Remember when we covered the stereotype that gays are bad at math in a post three years ago? Or was it two years ago? No, it was 2019, so it was five years ago.
We’re kidding—as were the Twitter users whose quips we shared at the time, presumably. “The universe knew the gays would be too powerful if they could do math,” one person tweeted.
“Me and the other gay third-grader leaving math class for speech therapy to work on our Rs and SHs,” someone else wrote.
Related: 30 tweets about bad gay drivers that resonate very deeply with us
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Anyway, Reddit users in the r/gay subreddit chatted about this stereotype last month.
“I’ve seen the ‘Oh, I’m gay, so I’m bad at math’ stereotype embraced on anything from normal conversation to Tinder bios to a square on ‘Gay Bingo,’” one user wrote, kicking off the discussion. “Why is this a thing? Couldn’t it be potentially harmful?”
That user cited the recent research that showed that gay men are 12 percent less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—than their heterosexual counterparts.
“The main reason I care is [that] I’m in tech, an industry with a lot of STEM majors that offers good compensation and reasonable work/life balance,” the Reddit user added. “I don’t want anyone to not believe in themselves due to stereotypes. I know plenty of other gay tech bros (if you will) who are amazing at math and other STEM fields. Sorry if this is making an issue out of a non-issue.”
As the Reddit comment section reveals, though, not everyone buys into the stereotype. “Tell that to Alan Turing,” one person said of the stereotype, in a comment that’s been upvoted more than 150 times.
Another person blamed misogyny for that particular reputation of ours: “Gay men are stereotyped as being feminine, women are stereotyped as being bad at math, [and] therefore, gay men are bad at math,” that commenter wrote. “Transitive property!”
And a third commenter suggested the stereotype was just silliness, writing, “I think it’s just humor to blame any hiccup or flaw on being gay. I think us gays tend to be generally highly intelligent.”
Related: 30 tweets about gays and walking fast that are categorically true
Besides, there’s no way we can all be abysmal at arithmetic, since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says math “makes children gay”… according to a satirical article from The New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz.
“For years, liberals in the education mafia have brainwashed Americans into thinking that our children should learn to add, subtract, multiply, and divide,” the fictional DeSantis told reporters. “We now know that numbers are a portal into a so-called alternative life style.”
(Of course, the real DeSantis didn’t actually say that… but honestly, would you be surprised if he had?)
NateOcean
Math Question
Q: How many times does 40 go into 16?
A: I don’t know; ask Matt Gaetz.
dbmcvey
LOL!
ryanM
Hah! Took me awhile to get it but when I did, Diet Coke was running out my mouth. I’ll send you my drycleaning bill.
For others who are dense like me, the numbers are ages…
dbmcvey
Tell it to Alan Turing.
ryanM
Unfortunately, that’s not a useful retort. One example out of millions is not exactly statistically relevant. I actually know a few gay math majors, including a biostatistician from a former study. But they really do seem underrepresented and there are some possible reasons. In a former life, I did some grad work in gay sociology. I remember coming across a study (by Diamond? Milton Diamond, perhaps?) that surveyed the career choices of gay men across 7 different cultures. If I’m not mistaken, there was Asian and African representation, and possibly even indigenous peoples. He found remarkable similarity across all cultures. Namely, that gays tend to prefer creative and artistic fields. Don’t quote me though because my research soon became something completely different (in STEM!).
If this observation is true, there may be anatomical and physiological reasons. Many studies have found differences between gay and straight [male] anatomies, with some concluding that the brains of gay males and straight females have (or lack) structures that straight males don’t, e.g. LeVay’s landmark study of the INAH-3.
Along those lines, a remarkable study by J. Hall found that gay men throw more like straight women, while lesbians throw more like straight men. So yes, the stereotype of “throwing like a girl” may be true. But it’s not bad. My memory is weak but I believe he found that gays (and straight women) were more accurate with fine motion whereas straight men (and lesbians) did better with gross motion. In other words, gays might be inherently better at fine motor skills that’s needed in drawing, architecture, needlepoint, etc. And yes, maybe even surgery.
So if Hall’s findings are true, there may be a biological basis in career preference. It doesn’t necessarily explain the underrepresentation in STEM, but it’s a start. The whole male vs female abilities in math, and Nature vs Nurture, is still unsettled.
dbmcvey
Hey Ryan. I don’t care.
DCFarmboy
Q: Why are gay men so bad at math?
A: Because they keep getting told this [hold your hands slightly apart] is six inches.
Ibuddy66
As far as I know this isn’t even a thing. I’ve never once heard this and I’ve heard darn near everything you could imagine. In fact, gays have to be good at math. How the heck else would we have some of the most acclaimed interior designers, hairdressers, actors (and stunt performers), drag queens (heel inches, wig lengths, sewing, etc.), You name it. LGBTQ+ culture is filled with math at every turn. What a weird article.
Brian
The person cited research that gay men are less likely to have a college *degree* in math, but that’s not the same thing as saying gay men are bad at math. As you said, it could be that gay men are choosing other majors (architecture, etc.) that still incorporate math skills.
The person trying to say that gay men are dumb is himself dumb. His citation doesn’t address the question. He doesn’t have the skills in logic and reasoning to make an argument. Maybe he should be quiet and learn.
Boybussy
I’ve never heard of this stereotype….the cute geeky guy was why clicked on this story… Love smashing geekboys
scotty
it’s the glasses, isnt it? for me it is totally the glasses. and the smooth body underneath. oh yeah the armpits too.