't box turtles /nt

[LynneSin]

4. UnfrickingBelievable

and yet an amazing story.

How long til Fred Phelps shows up with his homophobic rhetoric

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. *lol*

[AngryAmish]

9. God Hates Swans?

[Misunderestimator]

13. LOL!

[Mad_Dem_X]

10. I can see the signs now:

"God Hates Fag Swans." :eyes:

[Merlot]

7. If they bring in a male swan to fertalize the eggs...

would they be condoning a ménages-a-swan?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. HAHAHAHAHAHA

:spank:

[yellowcanine]

8. Don't let Dobson and Falwell near them! They will be trying to free them

from the bondage of homosexuality.

[Misunderestimator]

12. I love me some lesbian swans!!

Now the kids can ask different questions than which one is Romeo and which Juliet... :rofl:

Good.

[cally]

14. I hope the swans are protected

Too many nutcases around who may try to harm the couple. :scared:

[lukasahero]

16. For the record, these swans are city icons

and are fairly well protected as a result. Not to mention, have you ever pissed off a swan? You don't want to. :)

I LOVE this story!

[cally]

17. Thanks...I hope they are OK

and even more folks go to see them now.

[no name no slogan]

15. mmm....homosexual swans.....

[Dastard Stepchild]

18. Ohh.. that' s lovely... I myself live with two homosexual cats...

I won't share the most graphically explicit details, but lets just say there's a lotta love being shared between the two. A whole LOTTA love.

[miss_kitty]

19. I wish my lesbian pals were online lesbians

but they're semi-luddites. I'll have to call with the news!:woohoo: