I see, but do I perceive?

Discrimination met with fatherly support can reduce heart attack risk in LGBT youth, says study

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/support-fathers-mitigate-heart-disease-risks-lgbt-youth/story?id=65997435&cid=clicksource_4380645_null_headlines_hed

Dr. Danielle Weitzer reports on the impact of fatherly support on LGBT health. The story is about new research from New York University. Discrimination faced by LGBT young people can lead to higher risks of a heart attack, while fatherly support can remedy that risk. Dr. Stephanie Cook, senior author of the study and assistant professor of biostatics and social behavioral sciences at New York University, says support from fathers in the lives of LGBT people should be more focused on. The research studied CRP, which can be measured in the blood to find out heart risks, while observing discrimination and support. Connections were found between discrimination and inflammation. Support from the father buffered the effects while maternal support did not.

The story is strangely ordered. The article begins with quotes by one of the researchers from New York University, before moving into background, then moving into more quotes about the importance again. The quotes by the researcher are split by the background. It seems like it would have made more sense to start with the background then move into the quotes all in the same section. The article uses the term “sexual minorities” to describe people who fall under the LGBT umbrella and it makes my skin crawl. The term feels like the word “homosexual,” which has a connotation of abnormality as that is how it was referred when it was considered a mental illness. Weitzer uses LGBT youths in the title, so she had another option. The usage of “sexual minorities” makes the article feel like it is not for anyone who is LGBT.

1 Comment

  1. fuglsang

    You may be right about the order of info, Calissa, but there may be an easy explanation: Science.

    When the article gets into the specifics of the study, the science is going to put off a lot of readers. By beginning with some quotes and context, a reader may be encouraged to stick around.

    I don’t think I have run across the term sexual minorities before. You have a point.

© 2024 Calissa Writes

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑