More Americans identify as bisexual in a trend led by young women of color, new study shows.
According to the latest biannual General Social Survey (GSS), more than 3% of people in the US identify as bisexual. Significantly, those attracted to and/or dating both genders in 2008 were just 1%.
Sociologists D’Lane Compton and Tristan Bridges have commented on the survey, pointing out that the number of bisexuals seems to increase every year. On the other hand, the number of those identifying as gay or lesbian is stationary.B
They also highlighted that the rise in bisexuals is almost entirely due to women. As more and more young women identify as bi, men dating both genders haven’t increased in number.
More specifically, the upswing has been concentrated among young women of color — black women, especially.
The two sociologists further noted that the data collected by GSS mirrored those by a Gallup survey.
‘Gallup reported that much of the change in LGBT identification between 2012 and 2016 could be accounted for by young people, women, college-educated people, people of color, and those who are not religious,’ the two wrote.
The GSS survey also shows that the number of those identifying as gay or lesbian has decreased between 2016 and 2018.
Homosexuals were nearly 2.5% in 2016, whereas this percentage dropped to slightly more than 1.5% in 2018.
Student activists, Michael Gutierrez and Kaelin Walker, have been the integral voices for the fight against the appointment of Dr. Wilson and ensuring equality for LGBTQ+ students at UTEP.
“The fight isn’t over. This isn’t a done deal,” Kaelin tells GLAAD. “I find it sad that people are looking at it as if it is a done deal. It’s not. We’re not done.”
Michael and Kaelin will continue their optimism after the appointment of Dr. Wilson. Wilson’s appointment does not mean that they lost, it means that the fight for equality and acceptance continues.
GLAAD spoke to Michael and Kaelin last week to talk about the union amongst students, the future of UTEP, and the continuous battle with faculty and staff.
How do you feel about the nomination of Dr. Heather Wilson?
Michael: Oh I’m very I’m very concerned. We just met with her — I met with her personally twice. I had time to ask her questions and she dodged every single one of them. Meeting her twice — it was not what I hoped for. It was very disappointing and to say the least. I’m not looking forward to whatever is going to happen.
Kaelin: As for myself, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as an immigrant, and as a person of color — I am extremely concerned. I only got to see her once and I didn’t get to ask any questions because we ran out of time. I actually thought that she was going to be better at sweet talking us and saying the stuff we wanted to hear but she actually wasn’t, which kind of to my dismay but also to my to my pleasure.
What do you plan to do moving forward to keep the pressure on Dr. Wilson?
Michael: I heard the news live this morning it didn’t come as a surprise to me — I personally do not accept Wilson as president, but the reality is she’s president. Moving forward I am going to get involved more within UTEP. I will also be getting those who oppose Wilson to run for positions within UTEP. (Student Government Association, Alumni Association, etc.) For those who are in fear Wilson will be held accountable we the student body will look out for one another. The fight is not over, and our voice is stronger than ever.
Kaelin: I am currently running for Vice President of External Affairs for the UTEP’s SGA. If I win the position, I will make sure to stand for Diane Natalicio’s mission of access and excellency when I represent UTEP on a regional level. I also want to develop a communication between myself and Wilson and work on turning her into an involved ally to LGBTQ+ people and the Hispanic community of UTEP. If she cannot rise to the challenge, then she doesn’t belong here and I will keep protesting her.
What steps are student activists at UTEP taking and how are you all collaborating on campus?
Michael: We are all coordinating with each other — we are making our voice heard. We’ve been flooding everybody’s phones, we have been flooding everybody’s e-mails. We recently created We the Students Coalition, which is a group of student students and student organizations within campus. And we are doing things that activists do: We are protesting, we are doing phone banks, we are just trying to make our voices heard. And the community has been with us. The community has backed us 100 percent the way through. The only ones that haven’t been behind our back, I feel, is our university. And I think that’s because they just want us to be silenced… They just want us to accept Dr. Heather Wilson and we’re not going to.
Kaelin: What we’re doing is our best to convince them. And that’s that’s all we can do. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of making our voice heard.
During a press conference at UTEP, Dr. Wilson said her “general approach with respect to LGBTQ issues is to treat everyone with dignity and respect.” How do you feel about that statement?
Kaelin: She has demonstrated that she does not respect LGBTQ+ people. How can you vote against the basic civil rights of these people and then say that you plan on treating them in the future with dignity and respect? You know that’s like I don’t want you to have all the rights that I do. She doesn’t respect LGBTQ+ people — even her anti-LGBTQ+ actions took place as recently as last year in 2018. During her time as Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, where she enforced the trans military ban, that’s not treating people with dignity and respect. I don’t see her changing anytime soon without a big push.
UTEP students protesting in March, 2019. Image credit: Isaac Uribe.
What can this mean for the future of UTEP and the future of LGBTQ+ students?
Michael: I like thinking the best set of things, but this time I’m not too sure when it comes to the future of LGBTQ+ people in UTEP. I don’t know. To be completely honest, the second time I met with her, I asked her a question — I asked her — will you work with me to ensure transgender non-binary individuals receive the dignity and safety they deserve and expecting an in-depth response. Dr. Wilson just simply replied “yes” and just moved on quickly. So I think I deserved more than a “yes.” I think my community deserves more than a “yes.” It just shows me that I don’t know the future for my community but I’m going to try my hardest to make sure that we are protected and nothing happens to us.
Kaelin: As for the future of UTEP, the current standing president right now, Diana Natalicio, has encouraged us by saying, she gave a speech the other day and I was I was lucky enough to be there. She said it’s up to the students, it’s up to the faculty, it’s up to the community to fight for our mission to make sure that we never compromise our community and our beliefs no matter who’s presiding over us and I wholeheartedly, I’m going to take that and run like hell with it. As for the future of LGBTQ+ students I hope, at UTEP, just from what I what I’m feeling right now from amongst the community is that we are not going to stop being heard and we’re not going to hide into the woodwork now that she’s here and if she gets appointed, we’re not hiding. We’re not being silenced or being made invisible.
These replies have been edited and shortened for clarity.
Harold Daniel is a GLAAD Campus Ambassador and senior at Florida International University studying broadcast journalism. He currently serves as an intern for Good Morning America on ABC.
57% of LGBTI people lose a friend or family member after coming out, Gay Star News has found.
This heartbreaking statistic adds to previous research about isolation and loneliness in the LGBTI community.
Also, three-quarters (72%) of GSN readers said they ‘always’ or ‘sometimes’ felt lonely.
In contrast, only 20% said they rarely or didn’t ever feel lonely.
GSN readers were polled before and during Digital Pride, the global online movement that takes place on 29 April to 5 May.
Unlike any other Pride event in the world, you can take part in Digital Pride whoever and wherever you are.
Even if you are from a country where being LGBTI is criminalized or leaves you in danger – it’s a Pride festival you can be a part of.H
Loneliness and isolation are serious issues in the LGBTI community | Photo: Flickr/Alachua County
Thousands of people voted in the straw poll available on social media and the website.
Many said they felt it was difficult to make LGBTI friends.
We also asked whether GSN readers have ever felt lonely in a relationship.
We also asked about their friendships.
Loneliness affects us all
Tris Reid-Smith, editor-in-chief of GSN, said: ‘You can be lonely if you live in an isolated place, where you are the only LGBTI person you know. But equally you can live in the world’s biggest city and still feel isolated as an LGBTI person.
‘Loneliness affects us all at some point in our lives.
‘That’s particularly important in a community like ours where people are also more likely to suffer from poor mental health.
‘But there is also something we can do about it.
‘We hope Digital Pride will spark a conversation about how to tackle loneliness and isolation in our community. And we hope it will inspire people to reach out to a friend or acquaintance they think may be lonely or isolated. Digital Pride is a Pride designed to inspire change and that change is something you can start to make happen today.’
These findings add to what we already know about LGBTI loneliness.
The need for support has remained the same across decades
Natasha Walker, the co-chair of Switchboard, said: ‘These statistics solidify a lot of what we already know working within the LGBTI support sector – that loneliness is a pressing issue for people who identify as LGBTI.
‘Looking back throughout our 45 years as a helpline, despite the changes in legislation, the changes in societal and cultural attitudes, the changes within the LGBTQ+ communities…the phone calls for support have remained constant.
‘Whether it was 1975, 1988 or 2003 we received calls from people questioning their identity, with themes of shame, confusion and loneliness. Themes which remain constant in the calls we take today in 2019.’
A Stonewall spokesperson also commented on the findings.
‘Simply being lesbian, gay, bi or trans, shouldn’t mean you’re more likely to experience poor mental health and loneliness,’ they said.
‘Unfortunately, these findings and our own research show this is the case for many in the community.
We know that half of LGBTI people (52%) have experienced depression. Three in five (61%) reported having episodes of anxiety in the last year.
‘The discrimination and rejection LGBTI people can experience from friends and family can lead to disproportionate feelings of loneliness and isolation. Across Britain and worldwide, we want to help create a world where every LGBTI person is supported to lead a happy, healthy life.’
Something has to change
Ian Howley, Chief Executive of LGBT HERO, the parent organisation of GMFA and OutLife, reacted to the findings.
He said: ‘These findings prove again and again that not enough is being done to tackle the high numbers of LGBTI people who are experiencing these issues.
‘Tackling isolation and loneliness is important. It can lead to people making unhealthy choices such as drinking alcohol more, using hard drugs, engaging in chemsex and partaking in riskier sex.
‘But it can also lead to extreme cases of anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide. All the statistics also prove the longer someone feels isolated or lonely, the higher the rate they will experience mental illness issues or even consider taking their own life.
‘To me it’s unacceptable that just because we are LGBTI that this is something we have to experience.
‘We as a community need to come together and figure out what realistically can be done to challenge the issues raised here.
‘Nobody should feel isolated in the LGBTI community and there’s more we can all do to stop this.
‘But right now we need to find a way to support those who are currently feeling isolated or lonely while laying down the foundations to eradicate this for future generations.’
In a bid to reduce the number of younger viewers on porn sites, all internet users will have to prove that they are over 18 to prevent themselves being blocked from seeing adult content from July 15.
The new regulations will mean that porn websites will have to enforce a strict age verification process, which may include users entering their personal details onto the site.
“We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online.”
—Minister for Digital Margot James
If adult websites do not adhere to the new rules they may become completely inaccessible to UK users.
“Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online,” Minister for Digital Margot James said in a statement on the issue.
“We’ve taken the time to balance privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content,” she added.
“We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this.”
Access to pornography “corroding childhood”
Relaxed verification procedures for online adult content is an issue politicians have been fighting against for many years.
“I want to talk about the internet,” he said. “The impact it is having on the innocence of our children. How online pornography is corroding childhood. And how, in the darkest corners of the internet, there are things going on that are a direct danger to our children, and that must be stamped out.”
“Introducing age verification is a world-leading step forward to protect children,” a spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told PinkNews in March.
“Adult content is currently too easy to access on the internet, we’re making sure the protections that exist for children offline are provided online too.”
When the ban finally comes into full force, Britain will become the first country in the world to have an age verification for online porn.
The 32nd annual Sonoma County Pride Parade happens June 1, 2019, in downtown Santa Rosa on 4th Street. Parade starts at 11AM, followed by our Pride Festival from noon to 6PM. This year’s theme is Stonewall to Sonoma, a Heritage of Love. In 1967 thousands of young people from around the country descended on the bay area for the summer of love. Rejecting cultural pressure to conform, they were determined to MAKE change happen and create the world they wanted to live in. On June 28th, 1969 the Stonewall riots (also referred to as Stonewall uprising) happened at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City. Violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT community took place as they fought back against the police harassment and raid. The LGBT community stood up and said we are not going to take it anymore. These riots constitute the most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and modern fight for LGBTQ rights. The world has never been the same.
Starting with our Pride Festival in June, join Sonoma County LGBTQI Pride as we reimagine that summer for a new generation through a season of events and activities that celebrate diversity and queer culture and inspired by that spirit of freedom and LOVE. Exhibitors are encouraged to use this theme when thinking about their contingency.
A gay man from London has won parental rights over the child he had with his former partner via a surrogate following their split.
The High Court’s verdict is groundbreaking, as it marks the first time a non-biological father has been given rights in this type of case.According to The Times, the decision was made by Mrs. Justice Theis in February but has only now been made public.
While no names have been released, the same publication reports that the former couple are to be referred to as K and L. The former is their daughter’s biological father, having used his sperm to create an embryo at a US clinic back in 2017. The child, known only as N, was born in Canada in October that same year.
Canadian surrogacy laws
L’s lawyers explained to the court that he and K had been in a relationship for quite some time and had been living together in London when they decided to start a family. The pair temporarily moved to Canada as the laws tend to be similar to the UK’s regarding the surrogacy process, but there are certain benefits such as both parents’ names being cited on the original birth certificate.
The news should reassure other unmarried couples, whether they are straight and gay, who have a child through surrogacy (Pexels)
In the UK, the biological mother’s name appears on the document unless the parents apply to have it removed.
K and L had applied for parental responsibility orders shortly after they returned to the UK but they had difficulties seeing the process through after their relationship began to break down and on one occasion, the police were called after they disagreed on how their daughter should be cared for.
THE VERDICT
Nevertheless, Theis stated in court that since N had lived with both of her parents for the majority of her life so far, to refuse her from full access to them now would deny her of “the social and emotional benefits of recognition of that relationship and would not have the legal reality that matches the day-to-day reality.”
This way, N’s relationship with K and L is secured “in a lifelong way.”
Previously, a child could be made parentless if a biological parent died before parental orders for non-biological parents were made (Creative Commons)
She concluded: “I have no doubt, on the evidence the court has, a parental order will provide N with the security and stability her lifelong welfare needs require, and in those circumstances that order will be made.”
When asked what the unprecedented decision means in terms of similar cases in the future, Karen Holden of A City Law Firm told The Times: “[The ruling] paves the way for greater protection, but also highlights the ongoing need for urgent reform of the statute.”
A 17th-century portrait was returned to Poland’s National Museum nearly eight decades after it was seized by Nazis. This recovery was in part thanks to the cooperation of the gay couple who purchased the painting, unaware of its origins.T
Back in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security showed up at their door, explaining the situation to them. Saddened, they allowed the officers to take the artwork, Portrait of a Lady by Flemish artist Melchior Geldorp.
The portrait is now back at the National Museum in Warsaw. Its return was welcomed in a ceremony last September, attended by Poland’s culture minister, the American ambassador, and the couple themselves.L
Now, the couple, Craig Gilmore and David Crocker, are working to advance LGBTI rights in Poland. The Times of Israel reports that the couple was recently back in Poland, using the connections they made with their goodwill gesture to reach out to the local LGBTI community. They are offering the community financial donations and messages of solidarity.
LGBTI people in Poland face a great deal of discrimination. Last month, the chair of Poland’s ruling conservative party deemed LGBTI rights a ‘threat to the nation.’
In early April, Gilmore, who is an opera singer, proposed to Crocker, an artist, at a park in Warsaw. He said yes. All this was filmed. Both men are 55, and have discussed marriage during their 20-plus years together. However, Gilmore said it ‘felt right’ to propose in Poland, where neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions are legal.
Gilmore said they hoped the gesture will ‘invite the Polish LGBTQ community to join in our joy. David and I are confident that very soon they will prevail in their struggles.’
Poland’s LGBTI community appreciated this message of solidarity but still saw its limits.
‘It was a nice and brave gesture to do it in Warsaw, the capital of one of the few remaining EU countries not to recognize any form of partnership between people of the same sex. But the problems are too massive and profound to be changed symbolically,’ Vyacheslav Melnyk, director of Campaign Against Homophobia, told the Times of Israel.
New research has found that US states which legalised gay marriage before the 2015 Supreme Court ruling became more accepting of LGBT+ people at a quicker rate.
The study led by psychologist Eugene Ofosu found that “while anti-gay bias has been decreasing over time,” it did so “at roughly double” the speed after states introduced equal marriage.
“However, following the passing of legislation perceived as supportive of this marginalised population, on average, anti-gay bias declined at a steeper rate.
“Following the passing of legislation, anti-gay bias declined at a steeper rate.”
—A study led by Eugene Ofosu
“Our work highlights how government legislation can inform individuals’ attitudes, even when these attitudes may be deeply entrenched and socially and politically volatile.”
States forced to adopt gay marriage experienced ‘backlash’
The exceptions to the trend were states which had resisted equal marriage, but were made to adopt it after the Supreme Court ruled that they must.
Equal marriage was a state issue until June 26, 2015, when the court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges legalised it across the entire US.
States whose hands were forced experienced a “backlash”, apparently reflecting the “sense of symbolic threat” to their conservative values.
Ofosu and his team analysed approximately one million responses over a 12-year period to the Project Implicit website, which is designed to reveal a person’s unconscious bias.
They also looked at data from more than 10,000 participants in the American National Election Studies, which asked people to rate how warmly they felt about LGBT+ people.
The surveys were conducted “across all 50 states before, during, and after same-sex marriage legislation,” in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
The president has faced widespread criticism from LGBT+ campaigners and allies over the ban, which came into effect on April 13.
In March, a study found that there was a rise in hate crimes in counties which hosted Trump rallies in the run-up to his election in 2016.
The researchers noted that there was no concrete link between Trump’s rhetoric and the rise in crimes, but said that attempts to dismiss the figures as “faux hate crimes” were unrealistic.
15 LGBT+ Syrian refugees are taking legal action against the UK’s Home Office as they claim that they have been abandoned by the refugee resettlement scheme.
The refugees—who live in Turkey—were accepted on the scheme two years ago but have yet to be resettled in the UK. They claim that their lives are in danger in Turkey due to rampant homophobia and transphobia, according to the Guardian.
Other refugees accepted on the scheme waited between three to five months to be relocated to the UK, the newspaper reported.
LGBT+ refugees say homophobia is rampant in Turkey
Refugees who spoke to the publication said that life in Turkey is extremely difficult and that homophobia is rampant. Some live in safe houses and are forced to live “double lives.”
They claim that their lives are in danger from strangers on the street and from their families, many of whom do not accept LGBT+ people.
“Ministers must urgently improve the speed and quality of decisions on asylum claims.”
One of the refugees said he knows somebody who has been waiting two years to be relocated under the refugee resettlement programme. He has been stabbed twice because of his sexual orientation.
They said they feel abandoned by the Home Office in the UK and live in daily fear of homophobic or transphobic attacks.
STR/AFP/Getty
Other refugees are waiting on the Home Office to make decisions on their claims for six months or more
The UK government introduced the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement programme in 2015 with an intention to bring 20,000 Syrians into the UK for protection. The United Nation’s Refugee Agency assesses cases before referring them to the Home Office.
Despite this, many refugees have found themselves in limbo as they wait for the Home Office to meet their obligations and bring them to safety.
The refugees are being represented by Duncan Lewis solicitors. Sheroy Zaq, lead solicitor on the case, told PinkNews: “Our clients have already been accepted onto the resettlement scheme. As such, the Home Office is aware that they are vulnerable refugees, at heightened risk in Turkey.
“They have told us that they simply cannot wear a mask any longer; they want to be themselves, in public and in private. It is sincerely hoped that the UK takes heed of this request and acts with an element of urgency in ensuring that our clients are brought to the UK at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Refugee Action, a UK group that advocates for refugee rights, said in February that there was a record number of people waiting six months or more for the Home Office to make a decision on their applications for refuge.
The group’s chief executive Stephen Hale said: “Ministers must urgently improve the speed and quality of decisions on asylum claims.
“Ministers must also let people work, if no decision has been made on their claim after six months. This simple change would vastly improve the lives of the individuals and families currently forced to live in a constant state of anxiety and frustration.”
A soldier has detailed what happened to him after he was caught up in South Korea’s hunt for gay people in the military.
While same-sex activity is legal in the country, the military bans it under Article 92-6. The law says it is in order ‘to keep the military community sound’. However, South Korea has a mandatory two year draft for all able-bodied male citizens.
Those caught could be placed in prison for six months to two years.
An anonymous soldier told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he faces legal action even after leaving the military because his relationship with another soldier was caught.
The 27-year-old told the site: ‘I worked very hard as an officer, but none of that mattered when I became a suspect.
‘There were days when I just wanted to die.’
A witch hunt since 2017
Authorities arrested 22 soldiers during a 2017 inquiry into homosexual activity in the army – including this soldier. They found messages on his partner’s phone.
Luckily, they charged him on his last month of service. This meant his case was transferred to a civilian court, where he was acquitted.
This makes him the first soldier charged under the military sodomy law to be found not guilty.
Prosecutors are appealing the decision, leaving him in legal and social limbo before his next hearing. This jeopardize his civilian job and his relationship with his family.
He added: ‘It is as if my entire existence was being denied. I should never have been charged… in the first place.’
A defense ministry official told AFP: ‘The ban needs to remain in place as it is required to maintain a sound and wholesome lifestyle and discipline in the military, which is a communal institution.’
