Myths about lgbtq

Common myths about LGBT people

LGBT stands for lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual or transgender. There are a lot of myths and misinformation about LGBT people out there. If don’t know any LGBT people, you might find it hard to know what’s true and what isn’t. We’re here to separate the data from the fiction.

Myth: There is something wrong with being LGBT

Fact: There is absolutely nothing wrong with being LGBT. It is completely natural and normal. What’s more, being LGBT is something to be proud of and celebrated.

Myth: All lesbian women are masculine and all same-sex attracted men are feminine

Fact: There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of if you are a dude with traditionally feminine qualities, or a woman with traditionally masculine qualities. However, lesbians are not necessarily any more ‘masculine’ than straight women, and gay men are not necessarily any more ‘feminine’ than straight men. Most people have a range of both masculine and feminine characteristics, and LGBT people are no different.

Myth: Being LGBT is a choice

Fact: Being LGBT is not a decision. Nobody decides to be LGBT, just like nobody decides to be unbent or cisgender.

Myth: LGBT people are bad parents

Fact: All

Misconceptions and Myths About the LGBTQ+ Community

Myths about the Queer community can impact college students. Here’s the truth behind some of the misconceptions.

Dispelling myths and misconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community is necessary for equity.
When harmful myths are perpetuated, they build a stigma against LGBTQ+ people.
Some myths disproportionately impact Queer college students.
Allies should educate themselves on LGBTQ+ myths and speak out when harmful misconceptions are being used to discriminate against or erase LGBTQ+ individuals.

LGBTQ+ people are frequently misrepresented or stereotyped in American customs — so much so that this misrepresentation has influenced state and federal laws stripping Queer individuals of rights.

In the 2025 legislative session, there are close to 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills nationwide, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

College-age students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community hold felt the effects — from the closing of Diverse equity centers on campus as a result of DEI bans to the policing of where transgender students can use the bathroom.

Read on to understand more about ordinary mis

10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked

Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement some 40 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right possess been searching for ways to demonize gay people — or, at a minimum, to come across arguments that will prevent their normalization in society.

For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of queer men and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that sexual orientation is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that same-sex attracted men molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia.

These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they build the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an view rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contrib

Myth 1: Homosexuality is a choice.
Reality: Sexual orientation is caused by factors such as genetics and the biology of brain growth.
Parenting, peer pressure, and religious struggles are not causes of homosexuality or heterosexuality.
Homosexuality is no more a choice or choice than being straight. Asking a gay person, “When did you decide to be gay?” is similar to asking a heterosexual person, “When did you decide to be attracted to people of the opposite sex?”
Scientific data signal that sexual orientation (homosexuality or heterosexuality, i.e. queer or straight) is biologically based.¹ While there is more to learn, studies imply that what leads to a person being same-sex attracted or straight lies within our genetics (i.e. DNA), epigenetics (i.e. how factors affect our genes), and what occurs in the developing brain before birth.²
Myth 2: Homosexuality can be “cured.”
Reality: Therapy cannot adjust sexual orientation, and “reparative” therapy can be harmful.
Therapies that claim to transform lesbian, gay, and fluid persons into heterosexuals (e.g. “conversion” and “reparative” therapy) have been discredited. A task force within the American Psychological Associat

Debunking Common Myths About HIV
Read responses to myths that 'HIV is a gay disease' or a 'death sentence,' and find other important knowledge about getting tested.
Myths about who contracts HIV
MYTH: “HIV is a ‘gay’ or ‘LGBTQ+’ disease.”
REALITY: While rates of HIV are disproportionately higher among members of the LGBTQ+ community, HIV is by no means confined to LGBTQ+ people. Anyone—regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender statement or other factors—can obtain HIV. Calling HIV a “gay” or “LGBTQ+” disease is medically untrue and only serves to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about people living with HIV and members of the Homosexual community.
MYTH: “I am over 50! I don’t depend on to worry about HIV.”
REALITY: HIV transmission is about behavior; not how former you are. Moreover, according to the CDC, older Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV at a later stage of the disease.
MYTH: “I am in a monogamous relationship. I don’t have to worry about HIV.”
REALITY: It is still important to get tested for HIV even if you’re in a monogamous relationship. According to the latest estimates, 68 percent of new HIV transmissions among gay and