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{{Short description|Anti-LGBT conspiracy theory}}
{{Short description|Anti-LGBT conspiracy theory}}
{{Redirect|Gay frogs|the actual practice of homosexual behavior among frogs|homosexuality in amphibians}}
{{Redirect|Gay frogs|the actual practice of homosexual behavior among frogs|homosexuality in amphibians}}Beginning in the 2010s, various media personalities promoted [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] claiming that exposure to [[Endocrine disruptor|endocrine disrupting]] chemical [[pollutants]] was responsible for an alleged increase in [[gay]] or [[transgender]] individuals. Various news organizations have disputed or debunked these claims, and characterized them as [[anti-LGBT rhetoric]].<ref name="Kacala" />


In current [[medical science]], there is no known link between endocrine disruptors and human [[gender identity]] or [[sexuality]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaczynski |first=Abby Turner,Andrew |date=2023-07-13 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly suggested that chemicals in water are impacting sexuality of children {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/politics/robert-kennedy-jr-chemicals-water-children-frogs/index.html |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> and no known [[biochemical]] treatment that could influence or override a person's [[sexuality]] or [[gender identity]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Contreras |first=Russell |last2=Holzman |first2=Jael |date=Jul 5, 2023 |title=Fringe gender-chemical theory goes mainstream |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/07/05/pollution-vaccine-theory-trans-people-mainstream |website=Axios}}</ref> There is no evidence demonstrating that homosexuality<ref name="Bailey" /> or transgender identity have become more prevalent over time.<ref name=":0" />
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=July 2023}}
⚫
[[File:Yellow poison dart frog at Chester Zoo (with comedic edits).png|thumb|right|325px|This is an example of the related [[internet meme]], using an initial photograph of a [[poison dart frog]].]]


==Background==
The '''LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory''' is a [[conspiracy theory]] against [[LGBT community|LGBT people]] that posits nefarious agents dominating the nation's culture are polluting landscapes in the United States to change individuals from being [[cisgender]] heterosexuals into something else via chemical reactions. These assertions, although being without any factual validity, have been made by a variety of influential celebrity figures such as [[Alex Jones]] while gaining mass interest from 2015 onwards. The theory relies on [[Prejudice|prejudical preconceptions]] relating to [[homophobia]] and other prior beliefs, gaining a particular foothold among [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatives]]. News agencies that have condemned these views include [[NBC News]], ''[[Philadelphia Gay News]]'', ''[[The Independent]]'', and ''[[The Washington Blade]]''.<ref name="Kacala"/>
⚫
Scientific consensus, as summarized in a 2016 study in the journal ''Psychological Science in the Public Interest'', is that "no persuasive evidence that the rate of same-sex attraction has varied much across time or place" exists. As well, arguments around supposed recruitment processes and other notions of altered orientation due to a given social environment wind up being "distorted by numerous confounding factors". The exact causes that determine someone's innate [[sexual orientation]] is not currently known. In psychological terms, however, hatred or other negative attitudes towards somebody who isn't heterosexual is highly correlated with the bias of thinking that their identity is/was changeable.<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=J. Michael|last2=Vasey|first2=Paul L.|last3=Diamond|first3=Lisa M.|last4=Breedlove|first4=S. Marc|last5=Vilain|first5=Eric|last6=Epprecht|first6=Marc|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|date=2016|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|s2cid=42281410 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


Instances of the conspiracy theory frequently reference the herbicide [[Atrazine]]. Atrazine is a suspected [[endocrine disruptor]]. A 2002 study by [[Tyrone Hayes]] found that exposure caused male tadpoles to become [[hermaphrodite]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hayes |first=Tyrone |last2=Haston |first2=Kelly |last3=Tsui |first3=Mable |last4=Hoang |first4=Anhthu |last5=Haeffele |first5=Cathryn |last6=Vonk |first6=Aaron |date=2002 |title=Feminization of male frogs in the wild |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/419895a |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=419 |issue=6910 |pages=895–896 |doi=10.1038/419895a |issn=1476-4687}}</ref> However, further studies failed to replicate this result,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jooste |first=Alarik M. |last2=Du Preez |first2=Louis H. |last3=Carr |first3=James A. |last4=Giesy |first4=John P. |last5=Gross |first5=Timothy S. |last6=Kendall |first6=Ronald J. |last7=Smith |first7=Ernest E. |last8=Van Der Kraak |first8=Glen L. |last9=Solomon |first9=Keith R. |date=2005-07-01 |title=Gonadal Development of Larval Male Xenopus laevis Exposed to Atrazine in Outdoor Microcosms |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es048134q |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |language=en |volume=39 |issue=14 |pages=5255–5261 |doi=10.1021/es048134q |issn=0013-936X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Renner |first=Rebecca |date=2008 |title=Atrazine Effects in Xenopus Aren't Reproducible |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es087113j |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |language=en |volume=42 |issue=10 |pages=3491–3493 |doi=10.1021/es087113j |issn=0013-936X}}</ref> and the [[EPA]] concluded that the chemical does not adversely affect amphibian reproduction.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-30 |title=Atrazine Updates {{!}} Pesticides {{!}} US EPA |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930062846/http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/atrazine/atrazine_update.htm#amphibian |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref> The chemical and its safety to humans remains controversial, due to other potential reproductive risks. The [[CDC]] notes a potential association between Atrazine exposure and birth defects in farmers, but says that "exposure levels are expected to be very low” for the general population.<ref name="Kane">{{cite news |last=Kane |first=Christopher |date=June 19, 2023 |title=RFK Jr. claims chemicals in the water are turning boys transgender |journal=[[The Washington Blade]] |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2023/06/19/rfk-jr-claims-chemicals-in-the-water-are-turning-boys-transgender/ |accessdate=June 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Victoria">{{cite news |last=Brownworth |first=Victoria A. |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Shaming of a Legacy |journal=[[Philadelphia Gay News]] |url=https://epgn.com/2023/06/21/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-shaming-of-a-legacy/ |accessdate=June 22, 2023}}</ref> According to [[Shanna Swan]], any proposed link between the chemical and human gender is "highly uncertain", and there is no evidence of an increase in transgender people.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Contreras |first=Russell |last2=Holzman |first2=Jael |date=Jul 5, 2023 |title=Fringe gender-chemical theory goes mainstream |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/07/05/pollution-vaccine-theory-trans-people-mainstream |website=Axios}}</ref>
Specific, unsubstantiated statements claiming that exposure to different materials has caused most of the frogs in America to change from heterosexual to homosexual have been widely mocked online and became an
[[internet meme]].<ref name="Greg">{{cite news |last=Graziosi |first=Graig |date=20 June 2023 |title=YouTube removes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. video featuring bizarre claim that polluted water makes children transgender |journal=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/youtube-removes-rfk-conspiracy-video-b2360440.html |accessdate=22 June 2023}}</ref>


==Specific allegations and media reactions==
According to [[medical science]], [[transgender people]] possess both an inherent [[biological sex]] and also a related [[gender identity]], with the latter existing along a gradual spectrum. The idea that [[Biochemistry|biochemical treatment]] can swap someone from one innate status completely to another is a [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific misconception]]. [[Transgender health care|Gender-affirming healthcare]] and related aspects of '[[Gender transition|transitioning]]' involve aligning someone's [[Human physical appearance|physical appearance]] and broader self-expression as well as other matters of their [[anatomy]] and [[physiology]] on the one side, with their inherent [[Mind|mental state]] that had already been that way from the beginning on the other side. A cisgender person cannot be converted into being a transgender one and vice versa.
===Alex Jones===

Beginning in 2010, [[Alex Jones]] claimed that the [[US government]] was covertly waging a "chemical warfare operation" using a "[[gay bomb]]" to encourage homosexuality and reduce birth rates,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Tucker |date=2018-09-14 |title=Alex Jones' 5 most disturbing and ridiculous conspiracy theories |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/14/alex-jones-5-most-disturbing-ridiculous-conspiracy-theories.html |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> including through "weaponized perfumes".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Media Matters |date=2018-06-22 |title=Alex Jones: The Pentagon has "weaponized perfumes" that make men gay to prevent them from having kids |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/alex-jones-pentagon-has-weaponized-perfumes-make-men-gay-prevent-them-having-kids |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en}}</ref> Jones alleged that runoff from Atrazine had caused most of the frogs in America to become homosexual, and that the compound had the same effect on humans. Jones' 2015 rant about "chemicals in the water that turn the freakin' frogs gay" has been widely mocked online and became an [[internet meme]].<ref name="Kacala">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/infowars-alex-jones-has-long-history-inflammatory-anti-lgbtq-speech-n898431|title=Infowars' Alex Jones has a long history of inflammatory, anti-LGBTQ speech|date=August 7, 2018|accessdate=June 22, 2023|first=Alexander|last=Kacala|work=[[NBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="Greg">{{cite news |last=Graziosi |first=Graig |date=20 June 2023 |title=YouTube removes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. video featuring bizarre claim that polluted water makes children transgender |journal=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/youtube-removes-rfk-conspiracy-video-b2360440.html |accessdate=22 June 2023}}</ref>
Similarly, [[scientific consensus]] has found that the [[demographics]] of [[sexual orientation]] do not vary in any significant sense in terms of location and time. In addition, significant evidence for the supposedly possible [[Acquired homosexuality|recruitment that can alter someone's innate nature]] doesn't exist. Despite this, hatred or other negative attitudes towards somebody who isn't heterosexual is highly correlated with the [[bias]] of thinking that their identity is/was changeable.<ref name="Bailey"/>

==Background and specific allegations==
⚫
Scientific consensus, as summarized in a 2016 study in the journal ''Psychological Science in the Public Interest'', is that "no persuasive evidence that the rate of same-sex attraction has varied much across time or place" exists. As well, arguments around supposed recruitment processes and other notions of altered orientation due to a given social environment wind up being "distorted by numerous confounding factors". The exact causes that determine someone's innate [[sexual orientation]] is not currently known. In psychological terms, however, hatred or other negative attitudes towards somebody who isn't heterosexual is highly correlated with the bias of thinking that their identity is/was changeable.<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=J. Michael|last2=Vasey|first2=Paul L.|last3=Diamond|first3=Lisa M.|last4=Breedlove|first4=S. Marc|last5=Vilain|first5=Eric|last6=Epprecht|first6=Marc|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|date=2016|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|s2cid=42281410 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


⚫
Journalist Alexander Kacal of NBC News has remarked that pushing the assertions took place as a part of how the aforementioned Alex Jones "has a long and well-documented history of inflammatory speech aimed at the LGBTQ community". In its "hateful" allegations, Kacala stated as well, Jones' campaigns at times crossed the line into promoting [[political violence]].<ref name="Kacala" /> An article for ''The Independent'' described the theory as "bizarre" and "infamous".<ref name="Greg" />
In general terms, stopping air pollution as well as defending against contaminating bodies of water in the U.S. have become matters of socio-political debates and discussion over multiple decades. Research involving specific chemicals have gotten seized on as purported proof of nefarious action, contrary to expert opinion. The possibility of the chemical being toxic to human beings at levels commonly found in the environment has been disputed by findings of the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), which has concluded that the chance of deleterious affects on health exists while declining to label Atrazine as a significant matter of concern. [[Atrazine#Health effects|The medical affects of the chemical]] have no relation to personal identity, regardless.<ref name="Kane">{{cite news |last=Kane |first=Christopher |date=June 19, 2023 |title=RFK Jr. claims chemicals in the water are turning boys transgender |journal=[[The Washington Blade]] |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2023/06/19/rfk-jr-claims-chemicals-in-the-water-are-turning-boys-transgender/ |accessdate=June 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Victoria">{{cite news |last=Brownworth |first=Victoria A. |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Shaming of a Legacy |journal=[[Philadelphia Gay News]] |url=https://epgn.com/2023/06/21/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-shaming-of-a-legacy/ |accessdate=June 22, 2023}}</ref>


===Robert F. Kennedy Jr.===
[[Conservatism in the United States|American conservative]] media personality [[Alex Jones]] popularized the notion in 2015 with a segment in which he remarked: “I don’t like ’em putting chemicals in the water that turn the freakin’ frogs gay!"<ref name="Kane"/> In 2017, Jones opined that "the majority of frogs in most areas of the United States are now gay". He labeled some of the materials involved as akin to perfume in 2018.<ref name="Kacala">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/infowars-alex-jones-has-long-history-inflammatory-anti-lgbtq-speech-n898431|title=Infowars' Alex Jones has a long history of inflammatory, anti-LGBTQ speech|date=August 7, 2018|accessdate=June 22, 2023|first=Alexander|last=Kacala|work=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>
American lawyer and anti-vaccine activist [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] repeated the theory multiple times in 2022 and 2023.<ref name=":1" /> In a June 2023 podcast interview with [[Jordan Peterson]], in which he suggested that "a lot of the problems we see in kids", including [[gender dysphoria]], were a result of Atrazine in the water supply. Kennedy Jr. said that acute Atrazine exposure would "chemically castrate and forcefully feminize" frogs, turning some into hermaphrodites, referencing a 2010 study by Hayes,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hayes |first=Tyrone B. |last2=Khoury |first2=Vicky |last3=Narayan |first3=Anne |last4=Nazir |first4=Mariam |last5=Park |first5=Andrew |last6=Brown |first6=Travis |last7=Adame |first7=Lillian |last8=Chan |first8=Elton |last9=Buchholz |first9=Daniel |last10=Stueve |first10=Theresa |last11=Gallipeau |first11=Sherrie |date=2010-03-09 |title=Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs ( Xenopus laevis ) |url=https://pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0909519107 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=107 |issue=10 |pages=4612–4617 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0909519107 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=PMC2842049 |pmid=20194757}}</ref>, and that "there’s a lot of other evidence that it’s doing to human beings as well."<ref name="Greg" /> The interview was later removed from [[YouTube]] under the site's policy [[vaccine misinformation]], a move which Peterson and Kennedy criticized as censorship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Clare |date=2023-06-20 |title=YouTube removed video of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for violating vaccine misinformation policy {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/20/tech/youtube-robert-f-kennedy-jr-video-removed/index.html |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Greg" />


Various publications condemned the theory, such as [[NBC News]],<ref name="Kacala" /> ''[[Philadelphia Gay News]]'',<ref name="Victoria">{{cite news |last=Brownworth |first=Victoria A. |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Shaming of a Legacy |journal=[[Philadelphia Gay News]] |url=https://epgn.com/2023/06/21/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-shaming-of-a-legacy/ |accessdate=June 22, 2023}}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]'',<ref name="Greg" /> and [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Segalov |first=Michael |date=2017-06-08 |title=A Quick Refresher: The Truth About Water Making You Gay |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbgvw4/a-quick-refresher-the-truth-about-water-making-you-gay |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>
In terms of purported motivations for this conspiracy, Jones has declared that certain agents inside of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] seek to reduce the number of children being born.<ref name="Kacala"/>


Following media criticism, a spokesperson for Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign told ''CNN'' that he was being mischaracterized, and that he not was claiming that endocrine disruptors were the sole cause of gender dysphoria, only suggesting that the possibility deserved further research.<ref name=":1" /> [[Andrea Gore]], a professor of [[neuroendocrinology]] at the [[University of Texas at Austin]], said “I don’t think people should be making statements about the relationship between environmental chemicals and changes in sexuality when there’s zero evidence”.<ref name=":1" />
==Media coverage of the theory==
⚫
Condemnation of the conspiracy theory has come from publications such as [[NBC News]], ''[[Philadelphia Gay News]]'', ''[[The Independent]]'', and ''[[The Washington Blade]]''.<ref name="Greg"/><ref name="Kacala"/><ref name="Kane"/><ref name="Victoria"/> Journalist Alexander Kacala of NBC News has remarked that pushing the assertions took place as a part of how the aforementioned Alex Jones "has a long and well-documented history of inflammatory speech aimed at the LGBTQ community". In its "hateful" allegations, Kacala stated as well, Jones' campaigns at times crossed the line into promoting [[political violence]].<ref name="Kacala"/> In addition, an article for ''The Independent'' described the theory as "bizarre" and "infamous".<ref name="Greg"/>


==As an internet meme==
==References to the theory in popular culture==
⚫
[[File:Yellow poison dart frog at Chester Zoo (with comedic edits).png|thumb|right|325px|This is an example of the reated [[internet meme]], using an initial photograph of a [[poison dart frog]].]]


Jones' assertions about 'gay frogs' were widely mocked as an example of his extreme eccentricity, and became an [[internet meme]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perret |first=Meg |date=2020-06-09 |title=“Chemical Castration”: White Genocide and Male Extinction in Rhetoric of Endocrine Disruption |url=https://niche-canada.org/2020/06/09/chemical-castration-white-genocide-and-male-extinction-in-rhetoric-of-endocrine-disruption/ |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=NiCHE |language=en-US}}</ref> In a 2022 research article, Hannah Boast analyzed the meme, describing how its popularity "inadvertently mainstreamed far-right beliefs and served to consolidate alt-right notions of victimhood", but also identifying the 'gay frog' as a potential queer icon.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boast |first=Hannah |date=2022-11-01 |title=Theorizing the Gay Frog |url=https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-9962959 |journal=Environmental Humanities |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=661–679 |doi=10.1215/22011919-9962959 |issn=2201-1919}}</ref>
Public assertions that chemical exposure has caused most of the frogs in the United States to change sexual orientation to gay have become widely mocked to the point of becoming an [[internet meme]].<ref name="Greg" />


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 10:18, 20 July 2023

"Gay frogs" redirects here. For the actual practice of homosexual behavior among frogs, see homosexuality in amphibians.

Beginning in the 2010s, various media personalities promoted conspiracy theories claiming that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemical pollutants was responsible for an alleged increase in gay or transgender individuals. Various news organizations have disputed or debunked these claims, and characterized them as anti-LGBT rhetoric.[1]

In current medical science, there is no known link between endocrine disruptors and human gender identity or sexuality,[2] and no known biochemical treatment that could influence or override a person's sexuality or gender identity.[3] There is no evidence demonstrating that homosexuality[4] or transgender identity have become more prevalent over time.[3]

Background

Scientific consensus, as summarized in a 2016 study in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, is that "no persuasive evidence that the rate of same-sex attraction has varied much across time or place" exists. As well, arguments around supposed recruitment processes and other notions of altered orientation due to a given social environment wind up being "distorted by numerous confounding factors". The exact causes that determine someone's innate sexual orientation is not currently known. In psychological terms, however, hatred or other negative attitudes towards somebody who isn't heterosexual is highly correlated with the bias of thinking that their identity is/was changeable.[4]

Instances of the conspiracy theory frequently reference the herbicide Atrazine. Atrazine is a suspected endocrine disruptor. A 2002 study by Tyrone Hayes found that exposure caused male tadpoles to become hermaphrodite.[5] However, further studies failed to replicate this result,[6][7] and the EPA concluded that the chemical does not adversely affect amphibian reproduction.[8] The chemical and its safety to humans remains controversial, due to other potential reproductive risks. The CDC notes a potential association between Atrazine exposure and birth defects in farmers, but says that "exposure levels are expected to be very low” for the general population.[9][10] According to Shanna Swan, any proposed link between the chemical and human gender is "highly uncertain", and there is no evidence of an increase in transgender people.[3]

Specific allegations and media reactions

Alex Jones

Beginning in 2010, Alex Jones claimed that the US government was covertly waging a "chemical warfare operation" using a "gay bomb" to encourage homosexuality and reduce birth rates,[11] including through "weaponized perfumes".[12] Jones alleged that runoff from Atrazine had caused most of the frogs in America to become homosexual, and that the compound had the same effect on humans. Jones' 2015 rant about "chemicals in the water that turn the freakin' frogs gay" has been widely mocked online and became an internet meme.[1][13]

Journalist Alexander Kacal of NBC News has remarked that pushing the assertions took place as a part of how the aforementioned Alex Jones "has a long and well-documented history of inflammatory speech aimed at the LGBTQ community". In its "hateful" allegations, Kacala stated as well, Jones' campaigns at times crossed the line into promoting political violence.[1] An article for The Independent described the theory as "bizarre" and "infamous".[13]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

American lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated the theory multiple times in 2022 and 2023.[2] In a June 2023 podcast interview with Jordan Peterson, in which he suggested that "a lot of the problems we see in kids", including gender dysphoria, were a result of Atrazine in the water supply. Kennedy Jr. said that acute Atrazine exposure would "chemically castrate and forcefully feminize" frogs, turning some into hermaphrodites, referencing a 2010 study by Hayes,[14], and that "there’s a lot of other evidence that it’s doing to human beings as well."[13] The interview was later removed from YouTube under the site's policy vaccine misinformation, a move which Peterson and Kennedy criticized as censorship.[15][13]

Various publications condemned the theory, such as NBC News,[1] Philadelphia Gay News,[10] The Independent,[13] and Vice.[16]

Following media criticism, a spokesperson for Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign told CNN that he was being mischaracterized, and that he not was claiming that endocrine disruptors were the sole cause of gender dysphoria, only suggesting that the possibility deserved further research.[2] Andrea Gore, a professor of neuroendocrinology at the University of Texas at Austin, said “I don’t think people should be making statements about the relationship between environmental chemicals and changes in sexuality when there’s zero evidence”.[2]

As an internet meme

This is an example of the reated internet meme, using an initial photograph of a poison dart frog.

Jones' assertions about 'gay frogs' were widely mocked as an example of his extreme eccentricity, and became an internet meme.[17] In a 2022 research article, Hannah Boast analyzed the meme, describing how its popularity "inadvertently mainstreamed far-right beliefs and served to consolidate alt-right notions of victimhood", but also identifying the 'gay frog' as a potential queer icon.[18]

See also

Reflist

  1. ^ a b c d Kacala, Alexander (August 7, 2018). "Infowars' Alex Jones has a long history of inflammatory, anti-LGBTQ speech". NBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Kaczynski, Abby Turner,Andrew (2023-07-13). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly suggested that chemicals in water are impacting sexuality of children | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c Contreras, Russell; Holzman, Jael (Jul 5, 2023). "Fringe gender-chemical theory goes mainstream". Axios.
  4. ^ a b Bailey, J. Michael; Vasey, Paul L.; Diamond, Lisa M.; Breedlove, S. Marc; Vilain, Eric; Epprecht, Marc (2016). "Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science". Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 17 (2): 45–101. doi:10.1177/1529100616637616. PMID 27113562. S2CID 42281410.
  5. ^ Hayes, Tyrone; Haston, Kelly; Tsui, Mable; Hoang, Anhthu; Haeffele, Cathryn; Vonk, Aaron (2002). "Feminization of male frogs in the wild". Nature. 419 (6910): 895–896. doi:10.1038/419895a. ISSN 1476-4687.
  6. ^ Jooste, Alarik M.; Du Preez, Louis H.; Carr, James A.; Giesy, John P.; Gross, Timothy S.; Kendall, Ronald J.; Smith, Ernest E.; Van Der Kraak, Glen L.; Solomon, Keith R. (2005-07-01). "Gonadal Development of Larval Male Xenopus laevis Exposed to Atrazine in Outdoor Microcosms". Environmental Science & Technology. 39 (14): 5255–5261. doi:10.1021/es048134q. ISSN 0013-936X.
  7. ^ Renner, Rebecca (2008). "Atrazine Effects in Xenopus Aren't Reproducible". Environmental Science & Technology. 42 (10): 3491–3493. doi:10.1021/es087113j. ISSN 0013-936X.
  8. ^ "Atrazine Updates | Pesticides | US EPA". web.archive.org. 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  9. ^ Kane, Christopher (June 19, 2023). "RFK Jr. claims chemicals in the water are turning boys transgender". The Washington Blade. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Brownworth, Victoria A. (June 21, 2023). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Shaming of a Legacy". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Higgins, Tucker (2018-09-14). "Alex Jones' 5 most disturbing and ridiculous conspiracy theories". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  12. ^ Staff, Media Matters (2018-06-22). "Alex Jones: The Pentagon has "weaponized perfumes" that make men gay to prevent them from having kids". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  13. ^ a b c d e Graziosi, Graig (20 June 2023). "YouTube removes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. video featuring bizarre claim that polluted water makes children transgender". The Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  14. ^ Hayes, Tyrone B.; Khoury, Vicky; Narayan, Anne; Nazir, Mariam; Park, Andrew; Brown, Travis; Adame, Lillian; Chan, Elton; Buchholz, Daniel; Stueve, Theresa; Gallipeau, Sherrie (2010-03-09). "Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs ( Xenopus laevis )". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107 (10): 4612–4617. doi:10.1073/pnas.0909519107. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 2842049. PMID 20194757.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
  15. ^ Duffy, Clare (2023-06-20). "YouTube removed video of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for violating vaccine misinformation policy | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  16. ^ Segalov, Michael (2017-06-08). "A Quick Refresher: The Truth About Water Making You Gay". Vice. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  17. ^ Perret, Meg (2020-06-09). ""Chemical Castration": White Genocide and Male Extinction in Rhetoric of Endocrine Disruption". NiCHE. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  18. ^ Boast, Hannah (2022-11-01). "Theorizing the Gay Frog". Environmental Humanities. 14 (3): 661–679. doi:10.1215/22011919-9962959. ISSN 2201-1919.

External links

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