It has been said that the planet Mercury is a symbol used by the transgender community. The sign for Mercury is a crescent shape and a cross, which represents the male and female principles in harmony in an individual. Additionally, the god Mercury fathered Hermaphroditus, who had both male and female sex organs. In accordance to the topic, rumors had spread that the chemical element "mercury" can cause homosexuality.
I got very curious about the news, and
searched the net for studies that could confirm the rumor. I came
across with this article entitled, Mercury
causes homosexuality in male ibises. It was written by
Joseph Milton. The article was about a research about male ibises and
their reaction when in contact with mercury. A group of people tried
adding methylmercury to the birds' feeds. The writer mentioned, "The
team found that the levels of mercury built up in the birds over
time, and that exposure resulted in roughly 13–15% more nests
failing to produce any offspring. A high proportion of these failed
nests were found to be male-male pairings." Their team found out
that after putting some mercurial chemical into the feeds, the birds
tend to pair up with the same sex and show hostility to the
opposite sex.
It was kind of shocking to know how
mercury could affect a bird's attraction towards the other. But,
there are still no studies about how it could affect human. So let's
not make any conclusions about it yet.
I still find it hard to believe that
homosexuality can be a result of the indigestion of a chemical. Some
people find happiness in their gay or lesbian life, and chose to stay
that way. Whatever the cause may be, let us not forget that
they are still humans and has the right to be respected.
