Some Black Hawk County judges and magistrates have stopped performing civil ceremonies to avoid marrying gays and lesbians. This is a result of the legalization of same-sex marriages by the Iowa Supreme Court.

However, Black Hawk Associate Judge Nathan Callahan performs such ceremonies. He and others like him say taking part in the services have opened their eyes to the struggles gay and lesbian couples face.

It’s yet another example of life imitating art, or at least humans imitating animals.

Ever since “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s book detailing the story of two male penguins and the baby chick they hatched, has been published, in 2005, more people have requested the book’s removal each year from schools and libraries than any other book in the United States, according to the American Library Association.