Cochabamba: Evo offends global gays

After scoring points with global environmentalists with his World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (CMPCC) in Cochabamba this week, Bolivian President Evo Morales has got himself in hot water with gay activists across the planet. On April 21, he commented to reporters at the CMPCC on the dangers of factory-farm chicken—but in half-baked (pardon the pun) and homophobic terms. "The chicken we eat is full of feminine hormones," the populist president said. "And therefore when men eat these chickens, they experience deviances in being men."

Morales added that genetically modified products cause baldness. "Baldness is such a common illness in Europe that it appears normal, almost all of them are bald, and this is because of the things they eat, while indigenous peoples don't have baldies, because we eat other things."

Bolivia's opposition politicians were quick to jump on the remarks. "Trading in urban legends is a very poor theme for the summit," said opposition deputy Andrés Ortega.

But international gay organizations are also outraged. Spain's National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals sent a letter of protest to the Bolivian embassy in Madrid protesting the remarks. The president of the Argentina Homosexual Community, Cesar Cigliutti, said: "It's an absurdity to think that eating transgenic chicken can change a person's sexual orientation. By following that reasoning, if we put male hormones in a chicken and we make a homosexual eat it he will transform into a heterosexual." (AFP, Guardian News Blog, April 22; Peru21, April 21)

Evo is certainly on the right side in the global gastro-wars, but it's a shame to see him discrediting his critique of the industrial food system by mixing it up with such ugliness (and wackiness).

World War 4 Report on the scene in Cochabamba

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Evo quote distorted?

This is yet another case of distorted quoting when the deviations Evo mentions are about sex change which hormones are inducing in a number of species, not sexual orientation. But rather than offending "Global Gays" maybe he is offending Globalist Gays who get their noses bent out of shape over a quote as opposed to anything else that is happening in Bolivia where discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has been banned by the new constitution.

No, Evo quote not distorted

First of all, we'll thank you to share these studies on hormones inducing sex change in "a number of species." But much more to the point: Evo said "when men eat these chickens, they experience deviances in being men." Did you notice the word "men"? It is disingenous to imply that he was refering to any other species. The only ambiguity that an honest reading allows is that he was refering to impotence rather than homosexuality. You seem to be the one who is engaging in distortion. And distorting the truth is always bad policy, no matter how righteous the cause.

We're all for the provisions on sexual identity in the new Bolivian constitution, but do they let Evo off the hook for a homophobic remark?

Finally, when did "globalist" become such an insult? Wasn't Evo's climate summit an exercise in a kind of globalism?

Yes, Evo quote distorted

Seems pretty clear his statement was distorted to me. He never said anything about homosexuality. He was just saying that hormone-juiced industrial meats screws with the biology of men.

No, Evo quote not distorted

"Experience deviances in being men" can only refer to homosexuality or impotence. It was ill-chosen words at best. I don't see any way around it. Sorry.

No, it does not refer to sexuality

Morales did not mention sexuality. His administration has even clarified it by saying "No he didn't refer to sexuality at all".

These are lies and distortions by the corporate media in an ideological war against Evo Morales for daring challenge the empire.

Thanks for playing along, I guess.

When will Evo explain what he really meant, then?

We will stop "playing along" when someone offers a credible explanation of what he meant by "experience deviances in being men." Doesn't "refer to sexuality"? Presumably he didn't mean that men change into a different species after eating industrial chicken, so the word "men" presumably refers to gender and virility. You don't even provide a link for your claim of the administration's "clarification." We'll be waiting.