Bi Youth Becoming Visible

Autor/in	Hutchins, Loraine
Titel	Bi Youth Becoming Visible
Quelle	In: Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 3 (2006) 2-3, S.69-78 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1541-0889
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Scientific Research; Sexual Orientation; Homosexuality; Sexual Identity; Adolescents; Surveys + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sexuelle Orientierung; Homosexualität; Geschlechtsidentität; Sexuelle Identität; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung
Abstract	If young people can not learn about same-sex desire at school, queer young people especially get the message loud and clear that their desire is illegitimate and, in such settings, it is much harder for them to feel real and visible, much less entitled to health and happiness. However the even stronger message, to all young people, is that same-sex desires are not a normal part of anyone's development over the life-span, perhaps even their own, or their parents, neighbors, or friends. The author's response is framed from the point of view of bi youth, whom she defines broadly as those young people who are attracted to more than one gender, whether they ever decide to act on their inclinations or not. Though she understands why research is easier to quantify when confined to only "self-identified" L, G or B youth, the author consciously casts a wider net because she wants to include young people like herself and she is not so sure things have changed that much since she grew up. She didn't discover her same-sex desires until she was 19 and didn't act on them until she was 21. The two concepts the author finds most significant in D'Augelli and Grossman's article are the concept of labeling (or terminology) and the concept of stigma. The author thinks it is where researchers are most stuck in designing good research and that their research will not improve until they address these two aspects more effectively. In order to have a truly representative sample of bisexual (or LGBTIQQ) youth, one has to work from the assumption that sexual orientation is often fluid and contingent on where one finds oneself in life, including age, socioeconomic status and profession. The only effective way to understand sample size and to have sound scientific research is to quantify the numbers of bisexuals in the U.S. population. The author knows she is suggesting the currently impossible, but without this baseline any other work regarding sexual orientation, behavior, ideation, and so forth is severely distorted and limited. Advocates and activists must continue to attempt to add questions of sexual orientation to a large variety of national studies, databases, and questionnaires across various fields and disciplines as well as to work to end discrimination and stigmatization of sexual minorities in all aspects of American life. (Contains 3 notes.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10