Gay bomb

The "gay bomb" (informally known) refers to a non-lethal psychochemical weapon concept that was speculated upon by a research laboratory within the United States Air Force. This unconventional idea involved the dispersion of sex pheromones over enemy forces, with the intent of generating mutual sexual attraction among them causing mass confusion and panic within their platoons.

Dating back to 1994, the Wright Laboratory in Ohio, a precursor to the modern United States Air Force Research Laboratory, drafted a three-page proposal detailing several potential nonlethal chemical weapons. This document, eventually acquired by the Sunshine Project via a Freedom of Information Act request, explores the notion of the "gay bomb" among other concepts.

Background

No well-controlled scientific studies have ever been published suggesting the possibility of pheromones causing rapid behavioral changes in humans.

Some body spray advertisers claim that their products contain human sexual pheromones which act as an aphrodisiac. In the 1970s, "copulins" were patented as products which release human pheromones, based on research on rhesus monkeys. Subsequently, androstenone, axillary sweat, and "vomodors" have been claimed to act as human pheromones.

Despite these claims, no pheromonal substance has ever been demonstrated to directly influence human behavior in a peer reviewed study.

Using a brain imaging technique, Swedish researchers have shown that when homosexual and heterosexual males are presented with two odors that may be involved in sexual arousal their brains tend to respond differently, and that the homosexual men tend to respond in the same way as heterosexual women, though it could not be determined whether this was cause or effect. The study was expanded to include homosexual women; the results were consistent with previous findings meaning that homosexual women were not as responsive to male identified odors, while their response to female cues was similar to that of heterosexual males. According to the researchers, this research suggests a possible role for human pheromones in the biological basis of sexual orientation.

Leaked documents

In both of the documents, the possibility was canvassed that a strong aphrodisiac could be dropped on enemy troops, ideally one which would also cause "homosexual behavior". The documents described the aphrodisiac weapon as "distasteful but completely non-lethal".

Body odors

Body odor remote-engineering, involving compounds found in halitosis and hyperhidrosis, was another possibility discussed. Again, these effects would be produced by a non-lethal chemical weapon—possibly one that would affect the hormonal and digestive systems. It appears that a 'heavy sweating bomb', 'flatulence bomb' and 'halitosis bomb' were also considered by a committee at the time. The plan was to make an enemy so smelly they could be quite literally sniffed out of hiding by their opponents.

Ig Nobel Prize awards

Wright Laboratory won the satiric 2007 Ig Nobel Peace Prize for "instigating research & development on a chemical weapon—the so-called 'gay bomb'—that will make enemy soldiers become sexually irresistible to each other."

See also

• 30 Rock, a sitcom which featured a working gay bomb in the episode "Cooter".
• Bremelanotide, the only known synthetic aphrodisiac
• Brickleberry, a sitcom whose sixth episode, "Gay Bomb", involves a gay bomb.
• Frey effect (science)
• Human sex pheromones
• Misattribution of arousal
• The Alex Jones Show talks about how Atrazine runoff is the equivalent of a gay bomb by causing the endocrine system of amphibians to alter their gender (see: LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory)

Notes

References

• "Harassing, Annoying, and 'Bad Guy' Identifying Chemicals" (PDF). Sunshine Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
• Smith, Michael (15 January 2005). "Pentagon planned love bomb". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
• "US military pondered love not war". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 15 January 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
• Bransten, Jeremy (30 January 2007). "U.S.: Pentagon Unveils The Next Generation of Nonlethal Weapons". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
• Bernard, Jerome (16 June 2007). "Pentagon once mulled 'gay bomb' to promote love not war". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
• "Ig Nobel awards celebrate the sillier side of science". CNN. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2007.

External links

• Simpson, Mark (13 June 2007). "Armed and Amorous". The Guardian. UK.
• US military planned 'gay bomb'
• Air force looked at spray to turn enemy gay
• Air Force Considered Gay 'Love Bomb' Against Enemies
• US Military "Gay Bomb" Video (Republican National Convention blog)