Being gay or lesbian is often times automatically deemed as being a negative thing. From the thought process that the person is “different” and a minority, to being looked down upon by both society,peers, and family, being gay is not primarily connected to positive traits. Being same sex oriented does however give these people a unique life experience and perspective. Being a minority automatically gives them their own unique set of characteristics and cultural norms, some of which may be positive. Having an increase in resilience, a healthy body image,creating families of choice, freedom from gender-specific roles, exploring sexuality and enjoying egalitarian relationships are the many examples of some of the overlooked benefits that come with identifying as same sex oriented. It is of value to explore these psychological and social strengths. Looking at the positive aspects that can come from being openly gay or lesbian may help change the negative stigmas that some members of society may uphold. The journal article Resilience in Older Gay Men and Lesbians by Susan Hrostowski , discusses the notion that older gay men and lesbian women show high resilience even though throughout their lives they are in a position where they tend to be victimized more often. Being gay or lesbian puts these people at a higher risk for depression and suicide. Being that all these negative factors are being put into play against these folks, it is important to see just how they gain the positive trait of reliance. Diversity and its correlation with adaptation is how Hrostowski describes reliance and further elaborates to state that it is a development of certain strengths and abilities that would not have been nurtured had it not been for the op... ... middle of paper ... ...nd often unthought question of, what are the positive aspects of being gay or lesbian? References Works Cited Hrostowski, S. (2006). Resilience in Older Gay Men and Lesbians. n.p.: ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing. Kurdek, L. (2005). What do we know about gay and lesbian couples?. Current Directions in Psychological Science,14(5), 251-254.. Lippa, R. (2007). The relation between sex drive and sexual attraction to men and women: A cross-national study of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men and women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(2), 209-222. Patterson, C. (2000). Family relationships of lesbians and gay men.Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1052-1069. Peplau, L. , Frederick, D. , Yee, C. , Maisel, N. , Lever, J. , et al. (2009). Body image satisfaction in heterosexual, gay, and lesbian adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(5), 713-725.
Moses, E. A. & Hawkins, R. O. (1982). Counselling Lesbian Women and Gay Men: A Life Issues Approach. St Louis: Mosby.
Tori, DeAngelis. "New data on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Mental Health." www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/newdata.aspx . N.p., 12 february 2002. Web. 9 Apr 2014.
The gay rights movement has made great progress in the United States, compared to generations ago, with the legalization of marriage in some states, and also the gaining of certain equal rights. Many people today accept homosexuals within society, and society in general is more...
HIV/AIDS is a major risk factor affecting a large portion of the LGBT community, especially gay men. CDC.gov (2013) found that gay and bisexual men of all races continue to be at high risk for developing HIV. According to Krehely (2009) the drug and substance abuse risk factor, as well as mental health issues in the LGBT community often occur and are related to high rates of stress due to the lack of family acceptance of the LGBT lifestyle, systematic discrimination, and the lack of cultural competency in the health care environment. Sexu...
In recent years, gay and lesbian parenting has been a discussion of huge debate across the nation. It’s a subject with such heated conversation like that of, politics. This has also been in the interest of many studies, about how it effects a child raised by that of a two males or two females. Among other debates that involve gay and lesbian couples such as, gay marriage or gay rights. These rights have often been taken for granted by many of Americans, but while gay and lesbians are denied most of these rights. The three biggest factors that are talk about in the parenting of children by gay and lesbian parents is that of; A child needs both a mother and a father to be properly raised, a family is a male, female, and children and last and one of the most talked about is the negative effects it has on the child as they grow up and face the world with two openly homosexual parents; a “mom” and “dad. While I believe that every gay and lesbian person should be able to raise a family, just as any other person; I do have a fear for the child’s well-being, simply because of the society we live in today and the crude criticism they may face.
It is very reasonable to conclude that research on depression of those who identify as gay, lesbian or transsexual is not accurate; there is an underreporting of people who identify as these sexual orientations because of the fear of being different. It is understood that those apart of the LGBTQ community actively hide their identity in hopes to avoid being rejected or abused (Bird, 2013). Once the reporting issue of having a smaller percentage of the actual representation of the LGBTQ population is put aside, there is evidence that highly suggests that lesbians and gay men are at higher risk for psychiatric disorders than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Even after underreporting, there is still enough information to conclude that sexual discrimination can have harmful effects on the quality of life. Common factors that have been observed in lesbians and gays that can potentially increase depression during Cochran's study are anxiety and mood disorders and decreased self esteem. Cochran and her partner also noted that dissatisfaction with how one is treated beca...
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Note: This paper has a very long Annotated Bibliography. In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms.
“The unprecedented growth of the gay community in recent history has transformed our culture and consciousness, creating radically new possibilities for people to ‘come out’ and live more openly as homosexuals”(Herdt 2). Before the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York, homosexuality was a taboo subject. Research concerning homosexuality emphasized the etiology, treatment, and psychological adjustment of homosexuals. Times have changed since 1969. Homosexuals have gained great attention in arts, entertainment, media, and politics. Yesterday’s research on homosexuality has expanded to include trying to understand the different experiences and situations of homosexuals (Ben-Ari 89-90).
Researchers have examined the factors stated above in heterosexual parenting homes. The impact of gay and lesbian couple’s outcomes of their parenting styles on the social acceptance levels involving children’s behavior will be examined and compared. “Lesbian and heterosexual women have not been found to differ markedly either in their overall mental ...
Smith-Osborne, A. (2007). Life Span and Resiliency Theory: A Critical Review. Advances in Social Work, 8(1), 152-168.
Thompson, Carolyn. "The Struggles, Experiences And Needs Of Children In LGBTQ Families." Diversity Factor 15.3 (2007): 36-42. 29 Jan. 2014.
Kamano, S. (1990). Cross-National Analysis of the Social Construction of Homosexuality and Gender. NWSA Journal, 2(4), 696-698.
Jacques Balthazart, in the book, Biology of Homosexuality, examines the historical and cultural context in which homosexuality is expressed and attempts to dissect homosexual behavior and cognition from a biological perspective. He explains that there are behaviors in human sexuality that exhibit greater diversity than the sexual behavior of other animals. This exertion may lead one to conclude that human sexuality, as a result of its biological and emotional components, is more complex than the sexuality of other species. (Balthazart, p.4)
Vrangalova, Z., & Savin-Williams, R. C. (2012). Mostly heterosexual and mostly gay/lesbian: Evidence for new sexual orientation identities. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 85-101. doi: 10.1007/s10505- 012-9921-y.