‘Goy’: A Transgendered, Genetically Modified Goat

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
You thought “goy” is a derogatory word for a non-Jew? Incorrect.
It actually means “genetically modified goat” — at least in New Zealand, where scientists are using the term to refer to a new breed of the animal.
The goats, presumably gentiles, are described as “transgender,” and are part of an experiment to see whether they can produce milk similar to that of humans. The 15 goats are being raised at a research facility, where scientists have combined “girl” and “boy” to coin the new nickname. England’s Daily Mail leaves unclear why the milk needs to come from the transgender animals, which apparently have “the full male anatomy.”
It reports that there will be just one generation of goys: the animals have been sterilized to prevent them from reproducing.
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