PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. researcher said he is trying to correct misinformation in newspapers and blogs about his findings in a study of what made some sheep gay.

After Oregon Health and Science University researcher Charles Roselli published his study, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals initiated a campaign against the research, creating outrage from animal rights activists, gay advocates and others around the world, The New York Times said. The outrage, Roselli and his colleagues said, is based on a misinterpretation of what the work's about.

The firestorm peaked in December, when the The Sunday Times of London published an article about the study, asserting researchers said homosexuality in rams could be cured by hormone treatment. Not true, researcher said.

The researchers point out that some of the material is, simply, wrong. They've gathered some allies, as well, in the blog world, in which one blogger ran a correction and another said said he's been cheered by others who dropped their opposition once the facts were presented.

Roselli said the idea of sexual eugenics in humans repulsed him. The goal of his research, he said, was to understand the fundamental mechanisms of sexual orientation in sheep. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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