Boston's most famous pair of swans are gay

[Ian David]

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff | August 12, 2005

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.

<snip>


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."

<snip>

''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."

<snip>

Swans will pair up with members of the same sex if there are no opposite-sex mates available, and one will act out the role of the opposite gender. They tend to stay with the same mates until death, typically between age 20 and 30.

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

[Spinzonner]

1. The real question is

why these swans want to destroy the fabric of Western Civilization

:sarcasm:

[Ian David]

3. I blame it on the penguins and gay fruit flies

[ET Awful]

2. Santorum warned us about this type of thing

but did we listen? :cry: Won't somebody please think of the eggs?

[Ian David]

4. ...cherish and love our swans no matter whom they choose to swim with

Marty Rouse, campaign director of MassEquality, said in a telephone interview: ''We should still cherish and love our swans, no matter whom they choose to swim with."

---

[TayTay]

6. I cn't wait to see the Santorum PR on this.

The swans are part of Boston. They are happy. That's that.

But I can't wait to read what the NutBoy from PA says about it and the character of the city that simply shrugs it's shoulders at the news.

[Fridays Child]

5. The news would not surprise the author of this book...

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=jR4RTKXBHj&isbn=0312192398&itm=1

[ET Awful]

7. Of course, we've all missed the MOST important question . . .

Has anyone made sure these two received their toaster oven?

:evilgrin:

[Meldread]

8. ''It's just like one of those fairy tales; why spoil it?"

''It's just like one of those fairy tales; why spoil it?" - Park Spokeswoman Mary Hines

I wasn't aware that just because they were both females, that it spoiled anything... If folks were oooing and aaahing over them before, there is no reason that they still cannot do the same now. I hope they don't plan on trying to do the same thing to the swans that they did to the penguins, separating them, causing them a great deal of distress, trying to convert them to be hetros.

I wish a pro-gay preacher would stand up and say, "Look! This is a sign from God, showing us that he approves of Massachusetts giving same-sex marriage rights!" Then watch the fundie's heads explode. One of them would probably sneak into the park at night and kill both swans.

[Ian David]

10. Let's do the math, shall we?

1918 was the last year that The Boston Redsox won the world series.
That was also the year Massachusetts passed a law banning out-of-state inter-racial couples from marrying.

The next time we won a World Series was in 2004-- the year Gay Marriage became legal in Massachusetts.

The bottom line: Redsox fans should support gay marriage.

Yankees fans should legalize gay marriage in New York.

Gawd has spoken.

[soothsayer]

9. Not just gay---lesbian! Woo hoo, finally one for my team.

[Ian David]

11. The obvious solution is to re-name the swans "Ruth and Naomi"

The Message From the Old Testament: Ruth and Naomi

The beautiful portrayal of loyalty between Ruth and Naomi in the Book of Ruth has caught the imagination of readers throughout the centuries. The words of Ruth which express life-long devotion to her mother-in-law have sometimes become part of the wedding ritual. Although originally spoken by one woman to another, the words seem especially appropriate for a bride and groom to pledge their life-long devotion to one another. "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16b)

Robert Wood first suggested that Ruth and Naomi were involved in a lesbian relationship with one another, in "Homosexual Behavior in the Bible." Few would press the text to yield evidence of physical sexual intercourse between the two women. Nevertheless, lesbians treasure this story and sometimes use these words of Ruth in a ritual in which two lesbians promise life-long love and devotion to one another.

The very real possibility that the relationship between Ruth and Naomi did not include sexual intercourse can serve as a reminder that sex in the narrow sense is not necessarily the heart and centre of a lesbian relationship, just as it is not necessarily the heart and centre of a heterosexual relationship. The essence of any marriage covenant is love, companionship, emotional support, and life-long commitment to one another's welfare.

More:
http://www.elcic.ca/docs/buck/01buck13.html

Also:
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ru/1.html

[sakabatou]

12. Good idea!

:thumbsup: