The iconic lgbtq+ penguin Sphen has died: magic left alone

The world says goodbye to Sphen, the penguin who, together with a member of the same sex, adopted two abandoned eggs, becoming a model parent and an invitation to the freedom to love. He has not known other freedoms. Sphen died in captivity in a Sydney aquarium

He became a constant topic of conversation from the day he met his partner and together they nurtured an abandoned egg, becoming same-sex adoptive parents and lovingly caring for it until it hatched.

Sphen, the male penguin who became an icon of the LGBTQ+ movement, has died, leaving his beloved partner, Magic, alone. The penguin lived at the SEA LIFE Aquarium in Sydney, where he spent almost 12 years in captivity.

The management of SEA LIFE announced the news through their social media channels, sharing a tribute video of Sphen and encouraging their followers to do the same.

A love story born in 2018

The spark between Sphen and Magic ignited in the Penguin Expedition area in 2018, when the aquarium staff decided to introduce them after Magic’s previous partner passed away. Since then, they became inseparable.

In the wild, penguins typically form strong bonds with their partners, but these bonds usually weaken after the breeding season ends. However, these two lovebirds remained united from the very start, a surprising fact for their species.

They swam together and built a nest as the breeding season approached. The team then decided to let the couple practice as new parents. Sphen and Magic were first given a dummy egg and then a real one, which had been discarded by another couple.

A family celebrated worldwide

In October 2018, their first chick, Sphengic, was born, followed by Clancy in 2020. Their love story has been celebrated by newspapers, books, schools, and even featured in an episode of the Netflix series Atypical.

While Sphen and Magic together sent powerful messages about love and the freedom to love, it is also true that Sphen never experienced other forms of freedom outside the aquarium where he was confined for years.

Amid hearts and rainbow balloons, the two penguins brought significant publicity to SEA LIFE in the Australian city. We may never know if their lives were truly as happy as we’ve been told, but we have our doubts.

Source: SEA LIFE