Statsproj.docx

STATISTICS PROJECT

SEXUAL ORIENTATION A SOCIAL STIGMA? Ananya Srinivasan (29) Ayush Katyayana (30) Nandika Aiyar (32) Rohan Pai (35)

INDEX

Topic

Sl. No. 1

Page no.

Acknowledgement

1

2 2.1 2.2 2.3

Introduction Statement of problem(Hypothesis) Mode of data collection Sample being studied

2 2 4 4

3 3.1

Data Analysis and Interpretation Question wise graphical analysis

6 6

4 4.1 4.2

Conclusion Overall analysis Recommendations

18 18 18

Introduction Statement of problem (Hypothesis): First things first, let’s look up the definition of sexual orientation in a dictionary. 'a person's sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted' it says. In 2019, for most Indians, it is common knowledge that some people can feel attracted to the same gender. Most people have an inkling of the words gay, lesbian and bisexual. However, when asked what these words mean, many look away, smirk, laugh or completely disregard the question altogether. The subject of sexual orientation is viewed as something very secretive that is talked about in hushed tones behind closed doors as juicy gossip, usually in negative light. This is mainly due to the fact that sexual orientation is many a time equated to sexual activity, which is completely incorrect. An orientation defines who you are attracted to which is inherent and out of our control, while sexual activity is something that people choose to engage in. It is ironic that the same group of people won’t bat an eyelash when a boy is attracted to a girl or vice versa. This is because our society is extremely heteronormative and people are given the label of heterosexual as a default right from the moment they exit the womb. So, when someone isn’t attracted to the opposite gender, eyebrows are raised and opinions are formed because it is 'different' or rather 'abnormal' and treating that person as a museum exhibit is an acceptable practice, even though it’s essentially the same thing! It is often forgotten that heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality etc. all originate from the same root word sexuality and ultimately equate to ‘attraction to another person’.

On the other hand, there are also many people who use the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ as a form of hate speech to downgrade someone’s personality and dehumanise them. They are often thrown around as buzz words in schools, colleges and even on social media as a tool to insult someone based on what they wear and how they act. Why is this so? One of the main causes is the skewed manner in which alternate sexual orientations are portrayed in the media. A majority of Indian TV shows and movies do not have any gay characters and the ones who do usually use them as an element of comic relief. These characters don’t have a well drawn-out storyline and their sole purpose is to act bizarre and constitute an anomaly in the system. As a result, that is exactly how they are treated in real life! A tear in the tapestry of society. A loose screw in a well-oiled machine. Society aside, even the law treats heterosexual citizens different from citizens of other sexual orientations. Until September last year, it was a crime to engage in sexual activity with another person of the same gender. And even today, same-sex couples are not recognised by the Government of India and are hence, not granted civil rights such as marriage, adoption and joint housing. History has it that the courts usually refuse to acknowledge the existence of such rights and brush them under the metaphorical carpet. This makes life very difficult making several people never truly feel like they are an equal citizen of this country. Now, keeping all of this information in mind, let’s talk about something we are all familiar with: high school. High school is a very stressful time in a teenager’s life where they deal with school exams, competitive exams, body image issues, peer pressure, raging hormones and much, much more! Now, let us suppose that a particular high school student also happens to be gay. In a utopian world, this would be seen as a natural trait of a person and certainly not a struggle! In harsh reality however, the latter is unfortunately

more common. Statistics show that homosexual teenagers show a higher rate of suicide, anxiety and depression than heterosexual teenagers. Interestingly though, unlike studying and doing homework, being gay isn’t stressful in itself. It is the environment a person grows up in and the people they are surrounded by that determines their stress level. If sexual orientation was something that people could be allowed to freely talk about, that gay high school student wouldn’t have a reason to feel stressed. That gay high school student wouldn’t have the fear of losing family and friends lingering at the back of his mind. That gay high school student would never, even for a second, feel ashamed for who he is. As citizens of India, we have the right to freedom of speech. So, we have decided to exercise that very right and lift up that metaphorical carpet! We have conducted this anonymous survey titled 'Sexual Orientation: A Social Stigma?' in hope of starting conversations and sharing experiences pertaining to this issue in a bid to create an environment where everyone feels included.

Mode of collection of data: The mode of data collection chosen for this project was that of an online questionnaire circulated seeking anonymous responses from respondents. This was done taking into due cognizance the reservations of respondents with regards to their privacy and the confidentiality of information being shared given the sensitivity of the topic being broached here.

Sample being studied: The students of class 11 of National Public School Indiranagar, aged 16-17 years on an average, were selected to be the respondents of the said survey. The online questionnaire circulated via various social

media platforms was answered by 55 students, who essentially constitute the sample being studied here. Among the pool of 11th graders of the school, the selection of these 55 respondents was absolutely random, with no bias whatsoever towards any student(s) based on gender/personal ties/speculated sexuality.

Data Analysis and Interpretation Question wise graphical analysis:

- Among the responding males, 68% told themselves to be heterosexuals, while homosexuals, bisexuals and those who weren't sure of their sexual orientation constituted 10.5% each. - Among the females, 66% responded as heterosexuals, 21% as bisexuals and those with other sexual orientations, those who weren't sure and those who weren't comfortable disclosing their sexuality constituted 4% each of the female respondents. - Among those who identified themselves with genders other than male and female, 16% told themselves to be bisexuals and asexuals each, while 66% responded with their sexual orientations to be other than the ones mentioned in the options.

- Among the heterosexuals, 62% said their sexual orientation doesn't bother them, while 38% said they are proud of their sexual orientation. - 78% of the bisexuals said they are proud of their sexual orientation, while 22% said they aren't bothered by it. - Both of those responding as asexuals said they are ashamed of their sexual orientation. - Among those having other than mentioned sexual orientations, 66% said they are ashamed of the same, while the rest 33% responded as being proud of it. - Half of the responding as homosexuals(both male) and those who weren't sure of their sexual orientation said they are proud of their sexuality, while the other half of both the groups along with the lone respondent not sure of her sexual orientation said they weren't bothered by it.

- 90% of the responding heterosexuals, 100% of homosexuals and 55% of bisexuals they said accepted their sexual orientation as soon as they realised it. - 7% of homosexuals, 22% of bisexuals and 22% of those with other than mentioned sexual orientations took some time to accept their sexual orientation upon realising the same. - 22% of those identifying as bisexuals, 100% of those identifying as asexuals and 77% of those identifying as having other than mentioned sexual orientations said they haven't completely realised or accepted their sexual orientation yet.

- 93% of heterosexuals said they are comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation, while 7% said they are not sure. - Among the homosexuals, 50% said they are comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation, while the other half said they are not sure of the same. - 44% of bisexuals said they were comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation, 7% said they are not comfortable with the same, and 44% said they aren't sure. - Among those identifying as asexuals, 50% said they are not comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation and the rest 50% said they aren't sure. - Among those identifying as having other than mentioned sexual orientations, 11% said they are comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation, 33% said they aren't sure if they're comfortable, and 55% said they are not comfortable with the same.

- 76% of heterosexuals, 50% of homosexuals, 55% of bisexuals, 22% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations, 66% of those not sure of their sexual orientation and 100% of those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation said their parents have at some point assumed their sexual orientation, while the rest including 100% of the asexuals said their parents have never assumed the same. - 83% of heterosexuals, 50% of homosexuals, 55% of bisexuals, 22% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and 66% of those not sure of their sexual orientation orientation said their friends have at some point assumed their sexual orientation, while the rest including 100% of the asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation said their friends have never assumed the same. - 86% of heterosexuals, 55% of bisexuals, 22% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and 100% of those not sure of or not comfortable disclosing sexual orientation said that society has at some point assumed their sexual orientation, while the rest including 100% of the homosexuals and asexuals said that society has never assumed the same.

- Among those who have come out to their parents about their sexual orientation, 94% of heterosexuals and 100% of the bisexuals said their parents were supportive of the same, while the rest including 100% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations said their parents weren't. - Among those who have come out to their friends about their sexual orientation, 100% of heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals, and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and said their friends were supportive of the same, while the rest said their friends weren't. - Among those who have come out to society about their sexual orientation, 75% of heterosexuals, 100% homosexuals and bisexuals, and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and said society was supportive of the same, while the rest said that society wasn't.

- Among those who have not come out to their parents about their sexual orientation yet, 92% of heterosexuals, 100% of homosexuals and those not sure of their sexual orientation, 50% of bisexuals and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations said their parents would be supportive of the same if they came out in the future, while the rest including 100% of asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientations said their parents wouldn't. - Among those who haven't come out to their friends about their sexual orientation yet, 100% of heterosexuals, homosexuals and those not sure of or not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation, and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations said their friends would be supportive of the same if they came out in the future, while the rest including 100% of bisexuals and asexuals said their friends wouldn't. - Among those who haven't come out to society about their sexual orientation yet, 87% of heterosexuals, 100% homosexuals and those not sure of their sexual orientation, 16% of bisexuals and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations said society would be supportive of the same if they came out in the future, while the rest including 100% of asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation said that society wouldn't.

- 45% of heterosexuals believe a person's sexual orientation is biological and not one's choice, while 55% believe it's one's choice. - 100% of homosexuals and asexuals believe a person's sexual orientation is biological and not one's choice. - 30% of bisexuals believe a person's sexual orientation is biological and not one's choice, while 70% believe it's one's choice. - 62.5% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations believe a person's sexual orientation is biological and not one's choice, while 37.5% believe it's one's choice. - 100% of those not sure of or not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation believe a person's sexual orientation is one's choice rather than biological.

- 78% of heterosexuals said their relationship with someone close to them would remain unaffected if that person came out about his/her sexual orientation, while 22% said they would require time to process the same. - 100% of homosexuals and those not sure of or not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation said their relationship with someone close to them would remain unaffected if that person came out about his/her sexual orientation. - 77% of biosexuals said their relationship with someone close to them would remain unaffected if that person came out about his/her sexual orientation, while 22% said they would require time to process the same. - 100% of asexuals and those having other than mentioned sexual orientations said their relationship with someone close to them would be negatively affected if that person came out about his/her sexual orientation.

- Parents of 45% of heterosexuals, 50% of homosexuals, 44% of bisexuals and 33% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and those not sure of their sexual orientation have spoken to them about alternate sexual orientations, while parents of the rest of the sample including 100% of asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation haven't. - Friends of 86% of heterosexuals, 100% of homosexuals, 77% of bisexuals, 33% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and 100% those not sure of or not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation have spoken to them about alternate sexual orientations, while friends of the rest of the sample including 100% of asexuals haven't. - 48% of heterosexuals, 44% of bisexuals and 33% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations and those not sure of their sexual orientation say the school has spoken to them about alternate sexual orientations, while the rest of the sample including 100% of the homosexuals, asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation say the school hasn't.

- 76% of heterosexuals felt a need for discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children, while 21% weren't sure of the same and 3% felt it should not be discussed among children. - 76% of heterosexuals felt a need for discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children, while 21% weren't sure of the same and 3% felt it should not be discussed among children. - 100% of homosexuals, bisexuals and asexuals felt a need for discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children.. - 88% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations felt a need for discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children, while 11% weren't sure of the same. - 66% of those unsure of their sexual orientation felt a need for discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children, while 33% felt it should not be discussed among children. - 100% of those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation felt there is no need to discuss the topic of sexual orientations among children.

Conclusion Overall analysis: If it’s one thing that stands out more than anything else in the results of this project, it’s the sheer fact that all of us 11th graders who answered this survey aren't all that straight! Evident as it is that nearly half of those who have answered this survey are what society deems as 'abnormal'- not heterosexual in much simpler terms. This sole result is indeed a slap in the face for everyone- from our parents who raised eyebrows while seeing us work on this project, to the person at the print shop printing our project caught off guard reading its title, and finally to our own selves, in whose minds this unscrupulous belief of everyone normally being heterosexual and anything other than that being abnormal had begun to resonate. Another striking conclusion is the much higher degree of confidence and comfort among heterosexuals about their sexual orientation and being open about the same than those having other sexual orientations. Needless to say, the results pertaining to the attitude of, and level of support from parents, friends and especially society towards different sexual orientations speak for themselves on this count. Ultimately all these results and conclusions go on to fiercely reiterate just one very simple fact- that being heterosexual is normal and being anything other than that is not normal- for us, for our friends, our families and of course, for our society.

Recommendations: The need of the hour is to generate awareness in society about the acceptance and inclusion of all people of all sexual orientations, all of

which are all but perfectly normal and natural. Thiss can be implemented via a range of awareness campaigns and public movements, which fortunately do seem to be on the upsurge in the present day. As for us students in specific, the very fact that nearly all of the respondents said their friends have spoken to them about alternate sexualities, but barely half said their parents or school had done the same reveals a gaping flaw in the system of passing on values and knowledge of such sensitive subjects from the elders to the youngsters. Due to this, in the absence of learning these things in the right way from their elders, the present generation gets its hands on such information from other sources including friends and mass media, giving birth to and substantiating unfounded myths like such. Therefore, education of students and youngsters about sensitive yet important topics like sexual orientations in the right way and spirit must be given immediate priority in order to help them become humane humans, and to make our society more inclusive.