{"id":1708,"date":"2019-10-11T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1708"},"modified":"2019-10-09T11:48:21","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T16:48:21","slug":"progress-and-uncertainty-for-lgbtq-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2019\/10\/11\/progress-and-uncertainty-for-lgbtq-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress and Uncertainty for LGBTQ Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_1710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1710\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/taedc\/36056856301\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1710\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/11\/36056856301_3c54128a85_z-600x340.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/11\/36056856301_3c54128a85_z-600x340.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/11\/36056856301_3c54128a85_z-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2017\/11\/36056856301_3c54128a85_z.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Candidate for Virginia Delegate (elected November 7) Danica Roem, at Protest Trans Military Ban. Photo by Ted Eytan, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Originally posted November 28, 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American attitudes towards transgender and gender nonconforming persons might be changing. Earlier this month, voters elected six transgender officials to public office in the United States, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prri.org\/research\/lgbt-transgender-bathroom-discrimination-religious-liberty\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">poll data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from earlier this year suggests the majority of Americans oppose transgender bathroom restrictions and support LGBT nondiscrimination laws. Yet, data on attitudes toward transgender folks is extremely limited, and with the Trump administration\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/transequality.org\/the-discrimination-administration\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">assault on transgender protections in the military and workplace<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the future for the trans community is unclear. Despite this uncertainty, a close examination of the social science research on past shifts in attitudes towards same-sex relationships can provide us insight for what the future may hold for the LGBTQ community in the coming decades. <\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attitudes about homosexuality vary globally. While gay marriage is currently <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewforum.org\/2017\/08\/08\/gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in more than twenty countries, many nations still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/jul\/27\/gay-relationships-still-criminalised-countries-report\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criminalize<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> same-sex relationships. Differences in attitudes about homosexuality between countries can be explained by a variety of factors, including religious context, the strength of democratic institutions, and the country\u2019s level of economic development. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jjay.cuny.edu\/faculty\/amy-adamczyk\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amy Adamczyk.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2017. \u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/book.php?isbn=9780520288768\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-National Public Opinion about Homoseuxality: Examining Attitudes Across the Globe<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oakland, CA: University of California Press.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the United States, the late 1980s witnessed little acceptance of same-sex marriage, except for small groups of people who tended to be highly educated, from urban backgrounds, or non-religious. By 2010, support for same-sex marriage <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewforum.org\/fact-sheet\/changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased dramatically<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, though older Americans, Republicans, and evangelicals were significantly more likely to remain opposed to same-sex marriage. Such a dramatic shift in a relatively short period of time indicates changing attitudes rather than generational differences. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/scj.hss.kennesaw.edu\/faculty-staff\/dawn-baunach\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dawn Michelle Baunach<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2012. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/poq\/article-abstract\/76\/2\/364\/1819280\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Changing Same-Sex Marriage Attitudes in America from 1988 Through 2010<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Opinion Quarterly <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">76(2): 364-378.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cla.umn.edu\/about\/directory\/profile\/hull\">Kathy Hull<\/a>. 2014. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/papers\/same-sex-different-attitudes\/\">Same-Sex, Different Attitudes<\/a>.\u201d The Society Pages, White Paper.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Americans have also become more inclusive in their definition of family. In 2003, nearly half of Americans emphasized heterosexual marriage in their definition of family, while only about a quarter adopted a definition that included same-sex couples. By 2010, nearly one third of Americans ascribed to a more inclusive understanding of family structures. Evidence suggests that these shifts in attitudes were partially the result of broader societal shifts in the United States, including increased educational attainment and changing cultural norms. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiana.edu\/~soc\/bios\/Brian_Powell.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brian Powell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/faculty.sites.uci.edu\/catherinebolzendahl\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catherine Bolzendahl<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.utah.edu\/u0676666-Claudia_Geist\/hm\/index.hml\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Claudia Geist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Lala Carr Steelman. 2010. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.russellsage.org\/publications\/counted-out-1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and America\u2019s Definition of Family<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York: Russell Sage Foundation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.memphis.edu\/sociology\/people\/faculty_and_staff\/jeni-loftus.php\">Jeni Loftus.<\/a> 2001. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3088957?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents\">\u201cAmerica&#8217;s Liberalization in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, 1973 to 1998<\/a>.&#8221;\u00a0<i>American Sociological Review<\/i>, 762-782.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite this progress for same-sex couples, many challenges remain. Members of the LGBTQ community still experience prejudice, discrimination, and hate crimes &#8212; especially for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrc.org\/resources\/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2017\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trans women of color<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Even with support for formal rights for same-sex couples from the majority of Americans, the same people are often uncomfortable with informal privileges, like showing physical affection in public. Past debates within LGBTQ communities about the importance of fighting for marriage rights indicates that the future for the LGBTQ folks in the United States is uncertain. While the future can seem harrowing, the recent victories in the United States and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2017\/nov\/15\/australia-says-yes-to-same-sex-marriage-in-historic-postal-survey\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for same-sex couples and transgender individuals would have been unheard of only a few decades ago, which offers a beacon of hope to LGBTQ communities. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/socy.umd.edu\/facultyprofile\/Doan\/Long\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long Doan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiana.edu\/~soc\/bios\/Annalise_Loehr.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Annalise Loehr<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lisarmiller.net\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lisa R. Miller<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2014. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0003122414555886\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Formal Rights and Informal Privileges for Same-Sex Couples: Evidence from a National Survey Experiment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Sociological Review <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">79(6): 1172-1195.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.uconn.edu\/bernstein\/\">Mary Bernstein<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.soc.ucsb.edu\/faculty\/verta-taylor\">Verta Taylor<\/a>, eds. 2013. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upress.umn.edu\/book-division\/books\/the-marrying-kind\"><i>The Marrying Kind? Debating Same-Sex Marriage within the Lesbian and Gay Movement<\/i><\/a><i>. <\/i>Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to read more? <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out these posts on TSP:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/09\/25\/violence-and-discrimination-against-transgender-people\/\">Violence and Discrimination against Transgender People<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/specials\/attitudes-toward-gay-and-lesbian-people-have-grown-more-accepting-around-the-world-why-and-what-obstacles-remain\/\">Attitudes toward Gay and Lesbian People Have Grown More Accepting around the World. Why? And What Obstacles Remain?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Review historical trends in <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/1651\/gay-lesbian-rights.aspx\">public opinion on gay and lesbian rights<\/a> (Gallup)<\/p>\n<p>Check out research showing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2019\/06\/18\/bisexual-adults-are-far-less-likely-than-gay-men-and-lesbians-to-be-out-to-the-people-in-their-lives\/\">bisexual adults are less likely to be &#8220;out&#8221;<\/a> (Pew Research Center)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally posted November 28, 2017. American attitudes towards transgender and gender nonconforming persons might be changing. Earlier this month, voters elected six transgender officials to public office in the United States, and poll data from earlier this year suggests the majority of Americans oppose transgender bathroom restrictions and support LGBT nondiscrimination laws. Yet, data on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1957,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,55,13,85],"tags":[746,222,38543,38545,38541,21526,38546,306],"class_list":["post-1708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-gender","category-inequality","category-politics","tag-attitudes","tag-change","tag-culture","tag-gender","tag-inequality","tag-lgbtq","tag-politics","tag-transgender"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1957"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1708"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2696,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708\/revisions\/2696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}