Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0)

 

We are all born equal and free. What a catchy slogan that is. However, our objectivity is often being blinded by various factors, namely religious preaching, traditional belief and social norm. Living in a heteronormative world, the rights of sexual minority (LGBTQ: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) invariably fall to deaf ears.

 

Homosexuality used to be classified as a form of mental disorder before 1980s. Studies have proven that homosexuality itself is not a disease but there is a correlation between homosexuality and mental problems. Research found that when compared to heterosexual counterparts, gays and lesbians encounter more mental health problems such as substance use disorders, affective disorders and suicide ideation(Cochran, 2001; Gilman et al., 2001, herrell et al., 1999; Sandfort, de Graaf, Bijl, & Schnabel, 2001). Even though homosexuality is no longer deemed as an illness but its stigma continues to linger. The mental problem faced by LGBT people can be explained by minority stress (Meyer 1995). The paucity of a sense of harmony is the source of minority stress. LGBT people are currently facing various forms of stigma, prejudice and discrimination from school, workplace and different social settings. Many suffered from bullying in school, lost of job opportunities and are often being condemned. This puts them under gigantic amount of stress, eventually leads to higher risk of having mental health problems.

 

LGBT people who come out openly may face various kinds of discrimination and prejudice. However, people who opt to stay in the closet still cannot escape from higher risk of mental problem. Hiding sexual orientation is another source of stress. Feedback form others that is incompatible with one’s self-identity can cause distress (Burke, 1991). The failure to meet expectation from others can be stressful to an individual. Take a closeted gay man as an example, he appears to be a heterosexual male. The society expects him to form a family with a female and have children of their own. But underneath his disguise, as a gay man, he eventually will find it arduous to meet all these expectations a society has him. With feedbacks from others continues to differ from his self-identity, the amount of stress he endures continues to escalate. Mental problem like depression and anxiety are often resulted (Burke, 1996).

 

The above illustrated why LGBT individuals are more prone to mental problems, despite whether they are closeted or not. It is absurd to judge a person simply by his or her sexual orientation, not to mention the repercussions discrimination have on LGBTQ people. It is time to call a halt to all the discrimination, prejudice and stigma on sexual minority. “Whatever God you believe in, we come from the same one, stripe away the fear, underneath it’s all the same love.” The fact that they are different does not make they immoral or abnormal. With a little more empathy and understanding, discrimination and prejudice will vanish without a trace. Without stress triggered by discrimination, prejudice and stigma, social well-being both LGBTQ group and general public can be enhanced. 

 

 

 

References

Burke, P. J. (1991). Identity processes and social stress. American Sociological Review, 56, 836–849.

 

Burke, P. J. (1996). Social identities and psychosocial stress. Psychosocial stress: Perspectives on structure, theory, life

          course, and methods, 141-174.

 

Cochran, S. D. (2001). Emerging issues in research on lesbians’ and gay men’s mental health: Does sexual orientation really

          matter? American Psychologist, 56, 931–947.

 

Gilman, S. E., Cochran, S. D., Mays, V. M., Hughes, M., Ostrow, D., & Kessler, R. C. (2001). Risks of psychiatric disorders

          among individuals reporting same-sex sexual partners in the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Public

          Health, 91, 933–939.

 

Herrell, R., Goldberg, J., True, W. R., Ramakrishnam, V., Lyons, M., Eisen, S., & Tsuang, M. T. (1999). Sexual orientation

          and suicidality: A co-twin control study in adult men. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 867– 874

 

Sandfort, T. G., de Graaf, R., Bijl, R. V., & Schnabel, P. (2001). Same-sex sexual behavior and psychiatric disorders: Findings

          from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58, 85–91.

 

Meyer, I. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of health and social behavior, 36(1), 38-56.