Gender and Sexual Preference Poll

[hoodle]

(sorry about the earlier try)

Who are you, and who do you like? Let's make this official. (as suggested on Cyrille's thread)

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[Fairyblastt]

Well, it is official. We are dorks.

 

[Emio]

i'm laughing not becuase this is silly, but because it's so cool that we're all so comfortable with each other as to make polls like this. and someone suggested this wasn't a supportive place! pffffft.

or maybe i'm just giggly tonight after getting my taxes done

 

[Capella]

We're more diverse than I expected.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

We are a fabulous bunch! The diversity is amazing.

 

[RosieMoll3]

I am laughing because this IS silly...yet, highly entertaining

 

[aggiegolf]

I'm a guy, and I like Madonna. Enough said.

 

[hoodle]

interesting how many more bi/undecided women there are than men. Statistically, 20% of the 34 women who've voted right now (7) are bi... you'd think the proportions would hold true for men, but then there'd be 1 or 2 bi guys already on (given 9 men who've polled).

social difference in women more willing to claim flexible sexuality compared to men, or just random chance, or does the veterinary profession select for bi women and/or discourage bi men?

 

[aggiegolf]

Guys seem to have more issues with accepting it than women seem to be.


Maybe we need to let more lesbians in to get some more large animal vets. Finally! I have found the solution.

 

[Pictury]

Notice how no guys are bi.

 

[Pictury]

i wonder how diversity in the vet threat compares to the general pre-medical forum

 

[Hollycozza]

So aggiegolf if girls have to be lesbians to work with large animals, does that mean as a gay man you are limited to miniature poodles?

its the same logic after all........

 

[hoodle]

Bump

 

[InfiniVet]

I believe thats only if minature poodles require twitching.

 

[hoodle]

bump

 

[HeartSong]

I believe thats only if minature poodles require twitching.

Ooo, does that work? I so want to twitch a mini poodle now.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

So, we've got this "gender/orientation poll" & the "what kind of vet" poll -- Now I think we need a combined poll to see if the gay males are all going into toy poodle medicine & all of the lesbians going into food animal production...

 

[MissBehavior]

social difference in women more willing to claim flexible sexuality compared to men, or just random chance, or does the veterinary profession select for bi women and/or discourage bi men?

Well, according to my Psych 101 professor, whose information I've taken with a huge grain of salt since the day he tried to hypnotize the class, women's sexuality is more flexible than men's sexuality. Off-topic, but does anyone know which awesome TV heroine believes that "psychology is a soft science"? If you know, kudos, because I love this show! Another hint (waaay off topic): they put a frozen pig in a wood-chipper on this show...

 

[HeartSong]

Hmmmm, I know that Bones doesn't believe in psychology, but that's pretty much it. My TV watching time is very limited, actually I don't have cable so I only watch some shows that are broadcast online.

 

[Fairyblastt]

Well, according to my Psych 101 professor, whose information I've taken with a huge grain of salt since the day he tried to hypnotize the class, women's sexuality is more flexible than men's sexuality. Off-topic, but does anyone know which awesome TV heroine believes that "psychology is a soft science"? If you know, kudos, because I love this show! Another hint (waaay off topic): they put a frozen pig in a wood-chipper on this show...

Bones!!!!!

<-- does not have a crush on her. No sorry. Well, maybe a little.

 

[aggiegolf]

So aggiegolf if girls have to be lesbians to work with large animals, does that mean as a gay man you are limited to miniature poodles?

its the same logic after all........

You're so defensive and off base. I thought my statement was obviously a joke. The last thread over that issue was sassy enough. No need to heat this one up.


And of course you need to twitch miniature poodles. They're the most viscious breed of them all.

 

[Emio]

And of course you need to twitch miniature poodles. They're the most viscious breed of them all.

ha! agreed! i try not to mess with anything smaller than me thats still willing to have a go at taking me down. spiders included.

 

[PdxYOSHI]

You people are nuts!! Hope we get to meet someday at some random vet meeting or something.

 

[hoodle]

I find this so interesting! Post more, people! Or at least vote more!

 

[twosoakers]

vincent d'onofrio and steve buscemi--

 

[thesonofdarwin]

Notice how no guys are bi.

And, not that there is anything wrong with it, I just thought I'd point out that my one (oh so lonely) vote for 'Male - I like both' wasn't necessarily because I'd consider myself bi, it's just that I appreciate the attractiveness of both sexes and don't feel abnormal doing so. Perhaps it was my last longterm (5 yrs) girlfriend that did it to me, being honest about who we found attractive so neither of us had the dodgey-eye syndrome in public. I doubt reading Cosmo every month together helped matters

Disclaimer: No poodles were harmed during the course of my relationship or the construction of this post.

 

[hoodle]

it's just that I appreciate the attractiveness of both sexes and don't feel abnormal doing so.

Seriously: good for you. There should be more open-minded and honest folk who take your lead.

Less seriously: I see the attractiveness of men in an abstract sense - I just prefer not to think of them without clothes on.

 

[wildfocus]

i voted in the majority. though, i agree that women in general are more open, and appreciate the inner/outer beauty of a person (despite their sex/gender).

 

[TheDuck]

I'm a guy, and I like Madonna. Enough said.

Not enough said, because I'm a guy, I like Madonna and I'm straight. My girlfriend claims that I must be gay because I can recognize a Madonna song while scanning the radio within 4 notes, but that doesn't mean anything.

 

[CharlieXray]

As for me, I am a male who lusts for females. I have zero interest in other males.
And, when I think about females I think about them without their clothes on all the time. When this behavior stops then I'll know I'm not alive any longer!

 

[AuburnPreVet]

Not enough said, because I'm a guy, I like Madonna and I'm straight. My girlfriend claims that I must be gay because I can recognize a Madonna song while scanning the radio within 4 notes, but that doesn't mean anything.

It could be worse - it could be Cher.

 

[cyrille104]

*sigh*

 

[Chulito]

Full disclosure: I'm a non-veterinary sort who is crashing the party. (I do like animals, however.)

This discussion has taken a funny turn. I'm a gay male and I like neither Madonna nor Cher. I've been listening to the Decemberists a lot lately. Is that considered appropriate?

Do you guys think that there is more or less stigmatism attached to minority sexual orientations and gender identities in the veterinary world than in the world at large, or is it about the same? The climate on this thread seems so civil and effortlessly accepting, as if gayness were an utter non-issue. That is decidedly not so when the matter comes up over in pre-allo, the lounge and the sociopolitical forum, where there is quite a bit of social conservatism and overt hostility towards gay folk. I've been surprised by much of what I've read on SDN, frankly. I wouldn't say that the majority of people are critical or damning, but a far-from-trivial minority. This is at odds with what I've found amongst faculty at medical schools, incidentally, who all seem very accepting. I suppose that they have the general academic tendency towards liberality that practicing physicians in other settings (and thus most pre-meds) do not have. Anyway, I'm just curious to know whether you guys think that veterinarians and their immediate colleagues and ancillaries are on the whole more accepting of gay people than the rest of the country. It's quite interesting that 32% of the men participating in the poll (at the time of this writing) are gay while only 10% of the women participating are lesbians.

p.s. Do you guys mind if people like me post in your threads?

p.p.s. I didn't vote in the poll, since that would skew the results.

 

[Capella]

Full disclosure: I'm a non-vetrinary sort who is crashing the party. (I do like animals, however.)

This discussion has taken a funny turn. I'm a gay male and I like neither Madonna nor Cher. I've been listening to the Decemberists a lot lately. Is that considered appropriate?

Do you guys think that there is more or less stigmatism attached to minority sexual orientations and gender identities in the veterinary world than in the world at large, or is it about the same? The climate on this thread seems so civil and effortlessly accepting, as if gayness were an utter non-issue. That is decidedly not so when the matter comes up over in pre-allo, the lounge and the sociopolitical forum, where there is quite a bit of social conservatism and overt hostility towards gay folk. I've been surprised by much of what I've read on SDN, frankly. I wouldn't say that the majority of people are critical or damning, but a far-from-trivial minority. This is at odds with what I've found amongst faculty at medical schools, incidentally, who all seem very accepting, though I suppose that they have the general academic tendency towards liberality that practicing physicians in other settings (and thus most pre-meds) do not have. Anyway, I'm just curious to know whether you guys think that vetrinarians and their immediate colleagues and ancillaries are on the whole more accepting of gay people than the rest of the country. It's quite interesting that 32% of the men participating in the poll are gay while only 10% of the women participating are lesbians.

p.s. Do you guys mind if people like me post in your threads?

p.p.s. I didn't vote in the poll, since that would skew the results.

Good questions, and of course you can post here!

First of all, I don't think the attitude of our SDN community is a correct representation of what vets think today, but may be a representation of the vet community 20 years from now. I would bet the opinions of a contemporary vet would be similar to the community in which he or she lives. Due to a higher education level, the vet may have a "broader" view of the world politically, but this is not the sole indicator of where he or she would fall on the political spectrum.

Second (and related), unless trends change the vet community will be dominated by women in the next twenty years. Women are much more tolerant of homosexuality either because they don't feel as threatened by it as heterosexual males or because they are not socially conditioned to be intolerant/confrontational towards homosexuality. Notice I used "tolerant" not "accepting." I live in a conservative community, where many women of my age group think homosexuality is wrong, but they are not intolerant. Love the sinner, hate the sin attitude.

Third, concerning the pre-allo board. I think most people that are confrontational on the internet about homosexuality are chicken pooh in real life. So you may gain a sense of tolerance or acceptance from people at a medical school or any other type place, but put those people on a message board and all hell breaks loose.

 

[Emio]

This discussion has taken a funny turn. I'm a gay male and I like neither Madonna nor Cher. I've been listening to the Decemberists a lot lately. Is that considered appropriate?

what about panic at the DISCO?
(btw, i love panic just as much as i love my swedish metal bands)

Do you guys think that there is more or less stigmatism attached to minority sexual orientations and gender identities in the veterinary world than in the world at large, or is it about the same?

i have no idea. to be honest, i think a lot of men involved with animals are gay. in the equestrian world, unless theyre much older (i.e. from a different "time"), its usually a safe assumption that the men are gay. don't ask me why, i'm no ethnographer.

animal people are pretty damn grounded though. i don't think a superficial thing (as cyrille mentioned, its only a very small part of him that he didn't even warrant as deserving to be mentioned on his apps) as orientation would ruffle too many feathers. (ha! get it?) am i way off base here?

p.s. Do you guys mind if people like me post in your threads?

are you kidding? we need fresh blood every once in a while.

 

[Chulito]

First of all, <snip>...I would bet the opinions of a contemporary vet would be similar to the community in which he or she lives. Due to a higher education level, the vet may have a "broader" view of the world politically, but this is not the sole indicator of where he or she would fall on the political spectrum.

This has very definitely been my experience amongst practicing physicians in non-academic settings, though they tend to skew towards the conservative end of the community average. I imagine that this is due to the general conservative traditionalism of medicine as well as to the financial concerns that often overwhelm the social concerns of the well heeled.

Second (and related), unless trends change the vet community will be dominated by women in the next twenty years. Women are much more tolerant of homosexuality either because they don't feel as threatened by it as heterosexual males or because they are not socially conditioned to be intolerant/confrontational towards homosexuality.

But isn't it interesting that such a high percentage of those men who are in the field are gay (judging only by this poll, for what it's worth). If gay men are so unusually drawn to veterinary medicine, it would seem reasonable that other people in the field would be much more accustomed to having them around, and would thus be less likely to find them remarkable. I wonder if it pans out this way.

Notice I used "tolerant" not "accepting." I live in a conservative community, where many women of my age group think homosexuality is wrong, but they are not intolerant. Love the sinner, hate the sin attitude.

I agree that this is an important distinction. At times it's all but intolerable being tolerated, at least when it's obvious that this is the case and that veiled hostility lurks beneath the surface of cordial interactions. For those who truly find homosexuality morally objectionable and disquieting, however, especially if for religious reasons, I can certainly appreciate that tolerance may already be a big step that seems like a generous concession.

Third, concerning the pre-allo board. I think most people that are confrontational on the internet about homosexuality are chicken pooh in real life. So you may gain a sense of tolerance or acceptance from people at a medical school or any other type place, but put those people on a message board and all hell breaks loose.

Yes, and the people involved admit to as much. This goes back to the notion of tolerance rather than acceptance. It's overly idealistic to expect outright acceptance from everyone, of course. But I had expected that there would be somewhat more of it in the medical community than I've encountered.

 

[DDoc]

i have no idea. to be honest, i think a lot of men involved with animals are gay.

I haven't noticed this in the least. Although I have worked with some gay individuals in the field, most of the men I have encountered in this field are straight.
A straight man myself, I dont feel that my desire and passion to work with animals defines my sexuality whatsoever.
In fact, I have yet to deal with a gay man in the vet field. I have dealt with many more in the general animal field (kennels, zoos, etc), but still not what I would consider a higher ratio than what would be considered normal.

in the equestrian world, unless theyre much older (i.e. from a different "time"), its usually a safe assumption that the men are gay. don't ask me why, i'm no ethnographer.

As far as equestrian, almost all of the horseman I know are straight. However I do work more with the western-type cowboys (no brokeback jokes please), and I am not sure whether that varies in relation to english-style showing and such. Either way, I don't feel this is a safe assumption at all.

I'm not trying to discredit you by any means, we all of course have different experiences and social networks. Just an observation from my end of the spectrum.

 

[Chulito]

i think a lot of men involved with animals are gay.

<snip>... in the equestrian world, unless theyre much older (i.e. from a different "time"), its usually a safe assumption that the men are gay. don't ask me why, i'm no ethnographer.

Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that. But I don't travel in equestrian circles.

animal people are pretty damn grounded though. i don't think a superficial thing ... <snip> as orientation would ruffle too many feathers. (ha! get it?) am i way off base here?

Would you characterize this more often as tolerance or acceptance?

 

[Chulito]

As far as equestrian, almost all of the horseman I know are straight. However I do work more with the western-type cowboys (no brokeback jokes please), and I am not sure whether that varies in relation to english-style showing and such. Either way, I don't feel this is a safe assumption at all.

Damn, preemptive strike!

 

[DDoc]

Damn, preemptive strike!

That comment wasn't meant to offend. It's just that anymore every time I mention anything related to cowboys I tend to hear a joke about brokeback mountain. So yes, preemptive indeed.

 

[Chulito]

Damn, preemptive strike!

That comment wasn't meant to offend. It's just that anymore every time I mention anything related to cowboys I tend to hear a joke about brokeback mountain. So yes, preemptive indeed.

Oh, no offense taken. I have the thickest of skin, actually, but even if it were rice-paper thin I don't think I could have read any animus in your comment. You just took the wind out of my mirthful sails before I could so much as hoist the jib.

 

[RosieMoll3]

in the equestrian world, unless theyre much older (i.e. from a different "time"), its usually a safe assumption that the men are gay

I agree with this observation in the hunter/jumper world. Gotta be the pants...

 

[pressmom]

That's so funny that you mentioned that about the equestrian issue because Friday night I was dancing at a club with my gay friend and his gay friend told me he used to ride rodeo. I didn't know it was that common until I read this thread!

The first vet office I worked at had a lesbian office manager and a bi-sexual receptionist. It was a very open environment. I'd definitely categorize it as acceptance, more so than tolerance.

 

[Emio]

A straight man myself, I dont feel that my desire and passion to work with animals defines my sexuality whatsoever.

of course not! you must know i wasn't suggesting that.

and as far as the cowboys... nah, they're not gay. like Rosiemoll said, its the pants that they make the hunters and jumpers wear

Would you characterize this more often as tolerance or acceptance?

lol, Chulito, are you in the wrong field?
good distinction; i actually hadn't considered it. in my experience though, it's clearly acceptance. i have not met one homosexual that was not accepted into the animal/vet community. maybe coming from a liberal background and chosing to only hang out with people that don't get their panties in bunches easily makes a difference. who knows?

i truly believe that working with animals either invokes or attracts a tolerant (or "accepting" as has been distinguished) personality. sure, you can train a crazy lab and break a colt, but how much of them can you really change? they is what they is, and any animal person knows you can't change that. you either figure out how to get along with them, or you throw your hands up and give up. life is always easier when we figure out how to get along, and i think accomplishing that task is one of the defining characteristics of most animal people.

 

[InfiniVet]

(btw, i love panic just as much as i love my swedish metal bands)

Dimmu Borgir!!

Ok its norweigan but still...close enuff

 

[Wisco]

I agree with this observation in the hunter/jumper world. Gotta be the pants...

Hahaha its gotta be!

 

[Emio]

Dimmu Borgir!!

Ok its norweigan but still...close enuff

new one comes out soon!!

haha, indeed, close enough

 

[Pennymare]

As far as equestrian, almost all of the horseman I know are straight. However I do work more with the western-type cowboys (no brokeback jokes please), and I am not sure whether that varies in relation to english-style showing and such. Either way, I don't feel this is a safe assumption at all.

I have known both gay and straight guys in English riding disciplines. One guy was definitely known to be gay; the other guy is happily married (so I am assuming). There seems to be less men interested in english riding overall---I 've heard that it has something to do with the saddles I would agree that it's likely that the average straight guy is attracted to Western riding---all of the western horsemen I know are straight.

Plus, you need to count in all of the 'old-timers'---the proportion of men is much higher. All of the older horsemen I know are straight, as far as I know.

 

[wildfocus]

This discussion has taken a funny turn. I'm a gay male and I like neither Madonna nor Cher. I've been listening to the Decemberists a lot lately. Is that considered appropriate?

been meaning to tell you, my husband and i love the decemberists (another fabulous contribution from the pacific northwest). listening to them is like hanging out with the high school drama club - very artsy, but not necessarily gay.

also, crash here on our boards all you want!

on topic - i work in std's with a lot of gays/lesbians, and i think that once you are out of med school, residency, and postdoc training, many medicine disciplines are open to homosexuality. aids and stds naturally attract more interest from gay male doctors, but, in general, at least here in seattle, the medical profession as a whole is quite tolerant AND accepting. (another plug for seattle being the coolest place to live!)

 

[KittenKiller]

aids and stds naturally attract more interest from gay male doctors

hehe that sounds terrible when read the wrong way