Sunday, April 7, 2013

Scientist claims vaccines cause gay, I propose truthiness causes ignorance

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/vaccines-produce-homosexuality-gay-gian-paolo-vanoli_n_2992953.html

In the article linked above, an Italian scientist, Gian Paolo Vanoli, claims that vaccines are a direct cause of homosexuality.  First of all: WHAT?!  In a Huffington Post article, they outline Vanoli's argument as to why he think this links exist.  His reasons are as follows: vaccines cause homosexuality because they "prevent the formation of one's personality."

I was completely outraged when I read this article.  Here we are in the midst of major human rights battles all over the world, in multiple countries, striving to give humans (yes, we are all humans) the basic rights they deserve, yet we are still seeing this level of stupidity.  It is one thing to claim that there is a possible interaction  that perhaps needs to be researched, but to make a claim that vaccines directly cause people to be gay is just absurd and absolutely ignorant.

One question I have for Mr. Vanoli: if vaccines cause people to be gay, then how do you explain ALL OF HISTORY?!  Being gay is not a new thing.  Vaccines are. Homosexuality (for both males and females) dates back to the earliest history recordings.  Vaccines do not.  I fail to see the connection here and his argument rests solely on this causal chain!

Also, speaking on a strictly scientific basis, where is his evidence?  Vanoli makes claims but provides zero evidence as to how vaccines would alter personality.  He mentions mercury but says nothing as to how it effects the brain.  There is some evidence that specific brain structures, such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, (sorry, neuro major here) vary in size between homosexuals and heterosexuals but this research is somewhat controversial and definitely out of date (1990).

Truthiness, my friends, is what we have here.  A scientist who has clout decides to take a moral belief and insert than into a non-scientific "truth."

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