Young adults grow uneasier with LGBTQ

Students in an LGBTQ service-oriented organization at Ohio State University think the campus is a generally safe space.

But they’ve heard their peers question why a character in a movie had to be gay. They’ve also seen roommate postings requiring that the person must be straight.

So they weren’t altogether surprised when a recent report signaled decreasing comfort levels with LGBTQ people among young NON-LGBTQ adults.

“People are still saying that they support equal rights, because they have the potential to be socially isolated if they don’t support equal rights,” said Ohio State senior Hannah

Messer, co-president of Students for Diversity in Education through Service. “(But) saying that you support equal rights and being an ally are two very different things.”

Just 45% of adults ages 18 to 34 said in 2018 that they were comfortable interacting with LGBTQ people, according to the recent Accelerating Acceptance survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD. That’s down from 53% in 2017, and

63% in 2016.

The downturn upsets LGBTQ advocates, nationally and locally.

“We can’t take anything for granted,” said Grant Stancliff, communications director for the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Ohio. “There’s an implicit assumption that we are on a course of progress, and that time is the most important factor (and) that kind of no matter what we do in our day-today, that it will get better just by the nature of time passing.”

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis sounded a similar alarm, pointing to a contentious political climate and culture. GLAAD and other organizations supporting LGBTQ people have said that the Trump administration’s “discriminatory policies and targeted rhetoric” have helped pave the way for others’ intolerance.

“The younger generation has traditionally been thought of as a beacon of progressive values,” Ellis said in a written statement released with the report. “We have taken that idea for granted, and this year’s results show that the sharp and quick rise in divisive rhetoric in politics and culture is having a

negative influence on younger Americans.”

The survey results were surprising to Erin Upchurch, executive director of Kaleidoscope Youth Center, which supports LGBTQ people ages 12-24.

“That doesn’t seem to reflect my experience with that population, that age group,” she said. “I have way more questions than answers.”

She pointed to the interactions of her teenage son and his friends, for example.

“It goes beyond being inclusive,” she said. “They just create environments where everyone can belong.

“When I feel surprised by research, that is why.”

More generally, representation and acceptance of LGBTQ people has seemingly increased — from more LGBTQ characters in television and movies to growing numbers of gender-sexuality alliance clubs in local schools. Kaleidoscope defines those groups as student-run clubs that provide “a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and work to end transphobia and homophobia.”

When marginalized

people move closer to having rights and full equality, those outside that group can feel as if they’re losing something, Upchurch said. “There could just be folks who feel like it’s being pushed in their face, honestly, and it’s moving too fast,” she said.

That might not present itself in outright hateful comments, said Ryan Cloutier, president of Pride OSU, a campus social organization aimed at providing safe and welcoming environments for LGBTQ students and allies. But he sees hints of discomfort from time to time, such as when someone gives a funny look or makes a comment about the rainbow stickers on his laptop.

“A lot of people don’t want to be outwardly hateful, especially on college campuses,” said Cloutier, a junior. “(But) I can definitely pick up on discomfort or other sort of avoidance or other sort of subtle things that make it clear that they’re not OK with me or other people in my community.”

Cloutier thinks the divisive political climate has in part led to young adults’ decreasing comfort with LGBTQ people reported in the survey. But he

also suspects that the downturn could be because survey respondents are starting to think of transgender people when they hear “LGBTQ,” when in previous years they might have thought primarily of gay people.

“Now the transrights movement is having a really big push into the mainstream,” Cloutier said. “People are finally thinking about trans people and how they feel about trans people. I think a lot of people are having to confront transphobia … and have to deal with trans people trying to actually be part of society.”

Advocacy groups view the new report as a catalyst.

People shouldn’t lose sight of the young people who truly are working toward a more accepting and inclusive world, Upchurch said. Yet it shouldn’t be taken for granted, she added. “It just shows our work is not really done,” she said.

SDES at Ohio State, which has more than 20 members, already had a goal of becoming more visible on campus, its leaders said. “This report just puts even more fire behind that,” Messer said.