Transforming Amphibians into Homosexuals

A renowned agitator and purveyor of conspiracy theories, Alex Jones, achieved viral fame in 2017 by asserting that 'chemicals in the water that turn the friggin' frogs gay.' This declaration was met with swift and intense derision. Numerous remixes of the clip, featuring Jones' tirade set to club music, were uploaded to YouTube, and artisans on Etsy began offering merchandise that depicted frogs cavorting amidst rainbows.

However, today, nearly ten years onward, an individual who subscribes to this very same conspiracy theory could soon hold the nation's highest health position, with two Senate committees currently reviewing Robert F. Kennedy's nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services during this week.

Over the past three years, Kennedy has repeatedly disseminated falsehoods, contending that herbicides and various other chemical agents are inducing 'gender confusion' in children and causing their 'destruction.' The fact that these assertions have barely factored into the public discussion surrounding his nomination speaks volumes about the sheer volume of conspiracies Kennedy propagates, as well as the ascendancy of alt-right factions and other conservative groups who manipulate environmental science to support restrictions on the rights of vulnerable populations.

Kennedy's advocacy for chemical-based conspiracies that vilify transgender individuals has cultivated his support among online alt-right influencers who blend notions of 'wellness' with far-right conspiracy narratives.

'My concern regarding RFK Jr. is his immense ability to mobilize them,' stated Cassie Miller, a researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who monitors extremist groups online. 'They perceive him as someone who champions their own convictions, fostering distrust in these chemicals and systems, thereby enabling them to capitalize on this sentiment to disseminate their more extreme viewpoints.'

Kennedy's appointment proposal coincides with President Donald Trump's pledge to 'halt the transgender lunacy' and, upon commencing his term, his issuance of executive directives designed to curtail transgender individuals' access to federal documentation aligning with their gender identity. His administration has also signaled intentions to restrict transgender individuals' access to healthcare, and Kennedy himself has characterized puberty-blocking medications, utilized by some transgender youth, as 'chemical castration,' a stance that contradicts the consensus of numerous medical associations.

'Every argument aimed at demeaning transgender individuals and likening them to contagions and toxins is fundamentally an endeavor to imbue their animosity with a semblance of legitimacy,' articulated Gillian Branstetter, a communications strategist affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Neither Kennedy nor the Trump administration provided responses to requests for commentary.

The Actualities of Atrazine

Atrazine, identified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, adversely affects the body's hormonal systems and their operational functions. Its widespread application as a herbicide in industrial agriculture and corn cultivation has been the subject of intense debate concerning its environmental repercussions.

European regulatory bodies have enacted a ban on its use due to its environmental impact. Conversely, the United States' EPA continues to permit its application.

Indeed, during the tenure of President Donald Trump, the EPA raised the permissible level of atrazine deemed safe for frogs and other aquatic life, a decision later characterized by the Biden-era EPA as being driven by political motivations rather than scientific evidence.

Chemical regulations typically constitute a specialized subject, debated primarily within environmental discourse. However, the effects of atrazine on amphibians captured national attention in 2010 following the publication of a concerning study by Tyrone Hayes, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley: approximately one in ten genetically male tadpoles, exposed to low concentrations of atrazine in a laboratory setting, underwent a transformation into female frogs possessing ovaries. A subset of these even engaged in mating with other male frogs, producing viable eggs. Other male tadpoles exposed to atrazine retained their male identity but exhibited diminished testosterone levels and elevated estrogen levels compared to those that were not subjected to the chemical.

These findings provided the initial evidence that atrazine could be detrimentally impacting frog populations on a broad scale. Since then, the EPA has determined that atrazine is 'likely to adversely affect' approximately 54 percent of all animal species. Additional research has correlated atrazine exposure with precocious puberty in humans and premature births. Nevertheless, there is no evidence from the frog study, or any other research, to suggest that atrazine could alter human sex.

'My focus on frogs stems from my affinity for them, not because they serve as a proxy for humans,' Hayes conveyed to POLITICO's E&E News.

Amphibians, akin to other members of the amphibian class, naturally exhibit a far greater susceptibility to even minor environmental fluctuations than humans. Further studies have indicated that certain frog species undergo sex changes during their larval stage in response to variations in water temperature.

'To equate amphibian and human development is simply nonsensical,' asserts Nathan Donley, the director of environmental health science at the Center for Biological Diversity, who has pursued legal action against the EPA to ban atrazine.

However, Hayes' study acquired a momentum of its own shortly after its initial release. Fox News published an article about the research, cautioning, 'LGBTF? Pesticide Turns Male Frogs into Females.' Other publications described the frogs in the study as undergoing 'gender-bending.'

Far-right personalities, including Jones, were not far behind in leveraging this information, arguing that the study demonstrated chemicals could produce analogous effects in people. Jones discussed the study on multiple occasions on his program. Initially in 2015, when he gained notoriety for his comments about 'friggin frogs.'

By 2017, he continued to cite the study, along with Hayes' subsequent research, as definitive 'proof' that 'the majority of frogs in most areas of the United States are now gay.'

'They are introducing chemicals into our food and water, and one often cannot discern the gender of men and women!' he exclaimed.

These theories experienced a surge in popularity within far-right circles following the lockdowns and vaccine mandates implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Joshua Malloy, a researcher who monitors extremist digital subcultures at Malmö University in Sweden.

'Suddenly, we observed the emergence of radical right-wing groups within wellness and spiritual communities, opposing vaccines and lockdowns, and this led to a shift toward concerns about masculine health and nutrition,' Malloy explained.

Influencers within the extremist wellness sphere contend that so-called globalists are employing industrial chemicals, including atrazine, in both agricultural practices and pharmaceuticals to weaken Caucasian men, with the ultimate aim of replacing them with non-white immigrants. These collectives frequently disparage soy and other seed-oil products due to their inherent estrogen content, utilizing the term 'soy boy' as a derogatory label for men they perceive as effeminate due to their excessive consumption of tofu and alternative meat products. Furthermore, they endorse the consumption of raw milk and raw eggs - foodstuffs they consider more 'natural' than those that have undergone heating processes to prevent disease transmission.

'The consumption of raw milk has always been associated with cult-like followings, typically among groups one might categorize as hippies, but there has been a significant proliferation of this practice, which is now frequently intertwined with white supremacy and other ideologies,' Malloy commented.

One of the most prominent figures promoting these viewpoints operates under the online alias Raw Egg Nationalist; however, in the summer of 2024, a United Kingdom-based nonprofit revealed his identity as Charles Cornish-Dale, a historian educated at Oxford and Cambridge. He routinely disseminates nutrition and health content alongside racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

His book, which discusses 'the globalist agenda for food,' is published by Antelope Hill, a white nationalist publishing house that also prints works by Adolf Hitler. Raw Egg Nationalist is among several influential anonymous social media accounts that have garnered substantial Republican followings by juxtaposing images of bodybuilders and muscular men with white nationalism and social Darwinist tenets. Another account, identified as Bronze Age Pervert, reportedly enjoyed popularity among Trump's staff towards the conclusion of his initial presidential term.

Miller, from the SPLC, stated that homophobic and transphobic sentiments are also central to the wellness advice provided by Cornish-Dale under his Raw Egg Nationalist persona.

'Raw Egg Nationalist and individuals like him assert that the nation's vitality is intrinsically linked to individual well-being, particularly that of men, and they advocate for men to possess physical strength, exhibit stereotypically masculine physiques, and occupy these traditionally masculine roles,' she observed. 'This connects directly to the current prevailing right-wing fixation on transgender individuals, as they contend that transgender people are, in essence, not authentic.

'Their argument is that our food supply has been contaminated, leading people to identify as transgender, and that a return to this ‘natural' way of life would eliminate phenomena such as the LGBTQ community,' Miller elaborated.

For instance, in a March article, Cornish-Dale conceded that the 2010 atrazine frog study is not applicable to humans but instead argued that it is 'compassionate' towards transgender individuals to inquire whether exposure to endocrine disruptors, in a broader sense, could precipitate 'gender trouble,' positing that terminating the 'toxic legacy of medical science and modern industry' might 'spare others their fate.'

In an electronic correspondence, Cornish-Dale clarified to E&E News that 'no one is suggesting that herbicide usage is somehow ‘accountable' for transgenderism,' describing it as a 'complex phenomenon' which he also attributes to psychological disorders and 'phobia,' in addition to exposure to endocrine disruptors.

Regarding whether such conspiracies could incite hostility towards transgender individuals, Cornish-Dale wrote to E&E News, 'I generally endorse compassion for transgender individuals, but I do not equate compassion with indulgence.'

The ‘Demise of Males'

Although he emerged from fringe influence, Cornish-Dale's Raw Egg Nationalist persona has seen a significant increase in popularity since 2022, following his appearance on a Tucker Carlson special focused on industrial chemicals, which was broadcast on Fox News.

The hour-long special, bearing the title 'The End of Men,' incorporates interviews with credible public health experts, such as Linda Birnbaum, the former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, who discusses the links between specific chemicals, like PFAS, and reduced sperm counts and testosterone levels.

It also veers into the realm of pseudoscience, featuring interviews with conservative bodybuilders training at a ranch owned by Jones, who advocate for practices like tanning one's testicles to purportedly enhance testosterone production.

The program did not specifically address atrazine or transgender individuals, but it included extensive interviews with Kennedy, who stated that the utilization of herbicides and other endocrine disruptors would continue to contribute to declining testosterone and sperm counts, thereby jeopardizing human reproductive capabilities.

'You can do the arithmetic. We are heading toward a disaster,' Kennedy declared. 'This is not hyperbole; it is simply a mathematical certainty, and you are aware that this constitutes chemical warfare against our nation.'

Cornish-Dale was also prominently featured in the program, utilizing his anonymous alias, Raw Egg Nationalist.

'The globalists desire for you to be overweight, unhealthy, despondent, and isolated, thereby enhancing their ability to control you and extract maximum economic value from you before terminating your life,' Raw Egg Nationalist asserts in the segment, his voice accompanying visuals of individuals wearing masks. 'That, in essence, is soy globalism: remain ignorant, dwell in isolation, consume soy. The optimal response to this situation is a robust nationalistic political stance.'

Although it was thoroughly criticized by liberal and mainstream media outlets as being absurd, 'The End of Men' facilitated the introduction of both Kennedy and Cornish-Dale to audiences they might not typically reach. Prior to the broadcast, Cornish-Dale estimates that his Raw Egg Nationalist account on X had an estimated following of 80,000 to 100,000. Currently, his follower count exceeds 264,000.

As of July, Vice President JD Vance was among his followers.

'The End of Men propelled my popularity exponentially,' Cornish-Dale stated in a declaration to E&E News. 'Things became absolutely wild thereafter. I've been on a steep upward trajectory ever since.'

Kennedy remains steadfast in his support for the segment.

In August 2024, shortly after endorsing Trump for the presidency, Kennedy participated in an extensive interview on Carlson's current program. During this discussion, he recounted how, prior to the airing of 'The End of Men,' conservatives were reluctant to acknowledge his concerns regarding chemicals.

'And then you produce this exceptional program on endocrine disruptors, and I thought, ‘My goodness, Tucker Carlson has just presented the finest program ever produced,'' Kennedy remarked.

He expressed regret that the program had been misinterpreted.

'They claimed, ‘Oh, he's suggesting that chemicals cause people to be gay, and he's anti-gay,' and all of that, which is not what anyone stated,' Kennedy contended. 'What we are articulating is that we are jeopardizing our children's well-being.'

However, a mere four months before 'The End of Men' was broadcast, Kennedy had discussed endocrine disruptors on his podcast, specifically referencing Hayes' atrazine study to attribute the existence of transgender individuals to chemical influences.

'The potential for these chemicals, which are currently inundating our children, to induce these exceptionally profound sexual alterations in them is something we must collectively contemplate as a society,' he stated in June 2022.

Endocrine disruptors, he posited, were causing 'effects that people suspect differ significantly from previous eras concerning sexual identification among children and sexual confusion, gender confusion.'

A year later, Kennedy once again brought up Hayes' study in a conversation with the prominent podcaster Jordan Peterson, attributing 'sexual dysphoria' in children to their exposure to 'a cocktail of toxic chemicals and endocrine disruptors.'

'If it has that effect on frogs, there is substantial additional evidence indicating it affects human beings as well,' he commented on the podcast, which was subsequently removed from YouTube for contravening the platform's policies on vaccine-related misinformation.

Kennedy voiced analogous assertions in June 2023 during a discussion with the widely popular podcaster Joe Rogan.

A ‘Rebellion'

Those pronouncements, coupled with Kennedy's own endorsement of raw milk, have contributed to fostering support for him among online extremist elements.

'These are concepts that have circulated within the far-right for an extended period and constitute fundamental tenets of their beliefs, and an individual who now possesses a genuine prospect of political influence is articulating them,' stated Miller.

Cornish-Dale concurred, writing to E&E News, 'RFK Jr. is physically fit, tanned, intelligent, and popular with women. What's not to admire?

'He embodies the ideals he advocates - many of which we also champion - and he possesses the courage to speak truth to power,' he continued. 'He understands the truth and is unafraid to articulate it: that corporate dominion over the food supply and our escalating reliance on Big Pharma have proven disastrous for our health.'

Cornish-Dale has engaged other conservative media outlets to garner support for Kennedy. Merely one day preceding Trump's nomination of Kennedy, Cornish-Dale appeared on a conservative podcast hosted by David Gornoski, participating in an episode titled 'Why RFK Jr Should Be HHS Secretary.'

On another podcast in December, Cornish-Dale characterized Trump's electoral triumph as a surge of 'testosterone politics,' and recalled how 'The End of Men' had been 'received by the liberal media with howls of mockery.'

'It was dismissed as a trivial issue by the mainstream media, yet fast-forward to the election, and testosterone has become a defining factor distinguishing the parties.' Two years later, however, he noted, 'Newspapers now treat us with considerable seriousness internationally.'

He also boasted of attracting female adherents from 'The End of Men' who were dismayed by the 'species-wide crisis' it had brought to light within industrial agriculture.

'It powerfully animates the transgender issue,' he remarked.

'He firmly believes that the health of the nation is of paramount importance,' he stated. 'Should his ‘Make America Healthy Again' movement achieve success, I anticipate it could very well evolve into the sort of unifying cause that I believe health ought to be.'

For his part, Hayes expressed his dismay at the misapplication of his research, both by contributing to transphobia and by diverting attention from the genuine environmental harms posed by atrazine.

'We are cognizant that atrazine is detrimental, we are aware that it inflicts these adverse effects on the environment, so why are we fixating on something else that is entirely speculative, which constitutes an assault on the LGBTQ community?' Hayes questioned.

Imposing Restrictions on Transgender Healthcare

Kennedy's nomination to lead the HHS occurs concurrently with conservative lawmakers posing threats to access to transgender healthcare.

Numerous Republican state legislatures have attempted to prohibit access to medical interventions such as medications that can temporarily halt puberty, thereby affording young individuals time to evaluate their gender identities. They have also enacted bans on hormone therapies utilized to assist children in transitioning. One such prohibition, enacted in Tennessee, is presently under consideration by the Supreme Court.

All of the nation's major medical organizations recognize these treatments as safe and, indeed, medically essential. Nevertheless, this has not deterred Congress from imposing limitations.

A defense spending bill, enacted towards the conclusion of the year, restricts gender-affirming care for active-duty military personnel and their dependents. Transgender advocates harbor concerns that Republicans intend to implement a 'Hyde-amendment-style ban' on gender-affirming care, which would preclude federal funding from being allocated to hospitals providing such healthcare.

'If you wish to comprehend their approach to targeting transgender healthcare, examine their methodology concerning abortion,' advised Branstetter.

Kennedy, who himself undergoes testosterone replacement therapy as part of an 'anti-aging regimen' prescribed by his physician, has voiced opposition to gender-affirming care for minors, referring to puberty blockers as 'repurposed castration drugs' in a post on X in May of last year.

Gender-affirming care and transgender rights more broadly were central themes of Trump's campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign allocated more resources to criticizing Harris' support for transgender rights than for any other issue, with advertisements featuring images of Rachel Levine, the then-assistant secretary for health and the highest-ranking openly transgender individual ever to serve in the federal government.

Kennedy is not the sole nominee of Trump to express opposition to transgender healthcare.

Andrew Ferguson, the president's choice to head the Federal Trade Commission, has declared his intention to utilize the position to 'combat the trans agenda' and investigate physicians and healthcare facilities that have prescribed puberty blockers and hormone therapies. Trump himself stated last month that he will 'stop the transgender lunacy.'

It is highly probable that any nominee selected by Trump to lead the HHS would hold comparable views on transgender healthcare. However, Kennedy's amalgamation of chemical-related conspiracies with his opposition to hormone therapies renders him particularly perilous, according to Olivia Hunt, director of federal policy for Advocates for Trans Equity.

His remarks concerning atrazine's contribution to gender confusion serve as a mechanism for 'isolating our community and convincing people that we are acceptable scapegoats for societal problems.'

Branstetter concurred.

'They are asserting that if your child does not develop into what they deem ‘normal,' it is someone's culpability, and they offer to help you achieve that ‘normal' child by consuming the proverbial snake oil, except in this instance, it is raw milk,' she elaborated.