Pet ownership carries significance within the LGBTQ 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]
Pet ownership carries significance within the LGBTQ 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]
In the United States, LGBTQ adults were more likely to own pets than heterosexual adults in 2007, [2] and child-free LGBTQ households are more likely to own pets than child-free heterosexual households. [3]
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]
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 LGBTQ 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]
Pets can also be an important outlet for companionship and support for transgender individuals. As trans people are more likely to experience discrimination from the human relationships they have with their family and friends, as well as mental health anguish (e.g., anxiety, depression, or gender dysphoria), having a pet may provide the love and companionship they need. A pet is a non-judgmental companion who won’t alienate a person because of their gender identity; the affection and loyalty that both pet owner and pet provide each other is what makes their relationship work. [9]
A pet can provide unconditional love that a trans person may need after facing rejection from the people in their lives. Animals cannot comprehend human-constructed gender norms and identity. [10] So, a person’s gender expression becomes irrelevant to the love and support a pet can provide, as they do not discriminate based on how a person looks. A pet can be a stable emotional support system for trans individuals going through many other relationship changes in their lives. This is vital as they come to terms with their identity and potentially undergo gender-affirming surgery that may affect their current relationships with family and friends, as these realizations and changes can lead to rejection. [11]
