Sticks and stones: "That's so gay" negatively affects gay students
August 29, 2012 in Psychology & Psychiatry
(Medical Xpress)—People may believe words are not harmful, but the phrase "that's so gay" can have negative consequences for gay, lesbian or bisexual students, a new University of Michigan study indicated.
The phrase is often used by young people to describe something as stupid or undesirable. It's part of the vocabulary among students at all types of educational institutions, including colleges.
Although subtle, such language is hostile, and can be harmful to sexual minorities, said Michael Woodford, an assistant professor of social work and the study's lead author.
The findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of American College Health.
Gay, lesbian and bisexual college students who heard "that's so gay" more frequently were more likely to report feeling isolated and to suffer negative health symptoms, such as headaches, poor appetite or eating problems.
Researchers examined the impact of hearing "that's so gay" among 114 gay, lesbian and bisexual students between the ages of 18 to 25 through an online survey.
Students reported how often they heard the phrase on campus in the past 12 months. They also answered questions about their perceived social acceptance on campus, physical well-being, mental health and willingness to disclose their sexual orientation.
Practically every respondent reported hearing "that's so gay" on campus at least once in the past 12 months. Nearly half of the students said they've heard the phrase more than 10 times within the year. Only 14 respondents—or 13 percent—hadn't heard it at all.
Hearing the phrase more often was found to increase students' risk for feeling isolated at the university and for health problems.
"Given the nature of gay-lesbian-bisexual stigma, sexual minority students could already perceive themselves to be excluded on campus and hearing 'that's so gay' may elevate such perceptions," Woodford said.
Increased risk for physical health problems is likely related to a stress reaction that may occur when students hear the phrase, he said.
'That's so gay' conveys that there is something wrong with being gay," Woodford said. "And, hearing such messages about one's self can cause stress, which can manifest in headaches and other health concerns.
"There is a lot of attention being given to addressing LGBT bullying on college campuses. Obviously, that work is important, but our results suggest that we must also address low-level hostility, including 'that's so gay.' Policies and educational programs are needed to help students, staff and faculty to understand that such language can be harmful to gay students. Hopefully, these initiatives will help to eliminate the phrase from campuses."
Journal reference:
Journal of American College Health
Provided by
University of Michigan
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Aug 29, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
One might wonder since so many people actually think there IS something medically wrong with gays , how come the medical profession doesn't.
Aug 29, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
Aug 29, 2012
Rank: 5 / 5 (5)
That might be because the medical profession, like other sciences, uses studies and research, rather than "every ones opinion".
Aug 30, 2012
Rank: 1.8 / 5 (5)
Aug 30, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
Actually that is democracy. IF you don't like democracy you just say so. Oh yeah , you did .
Sep 01, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
Uh huh.
Sep 01, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
If the first, there should be no special social consideration given.
If the second, or third, there should be effective treatment modalities. Gene therapy, 12 step programs (after all, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. are a combination of choice and genetics), and other therapies.
The "consensus" view that 'gayness' just is; is bullshit on the face of it. Something causes it. It is a pathology. The actuary tables for gay men is as "bad" as alcoholics and other drug addicts.
All indication are it is harmful to the practitioner and not normal in the sense that, what 97% of the population does is "normal", what 3% does is not.
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
That's because assholes like you have treated them like shit for centuries. They're in the same position that African Americans were prior to the civil rights era, right down to the lynchings (Matthew Shepard's death after being brutally beaten and left tied to a fence like a scarecrow comes to mind). But there is one critical difference. Unlike the members of a racial minority, there's no guarantee that they can seek a sympathetic ear in their local community or even with members of their own family. So they hide or develop other mental coping mechanisms. And the mental strain resulting from their persecution does lead a few of them into some bad habits. It's a shame that even on a science forum, their tormenters still lurk.
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: not rated yet
I understand you are just cherry-picking, but rhetorically I have to ask: didn't it occur to you to elaborate? How do gays die? I suspect it's usually at someone else's hand, or their own hand. It's not much of a stretch to see a link to negative social issues gays have to deal with, because of people with attitudes like yours.
Fallacy. Implying that "not normal" is bad. Everybody, yourself included, unless you were synthesized in a vat, has some attributes that aren't shared by the majority. That doesn't make them all bad.
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Science is no democracy. If people vote that 1 1=3, is it so?
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: not rated yet
Thats a false dichotomy. Homosexuality can also be a result of environment. It is still not a choice.
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
No , but it is the other way around. Science says one plus one equals three , and the democracy says , one plus one equals two. Just because science says it it equals three , doesn't make it three.
Sep 02, 2012
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 04, 2012
Rank: 1 / 5 (2)
Answer: I am not sure what you mean. If a person has a medical problem , cystic fibrosis , we KNOW they have a medical problem. The problem with this situation is doctors have said an intersexual person is normal. Normal ? Comeon. The person had something happen , a misfortune along the way to CAUSE them to be so far gone. Now this window of sexuality encompasses the 'range' found IN the LBGTQ community , all of which are AFFECTED by the same problem AS the intersexual , BUT , to a different DEGREE of medical damage. THAT is where everything is messed up. Doctors who say the intersexual person is NOT medically compromised.