I truly wonder how often a random het finds themselves completely altering their looks or mannerisms or fabricating stories of the hardships they've faced as LGBT (while being 100% cis/straight) to such a widespread extent that makes adcoms so worried as to feel the need to vet this particular URM group with respective URM-service. Not to say anything's impossible, but I am curious how serious of an issue this is so as to put LGBT applicants in this unique boat of having to prove their identities over those in other groups. (As far as I'm aware, other racial or socioeconomic URM groups just have to click boxes with their identities and aren't actually expected to serve in related groups... AAMC grids and FAP don't show one's volunteer records though..)
It's kinda funny how ironic things have shaped out for LGBT (in pre-med world, that is). You know, first this group was persecuted, harassed, forced into the closet, "don't ask, don't tell", etc. and now here we are comfortable in our skin to say "this is my identity" and it's met with "well prove it". A "do tell, but do show" if you will.
Funny, really.
It's kinda funny how ironic things have shaped out for LGBT (in pre-med world, that is). You know, first this group was persecuted, harassed, forced into the closet, "don't ask, don't tell", etc. and now here we are comfortable in our skin to say "this is my identity" and it's met with "well prove it". A "do tell, but do show" if you will.
Funny, really.