Pets and the LGBT community

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A dog at Dublin Pride 2010, wearing the LGBT rainbow flag

Pet ownership carries significance within the LGBT community. In recent years, there has been more academic attention placed on "the intersections of human and animal lives in the context of LGBT communities".[1]

Background[edit]

In the United States, LGBT adults were more likely to own pets than heterosexual adults in 2007,[2] and child-free LGBT households are more likely to own pets than child-free heterosexual households.[3]

Cats and lesbian feminism[edit]

Cats have been used as a "lazy visual shorthand" within popular culture to "[signify] clichés about effeminate gay men and lonely lesbian women".[4] The urban myth that lesbians are likely to have cats at home took hold within early lesbian feminism;[1][5] cats were said to exhibit "spirited feline self-sufficiency" which made them "an essential accoutrement to all lesbian's lives, providing a mirror to their owners' challenge to the hetero-patriarchal social order".[3] On the other hand, some took the view that pet ownership was oppressive, and took objection to a form of lesbian feminism that "[fought] against the oppression of women, whilst remaining silent on the oppression of animals."[1]

Pets as emotional support[edit]

See also: Emotional support animal

Gay and bisexual men may be more likely to look to pets as means of support, as they are more likely to live alone and less likely to have children than heterosexual men.[6] Among older LGBT populations, pets may have a positive impact on a person's mental health and feeling of social support.[7] A 1999 study shows that gay men with HIV/AIDS were less likely to be depressed if they had a pet.[8] A 2019 study shows that pet ownership may act as a net stressor on gay and bisexual men with prostate cancer.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Riggs, Damien W. "Riggs on LGBT People and Their Relationships with Animals". Palgrave Macmillan.
  2. ^ "Poll: Gays More Likely to Own Pets". The Advocate. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b Gabb, Jacqui (19 July 2019). "It's raining cats, dogs and diapers! The intersections of rising pet ownership and LGBTQ+ coupledom" (PDF). Families, Relationships and Societies. 8 (2): 351–357. doi:10.1332/204674319X15583480855192. S2CID 198732028.
  4. ^ Nastasi, Alison; Nastasi, P. J. (4 May 2021). Queer Icons and Their Cats. Chronicle Books. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-7972-0623-3.
  5. ^ Reti, Irene; Sein, Shoney (1991). Cats (and their dykes): an anthology. Santa Cruz, CA: HerBooks. ISBN 9780939821471.
  6. ^ a b Wright, Morgan M.; Schreiner, Pamela; Rosser, B. R. Simon; Polter, Elizabeth J.; Mitteldorf, Darryl; West, William; Ross, Michael W. (November 2019). "The Influence of Companion Animals on Quality of Life of Gay and Bisexual Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 16 (22): 4457. doi:10.3390/ijerph16224457. ISSN 1661-7827. PMC 6888196. PMID 31766206.
  7. ^ Muraco, A; Putney, J; Shiu, C; Fredriksen-Goldsen, KI (October 2018). "Lifesaving in Every Way: The Role of Companion Animals in the Lives of Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adults Age 50 and Over". Research on Aging. 40 (9): 859–882. doi:10.1177/0164027517752149. PMC 6027597. PMID 29357737.
  8. ^ Siegel, J. M.; Angulo, F. J.; Detels, R.; Wesch, J.; Mullen, A. (April 1999). "AIDS diagnosis and depression in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study: the ameliorating impact of pet ownership". AIDS Care. 11 (2): 157–170. doi:10.1080/09540129948054. PMID 10474619.
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