Lesbians in medicine?

[aliendroid]

As far as the prevalence of lesbians in medical schools, I'd say it's quite a bit lower than that of gay men. At most of the med school interview/revisits I went to this year, I stayed with other gay guys and was always curious about where all of the lesbians were. At most of the top schools, there were often none to maybe one lesbian (there is one very outspoken and incredibly sweet MS-1 lesbian at Harvard). Needless to say, I was a little disappointed to see the lack of representation of lesbians in medical school -- any ideas on why this might be so? Are lesbians just not applying in as high of numbers as gay men? Or perhaps the more outspoken, feminist lesbians are too intimidating for the greying, 60+, conservative white men that head admissions committees at many of the top medical schools?

I doubt they discriminate based on sexual orientation. It’s probably due to a lack of lesbian applicants. I know some of the under representation of Hispanics and blacks in medical school has to do with fewer Hispanic/black applicants by percentage than whites and Asians.

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[lealf-ye]

not that i like to define myself by my sexual orientation or anything, but are there any other lesbians out there going to medical school? i get the impression that things can be pretty homophobic in the med school environment, and i'm prepared to deal with it, but it would be nice if i knew there was a community (albeit small) of lesbian doctors out there somewhere. any thoughts/advice?

I am sure there will be, but I don't know if you will find one at your school.

 

[Mateodaspy]

I doubt they discriminate based on sexual orientation. It’s probably due to a lack of lesbian applicants. I know some of the under representation of Hispanics and blacks in medical school has to do with fewer Hispanic/black applicants by percentage than whites and Asians.

Perhaps. Anecdotally, though, at my school I know of about 12 gay men who applied to med schools this past cycle -- and about an equal number of les/bi girls who applied also... the gay men did exceedingly better (9/12 got into top 20, whereas only 3 lesbians got into similarly high ranked programs). Clearly an extremely small sample and statistically insignificant, but... just a thought.

 

[Babooshka]

Check out the medical schools in which you're interested. They might have a LGBT community for med students.

So has the bay area :-/

 

[getunconcsious]

The 'can I watch' comments are offensive, IMO. Heterosexist jokes by people who claim to be ok with gays are annoying.

PsychoDoc...the cougar thing is random. My alma mater had the cougar as a mascot, I didn't think it was that uncommon 😕

To the OP, I don't know if there are many lesbians in med school, but from what I've seen there are more gay guys than lesbians. In Abnormal Psych, they taught that the frequency of homosexuality in general is higher in men than women so it may be a natural extension of that. Who knows. But I do think that if you stick to gay-friendly places, you'll be ok.

Oh and the thing about lesbians being marine biologists, I assume was some sort of joke but I didn't get it. What does that even MEAN?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

PsychoDoc...the cougar thing is random. My alma mater had the cougar as a mascot, I didn't think it was that uncommon 😕

oh ok, I don't know any colleges with a cougar mascot so i was curious, but I did know of a hs in NY with one...so just curious

 

[juniper456]

lesbians in marine biology? what?

 

[onetoothleft]

The cougar is BYU's mascot where he went to school (as did I), which is a bad place to be gay.

 

[t33sg1rl]

Why was homosexuality discussed in an Abnormal Psych class? Perhaps this college needs to think about its curriculum, and move the subject on over to Normal Psych, where it belongs...

 

[onetoothleft]

Why was homosexuality discussed in an Abnormal Psych class? Perhaps this college needs to think about its curriculum, and move the subject on over to Normal Psych, where it belongs...

it was in normal psych in my texts.

 

[Mateodaspy]

Why was homosexuality discussed in an Abnormal Psych class? Perhaps this college needs to think about its curriculum, and move the subject on over to Normal Psych, where it belongs...

In my abnormal psych class in college, homosexuality's status as an mental illness was presented in a historical context -- I actually found the history of its listing and delisting in the DSM quite interesting.

 

[CanadaPreMed]

Why was homosexuality discussed in an Abnormal Psych class? Perhaps this college needs to think about its curriculum, and move the subject on over to Normal Psych, where it belongs...

Homosexuality is abnormal.

 

[Mateodaspy]

Homosexuality is abnormal.

Only in the same sense that having red hair is 'abnormal'.

 

[CanadaPreMed]

Only in the same sense that having red hair is 'abnormal'.

You are kidding right? Homosexuality is not a physical trait.

 

[ajt2003]

You are kidding right? Homosexuality is not a physical trait.

Come on, guys. Not another 'bash the gays' thread. If this thread has NOTHING to do with you, please don't post. The OP obviously had a real question that was relevant to her; not to you.

And while you're obviously entitled to your opinions, you should know that calling other people abnormal is not very polite or sensitive - especially because those of us who are gay don't see anything wrong with it; it's our normal. So please, try to show some tact.

 

[tkim]

don't feed the return troll, please

 

[juniper456]

You are kidding right? Homosexuality is not a physical trait.

actually we don't know that for sure, do we? there may very well be a genetic (i.e., "physical") aspect to homosexuality.

 

[getunconcsious]

In my abnormal psych class in college, homosexuality's status as an mental illness was presented in a historical context -- I actually found the history of its listing and delisting in the DSM quite interesting.

Same here, haha. Welcome to Houston/the south/Texas, right?

 

[SpeedRacer]

At one of my interviews they totally gave me a hard time about being gay. Ironically, that school was my first acceptance. I am not very obvious, but I had taken some coursework that most straight guys would probably not have taken. They made a list of my obviously queer coursework and asked me what they were supposed to think about me based on these classes. I think they were just trying to see how comfortable I am with myself...who knows. But it was one of the most angering experiences of my life. Needless to say I turned them down. Hopefully this won't happen to y'all at your interviews!

what school was this?

 

[Mateodaspy]

Just keeping tabs on the lezzies for ya -- I met a femme asian lesbian today who's going to be a first year at Baylor this year!

 

[SpeedRacer]

Just keeping tabs on the lezzies for ya -- I met a femme asian lesbian today who's going to be a first year at Baylor this year!

way to out her!
just kidding

 

[wetlightning]

Homosexuality is abnormal.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 😱

good lord.

 

[Neurolemma]

actually we don't know that for sure, do we? there may very well be a genetic (i.e., "physical") aspect to homosexuality.

Yeah, but don't you find it unusual that they've never found a gene for it? They've found genes for obesity, heart disease, Alzheimers, diabetes, male pattern baldness, etc. I wouldn't go so far as to say its abnormal, but I wouldn't say its normal either. It doesn't serve any reproductive function.

 

[MikePlayingDoc]

I am a lesbian trapped in a man's body. Geez... I just had to say it. I love lesbians - especially the hot naked ones.

 

[SpeedRacer]

Yeah, but don't you find it unusual that they've never found a gene for it? They've found genes for obesity, heart disease, Alzheimers, diabetes, male pattern baldness, etc. I wouldn't go so far as to say its abnormal, but I wouldn't say its normal either. It doesn't serve any reproductive function.

like we need more people on this planet anyway. i saw an article in the onion a long time go that said "Gay gene isolated, ostracized." hahahahha

 

[Neurolemma]

like we need more people on this planet anyway. i saw an article in the onion a long time go that said "Gay gene isolated, ostracized." hahahahha

I take it you're being sarcastic there. The importance of reproduction is obvious if you consider evolution. A species that doesn't reproduce is obviously not going to evolve. Thats probably why theres no gene for it. This thread is probably the wrong place to say it, but based on CDC data the rate of AIDS is higher among the homosexual than heterosexual population. I take it you all knew that anyway. So... you could conclude that homosexuality is actually detrimental to the evolution of a species. Anyway....... this is all biology.... leaving the "moral" point of view out, as I really don't care for that. I think the pre-emptive strike policy our most pacifist Prez has come up with is far more likely to up the mortality rate. Priorities! The other way we evolve.

 

[ajrooney]

I am a lesbian trapped in a man's body. Geez... I just had to say it. I love lesbians - especially the hot naked ones.

I'm sure they appreciate the love...but try to understand...THEY WONT RETURN IT. You porn-obsessed guys need to understand that what you see in movies are not "real" lesbians, but rather are those same kind of trashy college-type who are only doing it because they are being paid a sh&#load of money to and have boyfriends in real life. So stop making a joke out of other people's lifestyles by asking to "watch" and telling them how much you like to see them naked. Just because you see the word "lesbian" in a thread does not mean it is ok to post these innappropriate and rude comments.

In conclusion, to the 2,070 horny guys who viewed this thread because it has the word lesbian in it....LESBIAN = NOT INTERESTED IN YOU

To the OP I am sorry you probly have to put up with ignorance and immaturity like this all the time--- be fortunate you aren't straight....I actually have to date guys just like these, all the time.

 

[AndrewB]

2,070 horny guys who viewed this thread because it has the word lesbian in it

I know I did.

 

[jennben4]

evolutionarily speaking, so sorry. natural selection operates over thousands of generations and is not always "out for our best interests." for about 99% of our human existance, people lived as nomadic foragers. we are equipped for that society, not the one that we are so intimately familiar, chock full of churches, schooling, government, police, and yes - modern medicine. there are discrepancies, so sorry. as far as "a species that doesn't reproduce is obviously not going to evolve".... priests, by the same logic, are a detriment to society. and so are adoption agencies, pharmaceutical companies (contraceptives and such), etc... our mind and its processing abilities/resulting behaviors have evolved, not necessarily behavior in its most rudimentary form. there is not one singular gene, per se, for being gay or lesbian. it's all about a system of checks and balances, weighed out in our present world of conflicting desires and influences, originating from that of our ancestors. that's not to say that there isn't a genetic component, quite the opposite. don't be so shocked that behaviors seemingly so contradictory to evolution persist. look around and you will find it everywhere - even down to the obvious details of pot-smoking knowingly reducing sperm count. over time (and i mean thousands upon thousands of years) this may seem like an elementary or frivolous debate, but who's to say? technology has made leaps and bounds not experienced, yet paradoxically produced by, our internal biology. homosexuality may turn out to be a blip in the radar, it may not. who's to say? we have seen so much change in such a short period of time, evolutionarily speaking. ok, i'm don't ranting for now. i've ranted on for long enough.... sorry for those of you who don't agree.....

 

[juniper456]

evolutionarily speaking, so sorry. natural selection operates over thousands of generations and is not always "out for our best interests." for about 99% of our human existance, people lived as nomadic foragers. we are equipped for that society, not the one that we are so intimately familiar, chock full of churches, schooling, government, police, and yes - modern medicine. there are discrepancies, so sorry. as far as "a species that doesn't reproduce is obviously not going to evolve".... priests, by the same logic, are a detriment to society. and so are adoption agencies, pharmaceutical companies (contraceptives and such), etc... our mind and its processing abilities/resulting behaviors have evolved, not necessarily behavior in its most rudimentary form. there is not one singular gene, per se, for being gay or lesbian. it's all about a system of checks and balances, weighed out in our present world of conflicting desires and influences, originating from that of our ancestors. that's not to say that there isn't a genetic component, quite the opposite. don't be so shocked that behaviors seemingly so contradictory to evolution persist. look around and you will find it everywhere - even down to the obvious details of pot-smoking knowingly reducing sperm count. over time (and i mean thousands upon thousands of years) this may seem like an elementary or frivolous debate, but who's to say? technology has made leaps and bounds not experienced, yet paradoxically produced by, our internal biology. homosexuality may turn out to be a blip in the radar, it may not. who's to say? we have seen so much change in such a short period of time, evolutionarily speaking. ok, i'm don't ranting for now. i've ranted on for long enough.... sorry for those of you who don't agree.....

 

[juniper456]

well, they've never found a gene for schizophrenia, have they? and yet it's been shown that identical twins of schizophrenics are significantly more likely to develop the disease than fraternal twins.

remember that genetics will often only give you a predisposition for certain traits, and no one yet knows why these traits will develop in some people and not in others. it's not always as easy as finding "the gene" that causes X trait or Y trait.

Yeah, but don't you find it unusual that they've never found a gene for it? They've found genes for obesity, heart disease, Alzheimers, diabetes, male pattern baldness, etc. I wouldn't go so far as to say its abnormal, but I wouldn't say its normal either. It doesn't serve any reproductive function.

 

[aliendroid]

I read an interesting theory about homosexuality somewhere. There is no homosexuality gene, but the combination of many genes and a complex expression of these genes can result in it. We have evolved to have a very large range of personality types and demeanors. Think of the human personality like the production of antibodies, you can have almost an infinite range of possibilities. Due to this, almost every type of personality and way of thinking will show up. To simplify it consider men and how there are masculine, testosterone driven ones and that there are also some caring, loving, and/or feminized ones and a continuous range in between. Some may speculate that the more caring, affectionate male can be more likely to identify himself as homosexual. This large variability is not seen in women as much as men which explains the smaller amount of lesbians (true ones) then gay men. The evolutionary advantage to this may result from a changing selective trend of women throughout the generations. Some generations of women are more prone to want the cavemen, warrior, testosterone driven studs, while other generations of women may find kind hearted men more desirable. The variations of personality types means that each type of personality is always available and so small populations won’t be snuffed out because all the men are feminine little wimps and none of the women want to sleep with them or conversly if women in a tribe decided they didn’t want to sleep with the studs and prefered nice guys but all the available men were overconfident, egotistical, studs. I also don't think a tribe that reproduced via rape and forced marriages would last very long. The evolutionary advantage of personality variability far outweighs the disadvantage of some people not being reproductive.

 

[SpeedRacer]

I take it you're being sarcastic there. The importance of reproduction is obvious if you consider evolution. A species that doesn't reproduce is obviously not going to evolve. Thats probably why theres no gene for it. This thread is probably the wrong place to say it, but based on CDC data the rate of AIDS is higher among the homosexual than heterosexual population. I take it you all knew that anyway. So... you could conclude that homosexuality is actually detrimental to the evolution of a species. Anyway....... this is all biology.... leaving the "moral" point of view out, as I really don't care for that. I think the pre-emptive strike policy our most pacifist Prez has come up with is far more likely to up the mortality rate. Priorities! The other way we evolve.

thanks! i was going to stick up for myself, but it seems everyone already did it for me

 

[newyorkcougar]

I thought y'all might be interested in this article:

Fear of Discrimination Keeps Gay Patients in Closet
Today at 2:00 AM
by Ross von Metzke


Los Angeles, CA - A report by the British Medical Association finds that gay and lesbian patients in the United States and Europe often fear disclosing their sexuality to doctors because they fear their treatment will suffer.


The report also says many gay doctors do not come out to colleagues because they fear the consequences. One doctor cited in the study reported being told he should not work in pediatrics because of his sexuality.


According to the BMA report, simple changes, such as using gender neutral language when talking about a patient's partner, and not assuming sexual health is the primary health need of gay patients, would reduce feelings of discrimination. The report calls for a series of measures including guidance on sexual orientation in equal opportunities policies and a crack-down on incidents of homophobia. It also includes guidelines for teaching medical students how to act in a non-judgemental way towards gay and lesbian colleagues and patients.


"Everyone has the right to be treated equally, regardless of their sexual orientation," Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, explained in the report, issued over the weekend. "Doctors and patients should feel safe and confident when they are in hospitals and surgeries."


The report finds patients in the interior United States fear disclosing their sexuality to doctors most, while patients in coastal states and several European countries are more apt to be open with medical staff.


"Future doctors have a responsibility to their colleagues and patients," Dr Sam Everington, co-chair of the BMA's Equal Opportunities Committee, said. "Sexual orientation should be included in the medical school curriculum and will help create a health service environment where all doctors can achieve their full potential and all patients be treated with the respect they deserve."