Social Work with Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People

In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the DSM-III hence no longer considered a disease (Berg-Kelly, 2003), but many theories exist trying to explain its cause. One relevant to Samantha’s background was related to child abuse, as researchers have explored its correlation to homosexual orientation. One study (Balsam, Rothblum & Beauchaine, 2005) found that LGB identities reported more childhood sexual abuse than heterosexuals. They admit uncertainty of which factors correlates childhood sexual abuse with homosexual orientation, and they speak of public and political concern to determine causation. Would the world feel more comfortable with homosexuality if they knew what caused it?

Child abuse, like the one Samantha experienced and as discovered in other girls she met, is an important and common factor for many homosexuals, but it is not yet confirmed a cause of homosexuality. Although if proven, it might elicit acceptance and understanding, it will not erase the stigma, the same way becoming disabled from a car accident still implies being disabled and becoming part of a minority group.

K Berg (2003) comments that adopting a marginalizing same-sex orientation is not easy for adolescents. This implies various pathways in the process of “coming out”, as various theories try to explain its phases. The homosexual identity development model (Lesser & Pope, 2010), helps describe the stages Samantha went through: Sensitization, or feeling different when she began to consider herself a-sexual like some plants; Self-recognition, or identity confusion with her “uncomfortable captivation” with Angelina-Jolie; Identity Assumption occurred when she acknowledged her lesbianism during a writing exercise in school; and finally Commitment a...

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...troversies. Sage.

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