Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Letter: Letter

Published 7 February 2004

From Margaret Monroe

Roughgarden argues that homosexuality does not fit the criteria for a typical genetic disease. Could this perhaps tie in with research on oestrogen mimics in insecticides and many other common chemicals, which shows that these chemicals are washing into every ecosystem on Earth? There they influence the development of sexual organs, and stimulate hormonal changes.

These developments have been documented over the past decade and have coincided with observations of never-before-seen homosexuality, hermaphroditism and deformed gonads in organisms ranging from fish to polar bears. I would suggest that the book cited in this article, Biological Exuberance: Animal homosexuality and natural diversity, is not a catalogue of naturally occurring homosexual incidences but an alarming update of the ever-increasing number of species being affected by an overwhelming tide of oestrogen mimics. Why should we humans think we are immune to such effects?

Gladstone, Queensland, Australia

Issue no. 2433 published 7 February 2004

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop