I’m going to get in trouble for this post, but this Los Angeles Times story today caught my eye:
Intersex Fish Found in Pennsylvania Rivers Spur Search for Chemicals
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has begun an extensive sampling of chemical contaminants in response to the discovery of intersex fish in three of the state’s rivers, a department spokeswoman said. . .
Now frankly, I’m disturbed by the blatant hetero-normativity of Pennsylvania’s Dept. of Environmental Protection. How do we know that these asexual fish haven’t simply decided to be gender neutral “intersex” after a period of questioning? After all, that covers three of the letters of the semi-standard LBGTQIA universe. Why do we assume that this in-between condition is the result of contamination? How typically judgmental of the conspiracy of hetero-patriarchal oppression.
Just what kind of fish, by the way? Is it in all species, or just college-aged fish?
The US Geological Survey research said that two fish species, smallmouth bass and white sucker [cue Jon Stewart here] were exhibiting intersex characteristics due to exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals — hormones and hormone-mimicking chemicals that caused the male fish to produce eggs.
Hmm. I wonder whether the seemingly sharp rise in the number of aspiring transsexuals and in-betweeners in our midst might have an environmental cause? After all, we do hear a lot of worry from the environmental community about endocrine hormone disrupters. Thought experiment: imagine the mayhem on the Left if there were to emerge a full-scale conflict between the doctrines of unlimited liberation and self-definition that depend on the denial of (human) nature, and an environmental crusade to defend nature against subtle chemical effects. Sounds far-fetched? Maybe so, but the growing evidence of the lead-crime link suggests maybe it isn’t as far-fetched as we might think. This could be fun to watch.
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