Bolivian President Blames Baldness, “Deviance” on Hormones in Poultry

Bolivian President Evo Morales attracted international media attention when he publicly linked “deviances in being men” on hormones once used to raise chickens. Speaking at the World People’s Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, Morales reportedly claimed that “the chicken we eat is loaded with female hormones. So, when men eat those chickens, they experience deviances in being men.” According to an April 22, 2010, blog post in The Guardian, Morales added that these substances have also been associated with baldness.

After the speech drew widespread criticism from both the press and human rights activists, who interpreted the remark as homophobic, the Bolivian Foreign Relations Ministry issued a statement defending the president’s position. “He made no mention of sexuality,” the ministry was quoted as saying. Rather, he said that eating chicken that has hormones changes our own bodies. This point of view has been confirmed by scientists and even the European Union has prohibited the use of some hormones in food.” See The New Yorker, April 22, 2010; Time Magazine, April 23, 2010.