Homokaasu

Homokaasu (Finnish name, literally gay (homosexual) - gas) is a fictitious poisonous chemical substance, that is supposedly an odorless and invisible gas at room temperature. It is a Finnish urban legend, and is often the subject of running gags on Finnish Usenet newsgroups.

Conspiracy theory
Homokaasu is supposedly used on specific people by secret agents of the Roman Catholic Church to gain a subliminal control of the victims. The substance is usually leaked into rooms and areas in which the victim spends time – the home, workplace and psychiatric wards, for example. It also may be mixed in foodstuffs and beverages to the same effect.

The concept of homokaasu was introduced to the public in a series of controversial reports distributed in Helsinki, Copenhagen and Los Angeles in the 1980s. The reports themselves claim to have been written and distributed by an alleged victim of the supposed operation. The reports contemplate the motives, mentioning that the Roman Catholic Church might be attempting to convert the victims to homosexuality.

Effects
Regular exposure supposedly makes social interaction difficult for the victim. Regular exposure also has various health-related effects on the victim, such as deterioration of eye-sight and hearing, diarrhoea and aches in various parts of the body. These symptoms supposedly disappear soon after the exposure has been discontinued.

In addition to the symptoms above, the victim is supposedly harassed in various ways. They experience for example constant re-occurrence of accidents and near-misses, and abnormal sexually charged encounters of various degrees.

The name (gay-gas) originates from the suppression of social interaction and the abnormal sexual encounters arranged in the operation.

Cultural impact
Homokaasu is a widespread in-joke among Finnish net-users, and the homokaasu legend is the origin of the name of the Finland-based web community called "The Sect of Homokaasu". Moreover, there are recurring references to the homokaasu legend on the web pages of known Finnish Internet personalities, notably Niilo Paasivirta.

The legend itself was created by an obviously paranoid person spreading tracts about homokaasu. Nevertheless, it is widely perceived as both hilarious and bizarrely original, and it has persisted in Finnish Internet folklore.

Coincidentally, a Gay bomb conceptually reminiscent of homokaasu has also been investigated by the US military.