Rainbow Myths, Fact or Fiction? - A Dive Into Queer Population Studies

Are all gays and lesbians posh and wealthy? Are all gen-Z’ers bisexual? Do all queers move to the city? Do LGBTQI+ people want kids? Can debates on LGBTQI+ rights influence well-being? Can and should we label every gender and sexual identity? Questions like these may come up in bars with friends, at school or university, at the family dinner table … or when requesting a big bag of money from the European Research Council to investigate the unique aspects of the LGBTQI+-population.

At the Centre for Demographic Studies in Barcelona (CED) we are researching inequalities, experiences and representation of the LGBTQI+ population, across Europe and the rest of the world. Using statistics and large databases we seek to document queer narratives at a larger scale. Although numbers alone can’t tell the whole story, they help us disprove persistent stereotypes and to communicate the importance of LGBTQI+ issues to policy-makers.

During this interactive session we will present some of our findings, based on Norway and Europe. The audience is invited to test their knowledge and join in on conversations about the various myths, facts, fictions, stereotypes, setbacks or opportunities that can be encountered in queer day-to-day life or when researching queer topics from a population perspective.