Univ. Of Iowa now asks for their incoming students

[Racket_Man]

to voluntary declare their sexual orientation demographic.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...-know#comments

IF this is used for information gathering and welcoming and information discemination this might be a good thing.

BUT if the informtaion is used or hacked into and used for other less well intentioned things?????

[Ginger Tea]

What's to stop someone saying they are hetrosexual?
"you are listed as being hetrosexual, yet here you are arse deep in a freshman"

edit:
read the link, first post was more off the cuff incase the information was used maliciously against someone etc.
Seems Iowa (on paper) is pro LGBT or just down right plain pro equality in general, but sometimes these questions and more go in the "What's that got to do with you?" column, if these questions are asked AFTER the applicant is sucessful and is attending the Univerity, then no harm, if it is asked IN the initial application form, then well it could be seen as screening.

I note that they add Transgender as an option on gender, I guess if they have dorms and legaly (and inwardly biolgicaly) someone is sex A but identifies as B and outwardly looks the part, it would be odd sticking a pre op m2f in a male dorm cos "he's a man" yet also it would be wrong to just stick her into the female dorm without some awareness and consideration for others, she mgiht be female save for any legal shenanigans, but if she's showering and he's still there, well some people might get offencive about that.

[gremcint]

http://www.fratching.com/showthread.php?t=7116

This is why it should not be asked.

[LewisLegion]

Ehn, it's voluntary, and from what I understand it's to receive info and mailers from college formed various LGBT clubs and get-togethers.

Could it be abused? Yeah, possibly. Just like putting your religion down could be abused, or your nationality/ethnicity...both of which are also voluntary.

[Greenday]

I honestly don't see what the problem is. God forbid someone wants to do something positive for the LGBTQ community. Maybe they just want to determine how much funding their LGBTQ club should get based on how big it is. Or maybe, as LewisLegion said, they just want to get information about the groups out to people who would be interested. It's a big transition from high school (Where being gay isn't accepted) to college (Where a lot more people don't care what your sexuality is). It's good to be able to reach students who have been there and done that.

Why must the fear mongering come out?

[daleduke17]

to voluntary declare their sexual orientation demographic.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...-know#comments

IF this is used for information gathering and welcoming and information discemination this might be a good thing.

BUT if the informtaion is used or hacked into and used for other less well intentioned things?????

It sounds like a great idea, but, I can see it going the route of the federal "voluntary identification" where LBGTQ (whatever other fucking letter they want to add now) and assign quotas for employment for "equality" (ie screw the straight white guy over).

[Rapscallion]

It sounds like a great idea, but, I can see it going the route of the federal "voluntary identification" where LBGTQ (whatever other fucking letter they want to add now) and assign quotas for employment for "equality" (ie screw the straight white guy over).

No bitterness there, surely?

Rapscallion

[Panacea]

Ehn, it's voluntary, and from what I understand it's to receive info and mailers from college formed various LGBT clubs and get-togethers.

Could it be abused? Yeah, possibly. Just like putting your religion down could be abused, or your nationality/ethnicity...both of which are also voluntary.

I disagree. People are not asked their religion. Ethnicity is asked for, but for the Feds, not for internal use.

People get hurt for being LGBT all the time. It's too risky. Just advertise the support groups and let the kids decide if they want to come out of the closet or not that way.

[LewisLegion]

Yes, but if you do that, you have no idea of what budget to set aside because you have no idea the possible numbers you might be dealing with. And I have seen plenty of applications that did ask for religious affiliation on a purely volunteer basis...usually for campuses that also have clubs for said religions- organized bible studies, stuff like that.

Yes, people do get hurt for being LGBT all the time, and that needs to change. Having clubs and diversity meetings and awareness groups and support groups is part of the answer to that, but again...you are working on a budget and need to know roughly the amount of interest/percentage of population you're looking at to provide those properly.

I, for one, would voluntarily put my information down on the application. Others who are LGBT may voluntarily decide not too. As long as it's not a mandatory thing I don't see the issue. It's up to the person putting their info down to decide if THEY believe it's too risky or if the risk is one they think is worth taking. It's not for someone else to decide.