Homosexual Stigma

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Recommended: Essays on stigma

Homophobia is a terrible form of bullying and it is one of the largest issues in secondary schools today. The perceived opinions and concepts that come out of this type of harassment causes young adolescents who are part of the LGBTQ community or ones that remains closeted to fall into a stigma that can be extremely harmful. By falling into this stigma it opens the youth up to whole world of harassment, ridicule, physical altercations and numerous other acts that can ultimately diminish a person to nothing; which, in some cases can end unfortunately. One of the major questions you should ask is if we live in such a progressive society, why are youth in schools today stigmatized because of their sexuality? And where does this stigma come from? The reading suggest that there are many ways to put an end to this stigma but some only work in certain situations why others seem good in theory but fail in practice. This is means that we as a community have to come together as one to stop the spread of homophobia at first sight so that is does not escalate.

What is a stigma?

To determine how these youth become stigmatized we must first be able to describe what a stigma its and how it attaches to a person and where it might come from. The concept of stigma is derived from Greek origin where an individual was marked by a tattoo, cut/ burn on the skin which served as an identifier for criminals’ slave’s traitors. These people were marked with these blemished so that the public could see them as morally polluted persons. Since this time the word has been modified to something that is more relatable to today’s society. Thus stigma is now referred to as severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultu...

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...iences of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Individuals." Journal of LGBT Youth 5.1 (March 2008): 1-10. Print.

Herek, Gregory M., J. Roy Gillis, and Jeanine C. Cogan. "Internalized Stigma among Sexual Minority Adults: Insights from a Social Psychological Perspective." Journal of Counseling Psychology 56.1 (2009): 32-43. Print.

Horn, Stacey S., and Katherine E. Romeo. "Peer Contexts for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students: Reducing Stigma, Prejudice, and Discrimination." Prevention Researcher 17.4 (2010): 7-10. Print.

Payne, Elizabethe, and Melissa Smith. "Reduction of Stigma in Schools: An Evaluation of the First Three Years." Issues in Teacher Education 19.2 (2010): 11-36. Print.

Wright, Eric, and Brea Perry. "Sexual Identity Distress, Social Support, and the Health of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth." Journal of Homosexuality 51.1 (2006): 81-110. Print.

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