NEWS: Pollution Creates Gay Seagulls

GEEK: Pollution Creates Gay Seagulls

Scientists have documented a wide range of disturbances and ill effects in animals, all caused by pollution. Often, these effects are most obvious in the reproductive systems.

Falling sperm counts, birds who stop singing for a mate, newts who have trouble recognizing sex hormones, and - indeed - gay seagulls are all results of pollution.

When people think of the dangers of pollution and how it affects animals, they usually have a mental image of seagulls covered in oil or animals trapped in plastic wrappings, but these are just a few of the more obvious effects.

Animals are fundamentally changed and disturbed by pollution. In some parts of the world, the water is so filthy with chemicals that, on average, more sterile, hermaphrodite fish are born than normal healthy fish.

Natural chemicals play a huge part in determining how creatures behave. If we continue to introduce our pollution and chemicals to the animal world, the results can be catastrophic. We are only beginning to understand just how catastrophic it could be.

I'm waiting for the first snarky "Flock of Seagulls" comment... I know this site too well.

Hmmm.... Englebert Humperdinck must've taken part in this study...

CAUTION: FALLING SPERM counts

Good, seagulls are flying rats and I'm down for anything that reduces their population.

Over rocks and trees and sand
Soaring over cliffs
And gently floating down to land
She proudly lifts her voice
To sound her mating call
And soon her mate responds by singing
Caw Caw Caw
Come with me

Lesbian Seagull

Settle down and rest with me

Fly with me lesbian seagull

To my little nest by the sea
With me that's where you belong with me
I know I can be strong when you're with me
She skims the water
At the new time to seek
Her fish and she emerges
With one squirming in her beak

She plays among the waves
And hides between the swells
She walks the beach at twilight

Searching for some shells
Come with me

Lesbian Seagull

Settle down and rest with me

Oh fly with me lesbian seagull

To my little nest by the sea

With me that's where you belong with me
I know I can be strong when you're -- you're with me

And in the evening
As they watch the setting sun
She loooks at her as if to say
The day is done
It's time to find their shelter

Hidden in the dunes

And fall asleep the
Music of the moon
You and me

Lesbian seagull

You just watch the world oh my

Just you and me lesbian seagull

Side by side with me 'till we die
('Till we die)
You and I
We can make it if we try
Our love will keep us flyin' high

Until we die...

I was totally gonna make the Lesbian seagull comment...DAMNIT!

Yet more ammunition for those who believe that homosexuality is an illness that can be cured.

Not that I'm a fan of ignoring scientific evidence or anything, but "toxins cause homosexuality" just begs for exploitation. Sigh. I wonder how long it will be before groups like National Alliance pick up on this.

I hand my clever headline card to you snottlebocket......I thought the illinois vs dave matthews title was good but....here your clever headline club card.

am i the only one laghing at the mental image of goldfish with ADHD and leather-chap-wearing gulls?

No. I keep thinking it would make a great spoof of "Finding Nemo".

It's sad, but I still find a bit of humor in the cartoonish images.

I don't know any gay sheep. but my dachshund is pretty gay.

No, it's not a valid argument, but I recall similar debates coming up after some brain research in the mid-'90s; there was concern over establishing any physiological basis for being gay because that could lead to, in the worst case, abortions of fetuses that showed the same structure. (The book that set that debate off was Brain Sex, IIRC.)

Whether or not the argument was valid doesn't necessarily affect whether or not it would be used by groups such as NatVan, tho. Several of their essays on homosexuality still bandy about the tried-and-true homophobe line of "child molestation is the primary means by which homosexuals create new homosexuals."

I'm inclined to think that the technicalities would be overlooked.

Edited to add: the "toxins cause homosexuality" line in the earlier post wasn't meant to restate the findings, of course. I was using it more as an example of how the issue could be simplified and misused.

[Edited on Sep 06, 2004 by Infra]

in this case they're not really gay anyway, it seems that way but what's really happening is that the gulls are having trouble discerning the difference between a viable sex partner and a sexual rival for instance.
lots of creatures use things like scent pheromones to guide their sexual process, if chemicals then disturb that process and make them unable to see a clear difference it doesn't make them gay, they're not thinking hmm i'm gonna go out and find me a fine manbird tonight.

we used to have a male rabbit that tried to have sex with the other male rabbit (oh god the fur cleaning afterwards, the horror) anyway even though that rabbit tried to do another male it wasn't gay.
it also tried to hump balloons, dogs, legs and flowerpots.


[Edited on Sep 06, 2004 by Snottlebocket]

ooh how about a movie were a gay evildoer tries to pollute ny city so that everyone will be gay!

Homosexuality is described in ancient texts, such as the Bible. That demonstrates that homosexuality is not "caused" by pollution, because modern day pollutants did not exist at that time.

There is a chance that pollution may cause some people to be homosexual, who would not otherwise have done so, but that is pure speculation.

Whatever the cause of homosexuality, it is just part of human behaviour and not something that needs to be cured.

I wonder if radioactive waste has a similar result; I always wanted to know what Godzilla was like in his off-hours.

This isn't particularly new. Human sexuality is only partially caused by chromosomes. It also requires the right hormones at the right time in the fetus. Smoking can definitely interrupt this, it's not a stretch to believe that industrial pollution causes this as well.

So, ironically, the big-business, big-tobacco republicans are causing homosexuality.

I'm in complete agreement with you here.

What I'm trying to say is that it's difficult enough being gay right now considering the religious and other attitudes that float around regarding homosexuality. It's more difficult when it comes to the legal matters -- gay marriage being one of the most visible points. One of the best defenses against homophobia and discrimination has been the 10% figure, combined with the affirmation that being gay is an orientation and not a choice; it's something integral to the person.

This is where these findings become problematic, I think. Given this data, it's possible to challenge the orientation stance by stating, yes, it is integral to the person, but it's a deformation/mutation/illness caused by environmental factors. Or, at least some of the people who are gay wouldn't have been gay by nature if they hadn't been exposed to these chemicals.

Maybe I'm only concerned about this because I'm burned out. I've gotten tired of being told that I should die because I have a thing for guys, or that I'll be beaten if some straight guy thinks I'm flirting with him -- or even finds out that I'm bi. I guess I'm just not looking forward to hearing more rhetoric about gays being "selfish hedonists" and destructive mutants.

As I mentioned above, and as you and bean have noted, this would be technically inaccurate, but this would not prevent the employment of the idea in anti-gay rhetoric. All that a lot of these groups need is a partial truth. Unfortunately, this study provides one.

Finding Homo?

how gay was this sheep, i meen did he refuse to go outside in the rain after doing his coat and always made sure his bag matched his hoof's...?

Every dog I've ever owned was full-on Liberace gay. I'm not too sure about my new puppy yet, she's still kinda young and I haven't had her long enough to find out, but sure enough, my last male dog would only hump male humans, and my last female dog would only let other female dogs sniff her ass through the fence, male dog came around and she'd ignore him until he got more anxious then she'd bark at him and growl. It was great.