Two interesting reports, one finding that the plurality of the self-identifying LGBTQ students at elite colleges are either “questioning” or bisexual, and overwhelmingly so among women. This is the movement originally but no longer about gay identity but hey, where are the bucks for HRC in that? The other study looks at students who are actually gay and male, and finds they’re different from others.
LGBTQ Mostly Not Gay People
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5 Comments for “LGBTQ Mostly Not Gay People”
posted by Jorge on
Elite students will supply many of the leaders of tomorrow’s America, so it is vital to understand trends among them.
Don’t worry, blue collars will always be around to remind that the ass**** is the most important part of the body. And yes, I am using a joke to cover up my worry.
“The effect of resilience to override effectively all stressors is quite amazing,” Meyer said. “We’re basically saying gay boys have a terrible school environment, but still, on average, they’re doing fantastically well. To me, that is still a major question — how does that work?”
The same way it works for other socially disadvantaged groups: boys and young men die or are otherwise permanently removed from the population. Then the more successful among us skew the average. To simplistic?
posted by Tom Scharbach on
“The effect of resilience to override effectively all stressors is quite amazing,” Meyer said. “We’re basically saying gay boys have a terrible school environment, but still, on average, they’re doing fantastically well. To me, that is still a major question — how does that work?”
Most likely, we are looking at compensation. Excluded in important ways from normative behavior and peer groups, it makes sense that gay boys and young men would look in other directions for achievement and self-affirmation.
I know many gay men (myself included) who took that path and, as a result, did well in school, earned the Phi Beta Kappa keys and otherwise drove themselves to success. I know other gay men, however, who were crushed by being ostracized as boys and young men, and bear the marks to this day.
“The same way it works for other socially disadvantaged groups: boys and young men die or are otherwise permanently removed from the population. Then the more successful among us skew the average. To simplistic?”
Yes, it is too simplistic. Although a higher percentage of gay boys and young men die (suicide rates are significantly higher, for example) than do straight boys and young men, no correlation is established that suggests that the higher death rate is selective in a way that would skew the average.
posted by Kosh III on
?The bisexual and ‘questioning’ sexual orientation categories account for 15% of females but only 6% of males, while the gay/lesbian share is around twice as high among male students “male students (6.1%) as females (2.8%)).”
These elevated numbers are due to the higher level of safety we now have(aside from ahole Republicans and Talibangelists) for people to have the freedom to question and experiment,.
These” “(6.1%) as females (2.8%” are not that far above the numbers Masters and Johnson offered.
Nothing to see here: move along.
posted by Edward TJ Brown on
Why should it matter who is LGBTQ as long as everyone has their rights and dignity respected?
posted by Tom Scharbach on
“Why should it matter who is LGBTQ as long as everyone has their rights and dignity respected?”
It doesn’t. On a level playing field, gays and lesbians will do fine. That’s why I’ve focused, almost exclusively, on equal rights under the law for the last two decades.
That is not to say that cultural bias doesn’t matter. Gays and lesbians, like Jews, African-Americans, and other racial/ethnic/religious/cultural minorities, live in a culture that ostracizes us in a variety of ways, large and small, so we live in a culture that constantly reminds us that we don’t belong, that we are “other”. We have to factor that reality into our lives and how we live them. But, given a level playing field in terms of law, housing, employment, and so on, we will do fine.