Left-handedness and the cycle of acceptance
Most of us know at least one person who is left-handed. We may have even purchased them specific gifts, like left-handed scissors or a left-handed can opener. And outside of their unusual dominant hand, most would agree that these lefties are normal, everyday people. In our society today, it’s hard to imagine left-handed folks being punished or ostracized for how they write or swing a golf club. But if we look at history, we’ll know their open acceptance wasn’t always the case.
If you take the time to read through history, there is no shortage of left-handed folks having a bad rep. The English word “sinister” actually comes from the Latin word meaning “on the left side.” The Bible verse Matthew 25:41 reads, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” In some cultures, the left hand is associated with uncleanliness, as it was used for personal hygiene. With all this in mind, it’s understandable why being left-handed was unfavorable in our country for so long.
When talking to older American lefties, it’s not unusual to hear stories about being beaten in school for writing with their left hand or having their left arm tied down to their desk. These practices were especially prominent in religious schools, which saw left-handedness as a sign of the Devil. It was not acceptable to be left-handed, despite a person’s dominant hand not being something they actively choose.
While research is still ongoing, it’s largely agreed upon that left-handedness is not a result of environmental factors or personal choice, but rather something that is decided during fetal development. As recently as this year, scientists have discovered variants in a gene involved in cell shaping responsible for making folks 2.7 times more likely to be left-handed. As someone who often tried to write with her left hand growing up (just because I thought it was cool), I have my own personal experience to fall back on that indicates I can’t simply choose which hand is my dominant one. To young Bri’s disappointment, I’m right-handed, and that’s who I am.
Thankfully, in the early 1900s, things in the US slowly started to change, and the acceptance of left-handed individuals grew. We began to drop ideas that left-handed folks were clumsy or less skilled or cursed; they simply had a different dominant hand, and that was the end of the story. While there are instances as recently as 2015 of children being punished for writing with their left hand, it’s largely accepted as a normal variant of being a human being.
Over time, as acceptance grew around left-handedness, an interesting thing happened: the percentage of folks who identified as left-handed eventually leveled out around 1960. (You can see this in the graph at the top of the article.) From this point in history until today, roughly 10% of folks in the US are left-handed, and that number doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. More people didn’t suddenly become left-handed; we just stopped forcing people to pretend they were right-handed. As acceptance became widespread, the number of lefties grew rapidly before finding its new normal.
This phenomenon we’ve seen with left-handedness can be applied to other aspects of being human. As acceptance on certain topics grows and we no longer force people to fit into unhelpful boxes, the number of people who don’t fit into those old boxes will grow until a new normal is established. We can observe a similar finding with adults that identify as LGBTQ+.
As LGBTQ+ acceptance grows in the US, the amount of individuals who identify as a part of this group nearly doubles with each generation. Recent data shows over 1 in 5 Gen Z adults identifies as a part of the LGTBQ+ community (and even more recent data shows that could be even higher). This is no surprise, as the majority of Americans (71%) are supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, a nearly 20 point jump from a decade before. Even amongst Christians, the majority believe homosexuality should be accepted by society. As it always has, the world is changing. Though LGBTQ+ youth are still more than four times as likely as their peers to commit suicide, things are overall getting better. And, just like with left-handedness, we know that being gay is something humans are born with, too; it’s a normal variant of being a human being. The number of folks who identify as LGBTQ+ will continue to grow until, just like left-handedness, the new normal is set.
As humans, we will continue to evolve, and the issues of the future will mirror the issues of the past. Our current understanding of gender, for example, is a hot topic in our country today that is plagued with misinformation, fear, and confusion. When speaking on this topic, I can’t help but think about left-handedness.
In our country, we have a history of believing dumb things, realizing we’re wrong, and fighting to makes things better. We all eventually agreed that slavery was wrong. (Though it took a war and a lot of pain to come to that conclusion.) We agreed that Black people deserved to share the same spaces as white people, from schools to bar counters to bus seats. (And the impact from these past decisions is still seen and felt all too often in our country today; the work is far from over.) We decided that women could have bank accounts, vote, and lead companies. (And, again, we’re still course-correcting here.) So, for Pride Month 2024, I’m writing this piece in hope that we continue to make progress with shaping our country into a place for all types of people to find freedom and acceptance. May all people, from lefties to LGBTQ+ folks, feel safe to show up as their authentic selves; you will always be accepted and loved by me.
