Bill Nye used ice cream to explain sexuality — and conservatives are having a fit

Impact

Bill Nye is feeling the wrath of conservative media, and it's all over a few scoops of ice cream.

In an episode of the scientist's new Netflix series, Bill Nye Saves the World, Nye introduces a short video clip explaining how there are "lots of flavors" to sexuality.

In the clip, adorably animated ice cream cones come together for an "ice cream conversation therapy" meeting — a play on the harmful practice known as "gay conversation therapy," which falsely claims to be able to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The meeting is led by the unwitting vanilla cone. 

Vanilla explains that he feels he is the "most natural" of flavors, thus all other flavors should convert to vanilla.

As the other flavors protest, Vanilla becomes more and more enraged, saying it's simple to convert to being vanilla: All you have to do is "pretend to be vanilla until they no longer have the urge to not be vanilla."

But, as Pistachio points out, he doesn't have an urge to be pistachio; he was simply made that way.

Suddenly, the sexiest of all flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip, walks in and serves up a little ice cream realness about being two flavors at once. 

In the end, Vanilla comes to his senses and realizes life just isn't as fun when everyone is the same. Oh, and the entire video closes with what could be considered an R-rated ice cream orgy. 

But, because we live in a world where we can't have nice things, Nye found himself the target of conservative vitriol on sites like the Daily Caller, the Daily Wire and PJ Media

"In his latest Netflix project, Nye took on the 'Sexuality Spectrum,' which he tried to make sound very scientific," Megan Fox wrote for PJ Media. "But he just ended up sickening the Twittersphere and giving ISIS more reasons to hate us."  

However, Nye has both science and politics on his side. 

On Tuesday, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, along with Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Dozens of other members of Congress have publicly stated their support for the bill, which would ultimately classify conversion therapy and its practitioners as fraudulent if it passes.

"The bill is very simple," Lieu told the Washington Post. "It says it is fraud if you treat someone for a condition that doesn't exist and there's no medical condition known as being gay. LGBTQ people were born perfect; there is nothing to treat them for. And by calling this what it should be, which is fraud, it would effectively shut down most of the organizations."

Already, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and the District of Columbia have enacted laws preventing licensed mental health care providers from offering the therapy to minors, according to Human Rights Watch. "There is clear evidence that conversion therapy does not work, and some significant evidence that it is also harmful to LGBTQ people," the organization added. 

Watch Nye's entire ice cream love fest below.