Living in the age of Trump means that queer expression and visibility is more important than ever. Luckily, the youth of America is showing up to make their voices heard.
A new 2017 national study from MTV and PRRI surveyed people aged 15-24 to find that the nation’s youth is increasingly challenging gender norms. Particularly, it found that a majority of young people do not identify as completely masculine or completely feminine. It also found that many young people feel society’s pressure on young men to meet standards of masculinity leads to negative impacts.
i think about ursula le guin every time i see someone in a THE FUTURE IS FEMALE shirt. she knew how bullshit the binary was, that if the future was anything, it was genderqueer. she always fundamentally *got* it. i cannot overstate her impact on me as a person.
— devon maloney (@dynamofire) January 23, 2018
The study found that less than one in five young men and women identify as completely masculine or completely feminine. Whereas one in five young people consider themselves a combination of the two. Young women were more likely to, with 40 percent identifying that way, as opposed to 25 percent of young men.
It also found that 62 percent of young LGBT people consider themselves to be toward the middle of the gender spectrum. Only 11 percent identified as mostly or completely masculine, while 27 percent identified as mostly or completely feminine.
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The study also shows that the results differed significantly by race. More young black men and women than young white men and women identified as mostly or completely masculine or feminine.
A concept: instead of asking women to physically fight their way out of uncomfortable sexual situations, let’s dismantle rape culture and toxic masculinity. Seems like a better long-term solution, but maybe that’s just me
— Lauren Shippen (@laurenshippen) January 15, 2018
It also revealed that a majority of young people feel men are pressured to act a certain way to fit a traditional ideal of masculinity. 46 percent felt that this pressure led to sexually aggressive behavior, and an equal 46 percent felt that it led to homophobic attitudes. 43 percent said that it led to violent behavior in general. Young women were more likely than young men to agree with these statements.
As we kick off 2018, perhaps these attitudes we’ll gradually shift more toward total acceptance for gender expression.
