This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by InHuOfficial
Yeah I knew that title would catch your attention!
But it isn't clickbait!
Quick note: This is obviously a subject that can cause a lot of tension etc. I do not mention TQIA+ within this article purely as the study is from 2012 and there wasn't the data then (or the understanding we have now), it is not my intention to exclude! There is even a second disclaimer at the end of this article I am that bothered about something inadvertently causing harm within this article.
A study titled "Disability Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: Disparities in Prevalence and Risk"
I read a really interesting study about the prevalence of disability among people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual but it just left me with so many questions!
Now if you don't do scientific papers (I am not brilliant at reading them so if someone wants to break down any holes in the paper or my understanding please do correct me!) the "headline statistic" is that if you are a woman with a disability you are almost 50% more likely to be lesbian or bisexual, and if you are a man with a disability you are over 50% more likely to be bisexual. (or vice versa, it could be that if you are lesbian you are more likely to have a disability for example).
I have seen the statistics being mentioned in multiple places but nobody ever cites the source, so I decided to track it down given that it is pride month and my affinity with inclusion to see if we can unravel the reason the relationship exists or dismiss this as a myth if the study is flawed!
Why does that correlation exist?
It is a complex question to answer, I have a couple of loose ideas but that is why I am asking, someone smarter than me might be able to answer!
Is it that being gay, lesbian or bisexual makes you more likely to be disabled?
If this is the case, is this because of socioeconomic reasons?
They do mention in the study that bisexual men and women tend to be below the poverty level, and socioeconomic status often correlates very closely with disability (but yet again, which is the causal factor?).
Is the poverty level associated with the likelihood of being from a single person household.
If that is the reason then my big question is "is the difference between LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual levels of disability going to lessen as more LGBTQIA+ people get married / acceptance levels improve further"?
Or is it that being disabled means you are more likely to be gay, lesbian or bisexual?
And if so, is that due to the fact you become more accepting of yourself and more willing to explore your sexuality?
Or is it a combination of factors, the difference between the number of gay men (26.16%) and lesbian women (35.51%) who have a disability is quite large.
Is that because women who are disabled and also view themselves as vulnerable might feel safer with another woman? Is it that women are more accepting of disabilities than men?
I don't know, that is why I am asking!
Why does it matter?
Now you might think, other than pure curiosity why does it matter?
Well to me it would mean that the LGBTQIA+ community are closely "aligned" with the disabled community.
It also means a lot of the articles that are out there designed to help people with disabilities explore and or rediscover their sexuality are excluding a large portion of the population (as they are mostly weighted towards heterosexual relationship advice).
What do I hope to learn / why does it matter to me?
I am (and have been for months) working on a resource all about and for people with disabilities.
I can't completely separate sexuality from the equation if there is indeed a significant difference in how heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities express their sexuality.
I am also trying to take my experiences and interactions out of the equation when designing this resource so differing opinions (or consensus) hopefully lets me have a more rounded view.
Over to you
There are a load of people on here who are way smarter than I am, have different experiences than me etc. I am here to learn from you all.
Why do you think this (quite strong) relationship exists?
Do you see any flaws in the study that mean this is not actually true?
What do you think that means for the battle for inclusion and equality?
If I mis-phrased anything
I know this is a sensitive subject, if I mis-phrased anything then I did not mean it in any derogatory way etc.
It is not my intention to offend.
Speak your mind
Finally, I will be as lax as possible with the comments so feel free to offer an opinion that might be "on the edge" of controversial if you feel it adds something to the conversation.
As long as it isn't outright hateful or disgusting I will rely on the community to correct you (or me) if you / I are out of line anywhere!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by InHuOfficial
InHuOfficial | Sciencx (2021-06-01T20:26:01+00:00) Does being disabled make you more likely to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual? (or vice versa!). Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2021/06/01/does-being-disabled-make-you-more-likely-to-identify-as-lesbian-gay-or-bisexual-or-vice-versa/
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