Introduction
And Tango Makes Three is a real-life story shaped into the literary form by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The book tells the readers the story of two penguins from the Central Park Zoo who hatched an egg together and practically gave birth to another penguin named Tango. Mr. Gramzay, the zookeeper, mentioned that “it takes two to make a Tango” and that the two penguins became fathers (Richardson et al., 2015, p. 431). Therefore, the book was banned from school libraries due to the allegedly controversial content that children might misunderstand. Even so, most of the issues came from the parents, who believed that the story depicted in And Tango Makes Three could not be genuine and was merely made up to push the homosexual agenda. This essay aims to look into the board policies of both Sullivan County Schools and Bristol City Schools and offer an in-depth comparison of the material policies at hand.
Discussion
The narrative occurs at the Central Park Zoo in New York, where many human and animal families may be seen. Special consideration is given to penguin families, which generally begin with pairing a male and a female penguin. On the other hand, two male penguins called Roy and Silo acted differently than the other penguins and spent all their time together. According to Richardson, “They exchanged bows. And then they walked together. They were singing to each other. And they swam together. Silo followed Roy wherever he went” (p. 10). Roy and Silo slept in a stone nest they made after studying other penguin couples. They quickly realized, however, that their nest was missing an egg.
To compensate, Roy discovered an egg-shaped rock, and the two penguins took turns sitting on it. Mr. Gramzay, the keeper of the zoo’s penguin section, devised the idea of placing an egg in need of care in Roy and Silo’s nest. One of the other penguin couples had two eggs but could not care for more than one at a time. Roy and Silo took great care to ensure that the egg hatched by flipping it daily to keep both sides warm. After almost a month of watching and waiting, the egg hatched, and the caretaker, Mr. Gramzay, called the young penguin Tango. Tango was the first penguin in the zoo to have two fathers. They took terrific care of her and reared her well, just like all other penguin families had done for their kids.
Over the past few years, the book has received objections based on promoting homosexuality, religious viewpoints, and unsuitability to specific age groups. According to Justin Richardson, “We wrote the book to help parents teach children about same-sex parent families. It’s no more an argument in favor of human gay relationships than it is to call for children to swallow their fish whole or sleep on rocks” (Richardson, 2022). The narrative promotes homosexuality just as much as it does devouring fish whole and sleeping on rocks.
This story sparked outrage from many persons and groups, and it was removed from a few chosen schools and libraries. According to Emanuel, (2021), “those trying to remove the book have classified it as “unsuitable for age group,” and claimed “religious perspective” and “homosexuality” as reasons for opposing the book. (p. 47). The prevalence of homosexuality and its standing in our society and the family structures within it has sparked much controversy in many segments of American culture. Conservative religious organizations opposed to LGBT social movements have condemned homosexuality in humans and expanded their argument to encompass the rest of the animal kingdom. In addition to these groups, parents and officials at numerous schools and libraries around the country have removed, restricted access to, or relocated the book.
Sullivan County Schools and Bristol City Schools board policies take on similar stances as far as the central theme of the book is concerned, homosexuality and same-sex parents. Both schools’ board policies are not only inclusive but also accommodative to every individual. According to Sullivan, the Board of Education reaffirms its belief that every student, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or perceived sexual orientation, be given equal opportunity for educational development (Board Policies). Students at Bristol are free to assert whichever gender they identify with, dress how they please, play sports with teammates of the same gender, and use whichever restroom or locker room conforms to their gender. The Board of Education believes all students are entitled to quality education in a safe environment. It seeks to balance the privacy needs of all students with the preferences of transgender students and their parents.
Conclusion
And Tango Makes Three is a book written with same-sex parents in the authors’ mind. As a teacher, it is seen that board policies in both schools are accommodative and inclusive of sexual orientation, which is the book’s central theme. Undoubtedly, both schools will allow and promote the book to be read by the students. The book is open to parents and guardians who are available to their children, conforming to any gender identity. Homosexuality is an issue that should be addressed in detail. Furthermore, the book has its own merits and demerits. Despite homosexuality, the text, on the other hand, is an excellent choice for explaining the diverse makeup of families today. It provides an age-appropriate story that illustrates tolerance and how a family is based on love and caring. My advice to any parent is that the book has to be well analyzed in terms of its advantages and disadvantages to children before any action is taken. However, in the case of the schools mentioned above, the best way is to reconsider the material and have other better options, given that others oppose homosexuality.
References
Board policies. Board Policies. (n.d.). Web.
Emanuel, N. (2021). The politics of penguin pleasure: why animal sexualities matter to humans. University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Liang, X., & Cohrssen, C. (2020). Towards creating inclusive environments for LGBTIQ-parented families in early childhood education and care settings: A review of the literature.Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 45(1), 43-55. Web.
Richardson, J., Parnell, P., Cole, H., & Harris, N. P. (2015). And Tango makes three. Little Simon.
Richardson, J. D. (2022). The Abolitionist’s Journal: Memories of an American Antislavery Family. University of New Mexico Press.