Let's lighten up on fat lesbians

The US government has spent nearly $3-million (about R32-million) on a study to explore lesbian obesity.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 69% of US adults over the age of 20 are overweight or obese, but 75% of the country's lesbians fall into this category compared to half of the female population.

For gay men the results are the opposite. Heterosexual men are nearly twice as likely to be overweight as their gay counterparts.

I am no statistician but several questions spring to mind. Firstly, the sample of lesbians taken for research. Presumably the women questioned or weighed were "out" and ticked the box "lesbian" on the form.

Now we all know that even in these days of sexual liberation and acceptance there are many lesbians and gay men who are not "out". So this study has to be treated with caution. It does not include those who are in the closet or living straight lives.

Or did the team of researchers actively go looking for members of the gay community? We are not told. If they did they will have received a narrow sample of lesbians, most of whom stay in and watch TV with their partner like the rest of society.

If we do accept that this research is well founded - it was, after all, run by Bryn Austin, an associate professor at Harvard's School of Public Health - then what is the point of it and what conclusions can we draw?

One of the linked studies found that lesbians were less likely to participate in team sports because of lower athletic self-esteem. I can only talk from personal experience here but I have always found that lesbians were more likely to participate in team sports, indeed in any sort of sport. If we really want to revert to stereotypes, the "typical" gay woman is hardly ever seen out of her gym kit!

This, of course, contradicts the statistics for gay men, who are less likely to be overweight and yet one might imagine, again reverting to stereotypes, more reluctant to involve themselves in team sports for many obvious reasons. They are likely to be subject to homophobic bullying in the changing room for one.

Reaction to a study like this is sadly predictable. The comments below the article were no more edifying than I would expect. Here is a typical example: "They are fat first, can't get any hetero action, so change to the other team, in which other fat women are less discerning."

That's right "Tyrannosaur" (as you call yourself), women have no interest in life other than attracting men and if we can't do that we go for women instead.

Perhaps, more truthfully, lesbians are less likely to want to conform to the stereotypes of straight women. I would hazard a guess that these stereotypes are not necessarily attractive to men either. Does anyone really find an underweight model with a miserable expression alluring?

Let's be absolutely clear. Lesbians are not gay because they can't get a man. All of the lesbians I know, and I know quite a few, have had to fight off the attentions of men frequently. Studies like this serve only to give ammunition to this type of prejudice.

If we leave my questioning of the sample aside and assume that a disproportionate number of lesbians are indeed overweight in the US, then perhaps we need to address the reasons for this? Could it be that discrimination and prejudice lead to low self-esteem, not only on the sports field but in other areas too?

There is no indication in this study of whether social strata, employment status or numerous other indicators have been taken into consideration.

Austin is correct in saying that: "The obesity epidemic is a major problem," and that "the causes and solutions to obesity are likely to be different for different parts of our society," but until this study reveals more thorough statistical data I'm tempted to treat it with a pinch of salt - and raid the fridge while I'm at it.