Film, Media & TV3 mins ago
Why is drug usage so high amongst Homosexuals?
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/// coping mechanism in the face of homophobia or just hectic partying? ///
/// coping mechanism in the face of homophobia or just hectic partying? ///
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I wouldn't be so quick to deride a survey undertaken by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF), backed by a university and reported in The Independent as "flawed". Not one commenter from the LGBT community questioned the findings of the survey, which was not carried out outside nightclubs but "at Pride events and through online and postal surveys."
If the statistics have been manipulated, and all are, we must look first at who carried out the survey in order to discover a motive. The survey was not carried out by homophobic organisations but by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. You have to ask yourself "What's in it for the LGF?" and it turns out their role is to end homophobia (mission statement: "Ending Homophobia, Empowering People"). The article gives an example of their concern:
>> "I was bullied on a daily basis; it got quite bad, in terms of physical assaults. I didn't feel comfortable being myself and at 14, when I wasn't even out, I started smoking cannabis at the end of the playing fields to numb myself to the reality of day-to-day existence. This led me to taking more serious drugs, like speed and acid, then cocaine.
It would appear then that the intent of this survey is to show society as a whole the damaging effect that homophobic attitudes have on homosexuals.
If the statistics have been manipulated, and all are, we must look first at who carried out the survey in order to discover a motive. The survey was not carried out by homophobic organisations but by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. You have to ask yourself "What's in it for the LGF?" and it turns out their role is to end homophobia (mission statement: "Ending Homophobia, Empowering People"). The article gives an example of their concern:
>> "I was bullied on a daily basis; it got quite bad, in terms of physical assaults. I didn't feel comfortable being myself and at 14, when I wasn't even out, I started smoking cannabis at the end of the playing fields to numb myself to the reality of day-to-day existence. This led me to taking more serious drugs, like speed and acid, then cocaine.
It would appear then that the intent of this survey is to show society as a whole the damaging effect that homophobic attitudes have on homosexuals.
-- answer removed --
It is legitimate to question the findings of the survey in this particular instance, without attributing malign motivatons to those who do raise the questions.
The authors of the report themselves highlight problems with the survey; A large proportion of the respondents come from Manchester;The respondents were self-selected; Its a questionaire based survey, so no way of checking the veracity. There is no control group either - they have referenced figures derived from the British Crime Survey -and there is no direct age group comparator, so the figures are adjusted.
Here is what the authors themselves say;
The standard source of information about drug use among the general population is the British Crime Survey (BCS)
. The BCS is a general household population survey using a
representative sample of 16-59 year olds. Making comparisons between the drug use reported by the POTP respondents and that reported by the general population is not straightforward because the POTP sample is younger by comparison.
So, whilst it may well be an accurate enough survey of attitudes amongst this particular age group of the LGBT community, it does not really offer a particularly good direct comparison with a similar age- group who are not members of the LGBT community, since they did not survey this group.
http://
The authors of the report themselves highlight problems with the survey; A large proportion of the respondents come from Manchester;The respondents were self-selected; Its a questionaire based survey, so no way of checking the veracity. There is no control group either - they have referenced figures derived from the British Crime Survey -and there is no direct age group comparator, so the figures are adjusted.
Here is what the authors themselves say;
The standard source of information about drug use among the general population is the British Crime Survey (BCS)
. The BCS is a general household population survey using a
representative sample of 16-59 year olds. Making comparisons between the drug use reported by the POTP respondents and that reported by the general population is not straightforward because the POTP sample is younger by comparison.
So, whilst it may well be an accurate enough survey of attitudes amongst this particular age group of the LGBT community, it does not really offer a particularly good direct comparison with a similar age- group who are not members of the LGBT community, since they did not survey this group.
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If you believe in evolution then homosexuality would have died out by now. Nature would not have favoured it as taking it to its logical conclusion if everyone behaved that way the human race would no longer exist.
However if you believe in a God you could say like major wars its a way of keeping the population manageable.
However if you believe in a God you could say like major wars its a way of keeping the population manageable.
@pdq1 Homosexuality is not just a single gene. Homosexuality is not proof that evolution does not work, or is not correct. If you think that, you know nothing about molecular biology, genetics, or evolution.
Human sexuality, like genetics, is far more complicated that simple mendelian inheritance and single gene on-off switches for all characteristics.
Human sexuality, like genetics, is far more complicated that simple mendelian inheritance and single gene on-off switches for all characteristics.
Interesting - I have never thought about drug use among gay people being in any way a 'coping mechanism' - i simply never thought of it that way before.
My immediate response is along the lines put forward already - that most gays have more spending power and less familial responsibilities, therefore they have a higher proportion of nights and weekends out with no responsibilities in terms of childcare - so life can be as long as a party as they choose, with attendent stimulation thrown in.
Guilt may still play a part based on family and peer circumstances, but the massive secrecy and shame caused by draconian laws has been gone for a long time, and amen to that.
My immediate response is along the lines put forward already - that most gays have more spending power and less familial responsibilities, therefore they have a higher proportion of nights and weekends out with no responsibilities in terms of childcare - so life can be as long as a party as they choose, with attendent stimulation thrown in.
Guilt may still play a part based on family and peer circumstances, but the massive secrecy and shame caused by draconian laws has been gone for a long time, and amen to that.
perhaps gays don't hang out in our local parks, because they know they wouldn't last long with some of the dregs that hang around here. Party drugs, what on earth, to me drugs are drugs, anything that takes you away from yourself, uppers, downers, pills, poppers, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, all the same to me. And before anyone says well some are not harmful, i don't happen to believe that.
AOG
Thankfully, fullfact.org is on the case. This was retweeted by Evan Davis:
Alternative research
The Home Office directed Full Fact to an extension of the British Crime Survey in 2009/10 and 2010/11 in which they questioned 985 lesbian, gay and bisexual people about their drug use in the past year.
This found that:
"Compared with heterosexual adults, gay or bisexual adults were more likely to have taken any drug (10.0% and 32.8% respectively) or any Class A drug (3.6% and 11.1% respectively) in the last year"
Again, this is subject to the BCS caveats we've already mentioned, but it does tell us something interesting. As far as we know, lesbian, gay and bisexual people are more likely to have taken illicit drugs in the last year than the general population based on the best methods we have available.
So the point being made by the LGF and UCLAN research is quite possibly a valid one - but it is not their figures which justify their point. The evidence from the BCS suggests there is a greater likelihood, but there is not such a significant difference as implied by the LGF research.
Thankfully, fullfact.org is on the case. This was retweeted by Evan Davis:
Alternative research
The Home Office directed Full Fact to an extension of the British Crime Survey in 2009/10 and 2010/11 in which they questioned 985 lesbian, gay and bisexual people about their drug use in the past year.
This found that:
"Compared with heterosexual adults, gay or bisexual adults were more likely to have taken any drug (10.0% and 32.8% respectively) or any Class A drug (3.6% and 11.1% respectively) in the last year"
Again, this is subject to the BCS caveats we've already mentioned, but it does tell us something interesting. As far as we know, lesbian, gay and bisexual people are more likely to have taken illicit drugs in the last year than the general population based on the best methods we have available.
So the point being made by the LGF and UCLAN research is quite possibly a valid one - but it is not their figures which justify their point. The evidence from the BCS suggests there is a greater likelihood, but there is not such a significant difference as implied by the LGF research.
@pdq.
You typed
"If you believe in evolution then homosexuality would have died out by now. Nature would not have favoured it as taking it to its logical conclusion if everyone behaved that way the human race would no longer exist"
It seems to me that you are suggesting with that sentiment and the subsequent paragraph that you believe homosexuality disproves evolution. Have I misunderstood you?
You typed
"If you believe in evolution then homosexuality would have died out by now. Nature would not have favoured it as taking it to its logical conclusion if everyone behaved that way the human race would no longer exist"
It seems to me that you are suggesting with that sentiment and the subsequent paragraph that you believe homosexuality disproves evolution. Have I misunderstood you?
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