Vegan Group Says "Chemical Pollutants" Make People Gay and Trans

Pembrokeshire Vegan Organic, a vegan group based in Wales, has sparked outrage after posting on its Facebook page that "synthetic chemical pollutants" make people gay and that "transgender is an environmental developmental disorder."

The post, which has been widely criticized by vegans and meat-eaters alike, said:

When people understand that sexual development problems are caused by synthetic chemical pollutants, then they can accept how teaching gender in schools is promoting the most backwards and corrupt system possible.

The promotion of gay and trans is the promotion of sexual development disorders, caused by environmental pollutants and media and educational manipulation. The promotion of homosexuality and gender at children tries to promote the view that transgender and homosexuality are natural and healthy lifestyle choices, which is not true.

None should be hated or attacked for being gay or transgender, if people are not harming anyone else, we should all be free to live how we like. There is nothing natural or healthy about wanting to be the opposite from what we are born, transgender is an environmental developmental disorder that is being promoted as natural and normal.

The original post has been deleted, but the backlash remains.

"The view of an individual vegan does not represent how the vegan community as a whole feels on a particular issue," Dominika Piasecka, spokeswoman for the Vegan Society, the world's oldest animal product-free organization told The Independent.

Several Facebook users have responded to the comments by giving the page one-star reviews.

"As a vegan, I wanted to express with the utmost sincerity that the wider community shouldn't be judged by the actions, or associated with the homophobic, transphobic pseudoscientific bullshit that Pembrokeshire came out with," Paul Hollingdrake commented in his review, "From the bottom of my heart - fuck these guys."

It seems Pembrokeshire Vegan Organic forgot that you could be vegan and LGBT.

"A shame there is not a no-star option. I am disgusted with the post this page put up...I'm vegan and I'm a lesbian, married and very happy," added Megan Hassan-Shaw, "Not much winds me up, but this was upsetting. How about the amount of time you sit in front of a computer looking up animal stuff for one week you educate yourselves about the LGBTQ community."

"This person is making up lies about our organisation, attacking us for no reason," Pembrokeshire Vegan Organic fired back to Hassan-Shaw, "We promote the truth that biological development including reproductive or sexual, is affected by environmental pollutants."

"It's important to note that veganism is based on kindness and compassion, and the backlash the Facebook page has received shows that the vast majority of vegans disagree with the comments made," asserted Piasecka.

"Bigoted, homophobic, transphobic, disgusting people! Your page should be deleted and you should be ashamed!" Holly May Treadwell commented on the group's Facebook page, which responded.

"Nothing hateful here, except your review. You should be ashamed for trying to deny the risks associated with synthetic chemicals even though you don't know anything about the subject," wrote the group.