Orthodox rabbi declares ban on soy as it 'makes students gay' An ultra-orthodox Jewish sect has banned its children from eating soy out of fears it will "make them gay." AN ultra-orthodox Jewish sect has banned its children from eating soy out of fears it will "make them gay." So just what must you skip to avoid becoming part of the rainbow set? In the Hebrew religious news website BaOlam Shel Haredim the Israel-based Gur Hasidic sect rabbi Abraham Benjamin Silberberg yesterday declared eating soy-based products would lead to "gay sexual activity" and that even a once-a-week dose would "cause unwanted arousal." That's apparently because it contains female hormone estrogen (in minute quantities). He also expressed concerns soy-based products would cause girls to sexually mature faster. As a result of these fears, the sect has now banned the consumption of all soy and soy-based products. So where does he get this notion from? It's just one of many old-wives tales about "what makes you gay" that persist in circulating, despite their patent ridiculousness. Here are just five fallacies that simply won't go away: Tofu or not tofu? That is the question. The quantities of soy products you need to eat before having any affect on your body whatsoever would need to be both vast and consistent. EATING SOY MAKES YOU GAY: The obvious question, then, is why aren't there far more homosexuals in Asia where soy is a staple part of the diet? The answer is simple: There is no statistical or scientific evidence for this claim whatsoever. Soy does not contain human-grade estrogen. It does, however, contain substances called isoflavones that are similar to estrogen in some ways. Only the regular consumption of vast quantities of isoflavones has been observed to have a vague link to areas such as semen quality or breast tumours. Other claims, such as soy acts as an estrogen replacement for menopausal women, are so marginal they are generally regarded as not being more than a placebo effect where the simple act of appearing to treat a condition makes people think they are feeling better. "Frankenstein" foods have had many myths built up around them. That they make you gay is but one of them. GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS MAKE YOU GAY: This assertion has even less credibility than that of soy. It appears simply to be an attempt at fearmongering through linking one thing the claimant fears (homosexuality) with another thing they fear (genetically modified foods) to make it twice as fearful. The argument is that GMFs affect human hormone levels. Exactly how is not established beyond pointing out that some substances belong to vaguely similar categories to each another. Strangely, this tends to be already the case whether or not the food item has been genetically altered. Harmless fun and exercise ... children standing at ballet barre Source: ThinkStock DANCING MAKES YOU GAY: The argument generally goes like this: A boy locked up in a room full of girls in dance costumes will be so overwhelmed by their female presence that it follows that it will rub off on him. Athletic girls in tight leotards would do nothing to evoke even nascent heterosexual urges, right? But the general gist eventually boils down to the association that because girls can look sexually evocative to men while dancing, why would a guy want to do the same? Probably for the same reason the girls are really doing it: The athletic challenge, the fun and the exercise. Tickled pink? If pink makes you gay, what happened before the colour became associated with femininity only 100 years ago? Some people still think this. So much so that, according to a recent report from the US, a two-year-old boy wearing a pink headband was attacked by a man in a suburban supermarket earlier this year. The assailant told the boy's mother "your son is a f*cking fa***t." Colour associations are purely cultural. In fact, the Ladies Home Journal of 1918 asserts that pink was a "stronger" colour more suitable for boys than girls. Some tones cannot even be seen unless you are exposed to them at a very young age. The classic example of this is the many names Eskimos have for different types of snow and ice, while being hardly able to perceive different shades of green. Some argue that pink was only solidified as being an effeminate colour in Western culture after the Nazis used pink triangles to designate homosexuals in concentration camps. I'll shake your if you shake mine ... businessmen greeting. SHAKING HANDS MAKES YOU GAY: This is another claim from the same Jewish Gur sect that issued the warning about soy. In August last year one of its rabbis issued a ban on handshakes between men because "it may lead to sinful thoughts." They can touch fingertips, however, but it is "better for men and boys to avoid touching completely." "This new prohibition will ensure the holiness of our next generation," the rabbi said. As to why fingertips receive less homosexual sexual stimulation than sweaty palms was not explained.