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Media Storm over Gay Sheep was wrong |
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Humor
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Written by Staff Writer
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Jan 30, 2007 at 06:41 PM |
A U.S. researcher wants to set the record straight about his findings in a study of what made some sheep gay, saying that the media’s interpretation of his work is wrong.
The New York Times reports that after Oregon Health and Science University researcher Charles Roselli published his study, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals initiated a campaign against the research, creating outrage from animal rights activists, gay advocates and others around the world. The outrage, reports the Times, is based on what Roselli says is the misinterpretation that the research will lead to a way to breed homosexuality out of humans.
Criticism peaked in December, when the The Sunday Times of London published an article about the study, asserting that researchers said homosexuality in rams could be cured by hormone treatment. Not true, researchers told the New York Times.
Martina Navratilova, the tennis star who is both openly gay and a PETA ally, wrote in an open letter that the research "can only be surmised as an attempt to develop a prenatal treatment" for sexual conditions.
The Denver Post reports that the news coverage, which has been heaviest in England and Australia, focused on smirk and titillation - and, of course, puns. Headlines included "Ewe Turn for Gay Rams on Hormones" and "He’s Just Not That Into Ewe."
The researchers point out that some of the material is, simply, wrong. They’ve gathered some allies, as well, in the blog world, in which one blogger ran a correction and another said he’s been cheered by others who dropped their opposition once the facts were presented.
The researchers acknowledge that the sheep are killed in the course of the research so their brain structure can be analyzed, but they say they follow animal welfare guidelines to prevent suffering, reports the Post.
According to the Times, Roselli said the idea of sexual eugenics in humans repulsed him. The goal of his research, he said, was to understand the fundamental mechanisms of sexual orientation in sheep.
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Last Updated ( Mar 18, 2007 at 08:08 AM )
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