Comments on: http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:41:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Heather Corinna http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204269 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:32:57 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204269 Thanks for yours! You're right. While I can't fix that on this study at this point, I will on the follow-up. Certainly, it may mean way more time with data-collection (and also a lot of people who will have fit in one section, but don't count themselves there: we got that a LOT w/people who clearly had had casual sex but checked in the main Q that they didn't), but it's worth it in my book. Thanks for yours!

You’re right. While I can’t fix that on this study at this point, I will on the follow-up.

Certainly, it may mean way more time with data-collection (and also a lot of people who will have fit in one section, but don’t count themselves there: we got that a LOT w/people who clearly had had casual sex but checked in the main Q that they didn’t), but it’s worth it in my book.

]]> by: Cas http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204267 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:26:53 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204267 What I mean about multiple choice being a poor medium is that the language of the kyriarchy is poorly designed to describe the variety of experience of marginalised people; when answers are restrained and can only be expressed in that language it's going to be pretty much impossible to avoid that kind of mistake. Hell, I know that I couldn't possibly write something on which every respondant could even make it to question 9. :P So I don't think I'd characterise the mismatch as stupid - more, inevitable! I think it's essential to have a minimum provision of "other" on every question where there could possibly be this kind of collision between kyriarchal language / diverse experience, to allow dialogue to take the place of picking and chosing our places in the heirarchy. :) Thank you for the response! What I mean about multiple choice being a poor medium is that the language of the kyriarchy is poorly designed to describe the variety of experience of marginalised people; when answers are restrained and can only be expressed in that language it’s going to be pretty much impossible to avoid that kind of mistake. Hell, I know that I couldn’t possibly write something on which every respondant could even make it to question 9. :P

So I don’t think I’d characterise the mismatch as stupid - more, inevitable! I think it’s essential to have a minimum provision of “other” on every question where there could possibly be this kind of collision between kyriarchal language / diverse experience, to allow dialogue to take the place of picking and chosing our places in the heirarchy. :)

Thank you for the response!

]]> by: Heather Corinna http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204266 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:18:53 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204266 Actually, on that one, I think the error was more mine than just about multiple-choice. It only struck me well after starting the survey that "different" is SO much better than opposite. I think we could still have it be multiple choice if I changed the language to same or similar, and opposite or different. So sorry for my (stupid, really) oversight. I feel particularly idiotic about it because those language constructions would fit my own sexual history better, too. Actually, on that one, I think the error was more mine than just about multiple-choice. It only struck me well after starting the survey that “different” is SO much better than opposite.

I think we could still have it be multiple choice if I changed the language to same or similar, and opposite or different. So sorry for my (stupid, really) oversight. I feel particularly idiotic about it because those language constructions would fit my own sexual history better, too.

]]> by: Cas http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204265 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:14:59 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204265 I got as far as question 9 before I was unable to answer. 9. Have your sexual partners been: - Exclusively same-sex/same-gender - More or mostly same-sex/same-gender - More or mostly opposite-sex/opposite-gender - Exclusively opposite-sex/opposite-gender - A pretty equal mix/variety of sexes/genders I am genderqueer and there is no gender opposite to mine. However, most of my partners have not been genderqueer. So none of the options apply to me. I don't think there's a way that you can create a questionnaire within a multiple-choice format which doesn't run into this kind of problem, so I'm not objecting specifically on this point, but more generally to the use of multiple choice questionnaires on sexuality. I understand the advantages that they bring (easily collating data, lower barrier to clicking-through and completing) but simply by their structure they will erase those of us who live in the gaps. I notice that the "religion" question had an "other" option. Perhaps this would be appropriate for every question, as well as a blurb which explains your objectives for the questionnaire and urges those completing it to only tick "other" if it's either essential to their self-definition for a particular question, or if any other answer would align poorly to your research goals. I got as far as question 9 before I was unable to answer.

9. Have your sexual partners been:
- Exclusively same-sex/same-gender
- More or mostly same-sex/same-gender
- More or mostly opposite-sex/opposite-gender
- Exclusively opposite-sex/opposite-gender
- A pretty equal mix/variety of sexes/genders

I am genderqueer and there is no gender opposite to mine. However, most of my partners have not been genderqueer. So none of the options apply to me.

I don’t think there’s a way that you can create a questionnaire within a multiple-choice format which doesn’t run into this kind of problem, so I’m not objecting specifically on this point, but more generally to the use of multiple choice questionnaires on sexuality.

I understand the advantages that they bring (easily collating data, lower barrier to clicking-through and completing) but simply by their structure they will erase those of us who live in the gaps.

I notice that the “religion” question had an “other” option. Perhaps this would be appropriate for every question, as well as a blurb which explains your objectives for the questionnaire and urges those completing it to only tick “other” if it’s either essential to their self-definition for a particular question, or if any other answer would align poorly to your research goals.

]]> by: tg http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204074 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:19:46 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-204074 I had a little trouble with the "are you out?" question as the options were yes, no, NA, which seemed a bit drastic. I picked no, but I am out to some friends and certainly all sex partners. I had a little trouble with the “are you out?” question as the options were yes, no, NA, which seemed a bit drastic. I picked no, but I am out to some friends and certainly all sex partners.

]]> by: Tsunami http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203911 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:54:00 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203911 Yep, I know what you mean re safer sex, but does that mean you want everyone who falls short of that standard to answer as if they don't do anything at all? Seems like you're collapsing a large spectrum of behavior there, even if you view everything along that spectrum as equivalent in the (lack of) protection it provides. If so, that's fine, but you might want to make that clearer for the people who are trying to figure out how to answer. Yep, I know what you mean re safer sex, but does that mean you want everyone who falls short of that standard to answer as if they don’t do anything at all? Seems like you’re collapsing a large spectrum of behavior there, even if you view everything along that spectrum as equivalent in the (lack of) protection it provides. If so, that’s fine, but you might want to make that clearer for the people who are trying to figure out how to answer.

]]> by: Heather Corinna http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203876 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:19:03 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203876 Thanks for those comments. I agree, the one about drugs and alcohol is tough in that regard. I wasn't thinking of it as necessarily binge or phasal activity. Rather, what I was looking for was information to make clear that drug/booze with sex is not something that only belongs to teens and high school students. But given the troubles with construction, I have been thinking about dumping that question there and putting something different about it in the follow-up survey. I don't know why "none of the above" in that one Q isn't working for you: I have some people who chose that answer recorded, so I don't think it's an issue with the study. :( The thing with the safer sex one is that from a sexual health standpoint, only using barriers but not getting any testing just isn't practicing safer sex. Sure, it's one part of it, but we frame safer sex as a group of things, not just one. So, I hear you, but at the same time, we know that it's the group, not single parts of it, that actually work to help prevent and decrease STI transmission. Know what I mean? Thanks for those comments.

I agree, the one about drugs and alcohol is tough in that regard. I wasn’t thinking of it as necessarily binge or phasal activity. Rather, what I was looking for was information to make clear that drug/booze with sex is not something that only belongs to teens and high school students. But given the troubles with construction, I have been thinking about dumping that question there and putting something different about it in the follow-up survey.

I don’t know why “none of the above” in that one Q isn’t working for you: I have some people who chose that answer recorded, so I don’t think it’s an issue with the study. :(

The thing with the safer sex one is that from a sexual health standpoint, only using barriers but not getting any testing just isn’t practicing safer sex. Sure, it’s one part of it, but we frame safer sex as a group of things, not just one. So, I hear you, but at the same time, we know that it’s the group, not single parts of it, that actually work to help prevent and decrease STI transmission. Know what I mean?

]]> by: Tsunami http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203871 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:02:24 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203871 Oh, another one: about alcohol and sex (or drugs and sex), picking a particular age range in which I had most combined alcohol and sex did not make sense to me. It seemed to imply a sort of binge activity that one would grow out of, rather than the "adults drink wine while watching a film and then maybe go to bed" experience of most of my adult life. Oh, another one: about alcohol and sex (or drugs and sex), picking a particular age range in which I had most combined alcohol and sex did not make sense to me. It seemed to imply a sort of binge activity that one would grow out of, rather than the “adults drink wine while watching a film and then maybe go to bed” experience of most of my adult life.

]]> by: Tsunami http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203865 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:57:16 +0000 http://www.femmerotic.com/journal/2010/03/05/lingo-on-the-margins/#comment-203865 Here's a few things I'm having trouble with in the survey: 1) your definition of safer sex is a demanding one, and the options for answering are binary, so if I practiced somewhat safer sex (condoms, but no regular STD testing, say), it's not clear how to answer. 2) On 44, you ask what scares me about casual sex, but won't accept "none of the above" as an answer -- this is making me bail on the survey at this point, as I don't want to pick something untrue in order to move forward. Overall I find my interpretation of "casual sex" is shifting a fair amount as I go through the survey, so I don't necessarily mean the same thing by it on the first few pages as I do halfway through. Here’s a few things I’m having trouble with in the survey:
1) your definition of safer sex is a demanding one, and the options for answering are binary, so if I practiced somewhat safer sex (condoms, but no regular STD testing, say), it’s not clear how to answer.
2) On 44, you ask what scares me about casual sex, but won’t accept “none of the above” as an answer — this is making me bail on the survey at this point, as I don’t want to pick something untrue in order to move forward.

Overall I find my interpretation of “casual sex” is shifting a fair amount as I go through the survey, so I don’t necessarily mean the same thing by it on the first few pages as I do halfway through.

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