Closet penguin?

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

Browsing Café Press, I ran into T-shirts with a "closet penguin" motif in the GLBT section. I am baffled. A google search did me no good, all I got was the same T-shirts and a number of clearly irrelevant things. Usually a google search of any kink will turn up a definition on the first page.

Some speculation: perhaps a penguin is a tuxedo fetishist? Or perhaps it's a gay stay-at-home dad, alluding to March of the Penguins? Or maybe it's someone who likes sushi and swimming in cold water. I suppose it could be someone's very personal symbolism which they had no intention of ever selling publicly, but there seems to be a whole slough of offerings.

So I thought I'd ask the hep-cats in Davis Square for advice. What are the young people talking about these days?

Comments

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

I would have gone with a theory that they are “closet” Linux users or something like that. But that's just the geek in me. And it doesn't make sense anyhow since Linux users are cool and geeky fun. A closet windows user would make more sense. No one wants to admit they are a windows user. :-)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

That one has me baffled. But then, I'm no spring chicken. :-)

[thegecko.livejournal.com]

is it because some aquariums have gay penguin couples? (they do) and it makes all the righties all upset?

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

Yup, some of the T-shirts even have "Roy loves Silo" which are the names of the two gay penguins at Central Park Zoo in New York.

[xuth.livejournal.com]

I believe it's mis-filed. It is a play on "closet"ed GLBT people but the penguin stands for being a linux user. So effectively it's a linux user who for instance must be a windows user at work.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

seconded

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

I thought the same, but then I looked at the T-shirts. They're all rainbow themed and have pride on them. Also some are labeled "Gay Penguin for America". Sounds pretty GLBT to me.

I did find a blog, "Gay Penguin", so maybe that has something to do with it?

[xuth.livejournal.com]

Even with your added comments I stand by my previous description. It may in addition be targetted towards glbt crowd but I really do believe that the penguin stands for linux user.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

There has been some outrage by conservatives in Illinois (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061117/ap_on_re_us/gay_penguins_book_flap)lately about "And Tango Makes Three" (http://www.amazon.com/Notable-Childrens-Books-Younger-Readers/dp/0689878451/sr=8-1/qid=1164910798/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5352414-8320769?ie=UTF8&s=books), a book telling the true story about the two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

I also heard a blurb on the news last night about people claiming that the new movie "Happy Feet" also has gay penguins. Didn't read anything about that one, though.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I looked up the penguins Roy and Silo and was sad to find out that they broke up (http://www.dailydoseofqueer.com/2005/09/25/529/).

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

If I understood every in-joke I've accidentally found on Cafê Press, I'd...well, I'd understand considerably more in-jokes.

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

Err, this is not the accented E you are looking for.

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what the true meaning is, but my husband is obsessed with penguins and will definitely want one of those shirts. ;)

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

do they have one that says “armoire penguin”? that, in fact, would be ideal.

-steve

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

The other day I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the Linux penguin (you know, THE Linux penguin) and it said "Roy's Air Conditioning Repair Service, Somerville MA." I was alarmed.

Happy Feet

[colorgarden.livejournal.com]

A bunch of idiot conservatives are saying that the movie "Happy Feet" (the animated one with the penguins) has gay overtones and is trying to turn people gay or something. My guess is that the t-shirt is referring to a combination of gay penguin themes in the news lately, including "Happy Feet" and the above-mentioned stories.