This has been a landmark year for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBT Q) community. Changes are happening all over the world in regards to this community. Some changes are good, some changes are bad. We see Germany, France and Spain making changes to embrace the LGBTQ community. Slowly, positive changes are occurring in the United States. This summer, we witnessed the passing of the marriage equality act that was upheld by the Supreme Court. But, as with most civil rights advancements in the past, there is a terrifying backlash effect that has created a spike in violence towards the LGBTQ community. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released statistics for 2013 which reported 21% of all hate crimes were associated …show more content…
with sexual orientation and 61% of those crimes were reported as being committed against gay males ("Hate Crime Statistics," 2014). As of August 2015, twenty transgendered individuals had been murdered (Rivas, 2015). What are nurses doing about this? While some articles claim that there is an increased interest in nursing research, are these articles really addressing the inequities that the gender and sexual minority (GSM) community faces? While the plight of the LGBTQ individual has become more notable in recent years, nursing research still has a long way to go in developing actual interventions. Nursing researchers need to stop merely identifying the problems of the LGBTQ community through statistical analysis and begin creating real interventions that address the alarming trend of healthcare professionals ignoring health inequities and mental health issues within this population. Many GSM individuals forego healthcare due to nurses and healthcare professionals who do not know how to address them properly or help them feel at ease during a healthcare appointment.
Williams & Chapman (2011) discuss the perception of GSMs that causes barriers to healthcare services (p. 197). Those perceptions of shaming and judgement by the heath care professional (HCP) leads the GSM individual to a feeling of being marginalized and ultimately discriminated against. Carney (2014) spells this out perfectly by discussing how many of our healthcare professionals are trained with a heterosexist model (Carney, 2014). This creates a culture of heterosexism that “ignores sexual orientation as a factor in care provision” (Carney, 2014, p. 4). These assumptions lead to ignorance which intensifies the problems GSMs experience within the system. While it is acknowledged that the GSM community is underrepresented in healthcare models, there is even less information supporting children and adolescents as they discover their own sexual identities and the mental stress connected with that discovery.
Being gay is no longer considered a mental illness (it was removed from the DSM in 1986). Unfortunately, the stress of being raised in a “heterosexist society” (McAndrew & Warne, 2012, p. 348) and has a lasting impact on the mental health of GSM individuals. Research concerning the LGBTQ community is typically conducted with adults from retrospective interviews of their childhood memories.
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While this method is important and provides valuable and easily obtained information, Fisher & Mustanski (2014) point out that the interventions designed using adult data may not be as effective in the adolescent population. The difficulty in generalizing adult statistics to an adolescent population is multivariate. The developing brain of children and adolescents is not equipped with the maturity to understand the feelings they are having towards same sex peers or even the feelings they have towards their own bodies. Many report a feeling of being different from their peers (McAndrew & Warne, 2012). Numerous individuals report a feeling of not fitting in with their peers. McAndrew & Warne (2012) explain a feeling of “knowing and not knowing” (p. 350) based on a concept by Bion (Bion, 1961) where the individual experiences an emotional awakening that stimulates ideas before they can be understood by the individual. In essence, adults report knowing they were different at a very young age but not knowing what that meant or that it meant they were gay. All of this adds up to a horrible mix that ultimately has a negative impact on the GSM youth. Heterosexual parents may not be equipped to parent a child who has gender dysphoria or is attracted to the same gender. Without “positive mirroring” (McAndrew & Warne, 2012, p. 348) from these parents, the child/youth often experiences at the very least anxiety and at worse increased mental health issues leading to self-harm or suicide. When examining the literature regarding GSM youth and mental health, one finds numerous articles calling the nursing profession to action but few real interventions leading to positive change.
The literature review by Eliason, Dibble, & DeJoseph (2010) notes that several of the articles that focused solely on GSM issues (with LGBT in the title) were not from United States researchers but from other countries who are leading the way in regards to acceptance of gender differences. Additionally, limitations from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) regarding the legality and ethics of research utilizing minors has caused further issues with obtaining much needed data regarding the GSM community (Fisher & Mustanski, 2014). Citing the Belmont principle of justice, Fisher & Mustanski (2014) remind the nursing community that “all populations have the opportunity to share in the equitable distribution of research risks and potential
benefits.” Nurses make differences in peoples lives by making change were it is needed. Our own heroine in nursing, Florence Nightingale, threw open the curtains and brought light and fresh air to the wounded. In the 21st century, we see nurses stepping into medical crises such as SARS and HIV while other healthcare providers shy away from the danger (Darbyshire, 2011). The Ebola crisis united nurses across the world as they fought to make policy changes that stopped the possible spread of the deadly disease within our own Texas borders. We have so much potential to make positive changes. But, we are still slow to respond to the LGBTQ community and their needs. Let’s stop the endless chronicling of dire statistics about GSMs and instead create and embrace the changes that could have lasting health and quality of life impacts on this population. The baby steps aren’t moving us forward. Nurses need to stand up for change. Research is helpful in identifying the problem but now we need to act on that information and make changes.
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
Nursing theory is one of the first topics taught in nursing school. Nursing theory gives the nurse a base for identifying with their patients, organizing and analyzing information collected, to assist their patient. Many patient populations present with specific issues and concerns; nursing theory aids the nurse in seeing their patients as individuals and helps to tailor care as such. Across the lifespan, people’s needs with respect to health care are constantly changing and for the members of the transgender community this is especially true (McCann & Sharek, 2015). Studies indicate that services available to the transgender community are limited at best; and for the services that are available, healthcare professionals are undereducated and at times insensitive to the needs of this population (McCann & Sharek, 2015). By examining Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relationships, this paper will explore how using this theory will help the nursing professional provide quality care to members of the transgender community.
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.
This study explores the lives of sexual minority individuals who have endured childhood physical abuse, and the long term psychological effects in which it creates. This study in particular sampled members who were solely apart of the LGBT community - 112 adult lesbians and 115 gay men to be exact. Childhood physical abuse is well-known to be detrimental as it is closely related to psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Even worse, it is known to arise high risk behaviors such as suicide thoughts, and substance abuse. Furthermore, it is crucial to understand internalized homophobia and experiential avoidance as it too plays a huge role in the current psychological well being of theses individuals. Internalized homophobia, negative societal attitudes towards homosexuality, is known to bridge the gap for gay men and their current symptoms. In contrast, for the sample community of lesbians, experiential avoidance was the mediator for their current
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...
For many generations, especially in North America, homosexuality was not accepted in any way, shape, or form. Many believed that it was a medical illness that was curable, when in reality, people were, and still are, ignorant and could not come to terms that everyone in this world is different from one another. For many instances of being treated unjust, many individuals in the gay community did not want to “expose” themselves and remained in the “closet”. As means to make gays and lesbians proud and take a stand for who they are, a movement spread across internationally. This movement is known as “The Gay Liberation” movement which occurred between the late 1960s and the early to mid 1970s (“Gay Liberation”). The Gay Liberation movement urged individuals of the gay community to “come out,” revealing their sexuality to their loved ones as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride (“Gay Liberation”). The Stonewall Riots are believed to have been the spark that ignited the rise of the Gay Liberation movement; it influenced the way the gay community is viewed socially and how their rights are politically present day.
Though many consider homosexuality a mental illness, different studies have proven that it is a bi...
...were mentally ill or psychotic. Frank Kameny, a leader of the gay rights movement, perpetuated the idea that “Homosexuality is not a sickness…but is merely a preference, an orientation, or propensity, on par with, and not different in kind from, heterosexuality.” (Sherry Wolf, Sexuality and Socialism) Some schools even went as far as to create public safe spaces for gay students such as Columbia University’s Student Homophile League. Now, people are well aware of the presence of the LGBTQ community, and members are even trying to educate people who seem ignorant or bigoted. Many people currently dedicate a good portion of their lives to learning and teaching people about the gay rights movement and how it functions today. The community has evolved to include transgender, asexual, pansexual, and non binary people as well as a multitude of other labels and identities.
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...
Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go; which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression; not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens.
Talbott, J. (2006). Rates and Predictors of Mental Illness in Gay Men, Lesbians and Bisexual Men and Women: Results From a Survey Based in England and Wales. Yearbook of Psychiatry and Applied Mental Health, 2006, 158. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0084-3970(08)70152-X
“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).
The LGBT community actively getting involved in media can be traced back to the 1970s (). Back then, a group of lesbian writers and activists initiated a gay liberation movement that represented both lesbians and gay men. However, other lesbian activists felt that the movement needed to be focused more on lesbians because they felt that gay men had their own agenda. So the lesbian community decided to create their own identity by immersing themselves in their own culture. This culture included good, creative writing, art and music (). They even created their own news periodical, called Lesbian Connection, which “in the early 1970s in East Lansing, Michigan, this periodical had a circulation of five to ten thousand copies bimonthly, making it the lesbian periodical with perhaps the largest number of readers of its time” (). Basically, because they were not being fairly represented by the media itself, they decided to make their own media “by lesbians, for lesbians” (). The funding for their media projects was tough though; whether they were asking for small or large amounts money, they always had a hard time raising it. If they were asking for or making too much money, then they were seen as exploiters for the cause rather than supporters. On the contrary, when they asked for small amounts of money to finance their products, it still “see med bound up with a rejection of a view of creativity that emphasized skill and technical competence as well as the professional artist 's mystique and exclusivity” ().
Although the LGBT community is accepting of all types of people, many people in the world today still disagree with LGBT beliefs. According to Catherine Latterell, the author of Remix, Assumption 1 is that communities provide stability. It is evident that the LGBT community undoubtedly supports this statement. Organizations like the Trevor Project and GLAAD work to “amplify the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories.”
In sociology, the LGBT community is viewed as a subculture to the dominant world culture. The community is generally accepted by the dominant culture and although the group has some of its own beliefs and rituals/traditions, it still adheres to the fundamental beliefs and cultural expectations of the dominant culture. Before being considered a subculture, homosexual relationships and variations of sexual orientation were classified as devian behaviort. Even before that, someone who experienced homosexual thoughts or tendencies was labeled as mentally ill. The idea of homosexuality being a mental illness appeared in the DSM until 1987. There are still remnants of homophobia today but the consensus (at