LGBTQ

The History Of ‘Coming Out,’ From Secret Gay Code To Popular Political Protest
LGBTQ

The History Of ‘Coming Out,’ From Secret Gay Code To Popular Political Protest

You probably know what it means to “come out” as gay. You may even have heard the expression used in relation to other kinds of identity, such as being undocumented. But do you know where the term comes from? Or that its meaning has changed over time? In my new book, “Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are,” I explore the history of this term, from the earliest days of the gay rights movement, to today, when it has been adopted by other movements. Selective sharing In the late 19th and early 20th century, gay subculture thrived in many large American cities. Gay men spoke of “coming out” into gay society – borrowing the term from debutante society, where elite young women came out into high society. A 1931 news article in the Baltimore Afro-American referred to “the coming out of new debut...
The State-by-State Penis Size Survey
Journalism, LGBTQ

The State-by-State Penis Size Survey

Does Penis Size Really Matter? It Does in Some States! There are jokes to mask it and articles that say it's no biggie, but men are still obsessed with the age-old question: Does penis size really matter? It's probably such a pervasive question because it really can't be answered. It's probably because the question is unfinished. It completely depends on what it matters for - making a baby, giving unknown pleasure, opening doors a foot back - but that part of the equation is never stated. Instead, it leaves a lot to be considered to fit all the possibilities. That could be the reason why many men put so much emphasis on it, which may be why many women don't want to give an opinion. However, a man's penis size has become a sort of perceived reflection of who he is. If he is powerful. If...
LGBTQ Life In America Is Flourishing Outside Of Small-Town Pride Celebrations
LGBTQ

LGBTQ Life In America Is Flourishing Outside Of Small-Town Pride Celebrations

Beck Banks, University of Oregon LGBTQ people in rural places and small towns are often ignored in the larger conversation surrounding queer life and culture. Even with these omissions, Pride celebrations in those locations are sweeping the nation, often encountering initial resistance. As a transgender person from Central Appalachia and a doctoral candidate who studies rural transgender media activism, I still find myself sometimes conflating metropolitan with queer, despite knowing that reduces the complexity of transgender and queer lives. The day I reluctantly traveled to eastern Kentucky’s Pikeville Pride, I was doing just that. Don’t get me wrong; I like myself, and I am proud of the LGBTQ people who are working toward self-respect and celebrating who they are and what Pride repre...
Is Major League Baseball Still In The Closet And For How Much Longer?
LGBTQ

Is Major League Baseball Still In The Closet And For How Much Longer?

Peter Dreier, Occidental College In his 1990 autobiography, “Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball,” Dave Pallone, a gay major league umpire who was quietly fired in 1988 after rumors about his sexual orientation circulated in the baseball world, contended that there were enough gay major league players to create an All-Star team. Since then, attitudes and laws about homosexuality have changed. High-profile figures in business, politics, show business, education, the media, the military and sports have come out of the closet. Athletes in three of the five major U.S. male team sports – the NBA, NFL and MLS – have come out while still playing, with NFL player Carl Nassib and NHL prospect Luke Prokop coming out in summer 2021. Meanwhile, according to OutSports magazine, at least 185 ...
When In-Person LGBTQ Communities Are Lacking – Social Media Gives Support To Youth
LGBTQ

When In-Person LGBTQ Communities Are Lacking – Social Media Gives Support To Youth

Linda Charmaraman, Wellesley College Teens today have grown up on the internet, and social media has served as a space where LGBTQ youth in particular can develop their identities. Scholarship about the online experiences of LGBTQ youth has traditionally focused on cyberbullying. But understanding both the risks and the benefits of online support is key to helping LGBTQ youth thrive, both on- and offline. I am a senior research scientist studying the benefits and challenges of teen social technology and digital media use. My colleagues, Rachel Hodes and Amanda Richer, and I recently conducted a study on the social media experiences of LGBTQ youth, and we found that online networks can provide critical resources for them to explore their identities and engage with others in the community...
Asking For Help At Work Is Influenced By Gender, For Engineers
LGBTQ

Asking For Help At Work Is Influenced By Gender, For Engineers

Cristina Poleacovschi, Iowa State University; Amy N. Javernick-Will, University of Colorado Boulder; Sheng Wang, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Tony W. Tong, University of Colorado Boulder The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea In a study published in the Journal of Management in Engineering, we analyzed whether knowledge accessibility – defined as the time and effort that individuals spend seeking knowledge from their colleagues – is influenced by gender. Whether solving a technical problem or seeking career advice, employees benefit from knowing who can answer their questions. However, employees may find it difficult to ask certain colleagues for help and may avoid approaching them. In the male-dominated engineering industry, where women ...
For LGBTQ Parents That Want To Help Schools Fight Stigma And Ignorance – Here Are 7 Tips To Help
LGBTQ

For LGBTQ Parents That Want To Help Schools Fight Stigma And Ignorance – Here Are 7 Tips To Help

LGBTQ Abbie E. Goldberg, Clark University Many parents want to ensure that their kids are in classrooms where they and their families are respected and embraced. However, as a psychologist and researcher who has studied LGBTQ parents’ relationships with schools for over a decade, I have found that LGBTQ parents often have specific concerns when it comes to inclusion and acceptance. “[We have] always been very upfront that we are a family with two moms,” reported one parent in my research. “If the [school] was going to have an issue, we wanted to get the vibe early so we could find an alternative so our child didn’t have to suffer due to their closed-mindedness.” LGBTQ parents who live in less gay-friendly communities are more likely to describe feelings of mistreatment by their childr...
Racism On Grindr
LGBTQ

Racism On Grindr

Christopher T. Conner, University of Missouri-Columbia On gay dating apps like Grindr, many users have profiles that contain phrases like “I don’t date Black men,” or that claim they are “not attracted to Latinos.” Other times they’ll list races acceptable to them: “White/Asian/Latino only.” This language is so pervasive on the app that websites such as Douchebags of Grindr and hashtags like #grindrwhileblack can be used to find countless examples of the abusive language that men use against people of color. Since 2015 I’ve been studying LGBTQ culture and gay life, and much of that time has been spent trying to untangle and understand the tensions and prejudices within gay culture. While social scientists have explored racism on online dating apps, most of this work has centered on hig...
Colleges Strive To Better Support Trans Students – Common Applications Will Now Allow Students To Choose Their Gender Identity
LGBTQ

Colleges Strive To Better Support Trans Students – Common Applications Will Now Allow Students To Choose Their Gender Identity

Genny Beemyn, University of Massachusetts Amherst Since its inception in 1975, the Common Application, the undergraduate admissions application used by more than 900 colleges, has required students to provide their “sex,” with only “male” and “female” as choices. But starting in August 2021, the Common App is also asking students their gender identities and the names and pronouns they go by. As a researcher who specializes in studying the experiences of transgender college students, I believe these changes represent a much-needed opportunity for colleges and universities that use the Common App to acknowledge and respect the gender identities of their trans students. The changes mean that some colleges will have information about their trans students for the first time. Other institutio...
NFL’s Carl Nassib Came Out As Gay, Why It’s Such A Big Deal
LGBTQ

NFL’s Carl Nassib Came Out As Gay, Why It’s Such A Big Deal

John Affleck, Penn State The video was short and simple, but for America’s gay community it was a blockbuster event. In an Instagram post, Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib announced from his yard in West Chester, Pennsylvania, that he’s gay and that, while he’s a private person, he feels “representation is so important.” He added that he would donate US$100,000 to the Trevor Project, which offers suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. Thus the 28-year-old Nassib, now in his sixth year, became the first active NFL player to come out, a milestone that immediately garnered national attention, a mention in a congratulatory tweet from President Joe Biden and an outpouring of support on social media from powerful sports figures and fans. As someone who has reported on foo...