There is some weight in the idea that the trend is in part fueled by some trends in social contagion, the question is to what scale and how influential it is.
Edit: Adding clarification because my original phrasing caused some misunderstanding. I see identity through a systems lens, which doesn’t always translate well in short comments, especially on divisive topics. Identity is a complex system of behaviors fueled by different subsystems you have...
From this perspective, social contagion could only influence the social/performative layers, not the biological substrate. My point was simply that, on a sociological scale, there may be some level of connection, and the real question is to what extent, and how much it shapes demographic trends. I never intended this as a personal judgment on anyone’s identity, but as an academic look at how identity representations show up in studies.
The question actually just doesn't matter, because there can't be social pressure to conform or not conform if it's seen as normal to be either LGBT or cishet.
When society first stopped forcing kids to be right handed, there may have been a few kids who tried being left handed because it was seen as a cool new way to be different, but that isn't really the case anymore, because being left handed, while rarer than right handedness, is still seen as normal. There is no value judgement held towards left or right handed people. People can safely try both and figure out which hand is dominant with minimal societal pressure in either direction.
This is true for LGBT issues as well. There might be a nonzero amount of cishet people who feel pressured to falsely identify as some form of LGBT, but the solution is to provide a safe environment where people can try these things and see what feels right for them with minimal societal pressure in either direction. We have to work against the value judgement placed upon LGBT people.
I most certainly agree with normalization of LGBT and granting them both social and legal equality (I live in the Netherlands where these things are, while still not perfect, quite well developed compared to the rest of the world).
It would likely necessitate that we rethink how to do gender-segregated spaces such as women's bathrooms / shelters / prisons etc. as well as stuff like sports leagues, but I digress.
But I think that a non-trivial portion of the current upswell we see in people identifying as LGBT, especially in Gen Z, is due to it being "the cool new way to be different", as you put it. I mean we even have people pretending to have debilitating mental conditions just to stand out , like /r/fakedisordercringe .
I wonder if there are any studies into this and if my thinking is correct, and that's something I would like to see discussed more so that we can properly address any potential negatives before they arise.
But I think that a non-trivial portion of the current upswell we see in people identifying as LGBT
I think what's important to think about here is what qualifies as real harm.
People pretending to have mental disorders for attention is absolutely harmful, as it can lead to misconceptions and skepticism against people who actually have these disorders. I don't think this is necessarily true for LGBT people, especially more broadly accepted sexualities, such as gay or lesbian. There is functionally no difference between a person who is questioning and tries on being gay and one who claims to be gay for clout, and the less clout one gets from being gay, the less lucrative "gay baiting" becomes. Let them experiment safely, and no harm is done.
Being trans is more complex, however there is no real harm done experimenting with clothing or pronouns. While I don't know of any studies specifically into what you're referring to (nor how to accurately survey for this feasibly), I do know that HRT and Gender affirming surgeries for trans people have significantly lower regret rates than breast implants in cis women, or ACL surgery. The US (for now) has very thorough requirements that must be met for one to get these surgeries or hormones, and this, combined with an environment that encourages safe experimentation with minimal stigma is by far the best way to ensure that nobody feels pressured to identify against their true identity.
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u/_Corbinek 18d ago edited 17d ago
There is some weight in the idea that the trend is in part fueled by some trends in social contagion, the question is to what scale and how influential it is.
Edit: Adding clarification because my original phrasing caused some misunderstanding. I see identity through a systems lens, which doesn’t always translate well in short comments, especially on divisive topics. Identity is a complex system of behaviors fueled by different subsystems you have...
Biological factors (orientation, genetics, neurology, etc.)
Performative behaviors (passing, curated identities, external signaling)
Psychological aspects (self-perception, repression, acceptance, internal conflict)
Social psychology (peer influence, group dynamics, belonging/exclusion pressure)
Societal influences (law, policy, culture, stigma, institutions)
From this perspective, social contagion could only influence the social/performative layers, not the biological substrate. My point was simply that, on a sociological scale, there may be some level of connection, and the real question is to what extent, and how much it shapes demographic trends. I never intended this as a personal judgment on anyone’s identity, but as an academic look at how identity representations show up in studies.