Internalized Transphobia

The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to

Regarding access to healthcare, transgender individuals often face the most obstructive barriers when attempting to receive care. Whether they are seeking access to hormones, therapy, general health services, reproductive healthcare, or specialty healthcare, transgender patients typically cannot get what they need without jumping through many hoops or hiding their identities. This occurs especially so in cases of intersecting identities -- where an individual is not just transgender, but is transgender and a person of color, disabled, gay, indigenous, undocumented, poor, etc. These intersecting identities interact in multifaceted ways to produce even more barriers for trans individuals seeking healthcare due to healthcare provider bias, insurance requirements, and doctors’ general unwillingness to help coupled with inaccessibility founded on racism, transphobia, homophobia, mental illness stigmatization, etc.

The transgender population often have complicated medical needs and encounter numerous health disparities including discrimination, lack of access to quality health care and social stigma. Some health disparities include various chronic diseases, cancers, as well as mental health issues (Vanderbilt University, 2017). Transgender individuals are at increased risk of HIV infection with their rates being reported “over four times the national average of HIV infection, with higher rates among transgender people of color (Grant, Mottet, Tanis, 2011).” In addition, they usually do not have health insurance (Makadon, 2017) and have a lower probability of preventative cancer screenings in transgender men (AMSA, 2017).

This is in direct correlation with the increased probability of mental illnesses in the transgender population. Traditional views certainly do not help as many transgender citizens are told they are “sick” because of their difference with many religious and personal beliefs. A study from Boston published earlier this year in the Journal of Adolescent Health, reported that transsexual youth had two to three times increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm without lethal intent, and both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. These statistics show the clear consequences of mental health transgenders are facing if transgender rights continues to be unregulated. It is essential that the federal government steps in to take action in order to make sure things do not continue on this downwards path.

Transgendered individuals are 25 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. They tend to be live in abject poverty often surviving n less than $10,00 per year household income compared to the rest of the population. They are more likely to face harassment and physical assault, with transgenders that are people of colour faring worse than all other races across the board. Many

The United States is a divided society. We like to categorize ourselves according to political affiliation, race, and religion. We are members of the middle, low-income, or wealthy classes. We choose what seats to sit in during a football game according to the team we are rooting for. It is oddly comforting to know that you belong. All too often, however, transgender youth are denied that sense of ubelonging because they defy society’s categories of male and female. The gender binary divides society into two separate, unequivocal categories that marginalizes transgender youth and directly impacts their emotional health and well-being. Society’s collective response of demeaning, shaming, and violence further increases the divide.

al, 2015; Pearl et. al, 2017). Because of this, it is important that future studies are conducted that investigate the prevalence of the mental health stigma in the United States so that nation-wide programs may be directed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Enumerating on the negative effects of the mental illness stigma is relatively easy given the fact that there is considerable research on the subject. For example, Corrigan (2004) notes that mental health stigma is linked to decreased access to mental health care in those who need it, which in turn exacerbates their situation and further perpetuates the idea that lack of proper mental health care is acceptable. According to Oexle et. al (2015), mental illness stigma is linked to a higher risk for suicidal ideation and feelings of hopelessness in those with mental health problems, which results in an increased risk of suicide. In addition, the effects of the stigma can be seen throughout the therapeutic process. As Pearl et. al note (2017), increased internalized stigma is associated with worse mental health condition, and decreased stigma results in decreased symptomatic severity in those with mental health issues. This means that if someone feels highly stigmatized throughout the treatment process that they will likely recover more slowly than those who feels less stigmatized. This again proves why it is important to study which populations suffer the most from mental health stigmatization so that it can be properly addresses in hopes of reducing the countless negative effects associated with

In addition to social persecution, people who identify on the LGBTQ spectrum are at a higher risk of experiencing violence In 2010, the FBI reported in a hate crime statistics report that 19.3% of hate crimes in that year were motivated by a sexual orientation bias. Based on national statistics, more than 50% of transgendered youth will attempt suicide at least once by the age of 20 “Statistics About Youth Suicide”. These numbers are shocking, and it’s baffling that these youth have to live under the pressure of violence and mental illness all while being barred from the rights they

The article in review is Stigma, Mental Health, and Resilience in an Online Sample of the US Transgender Population. As a diverse group, transgender people can be seen as a movement that is on the rise. Today, more transgender people are stepping out, and expressing

There are significant systemic transphobia that occurs on an institutional or community level (Nadal, Skolnik, and Wong 2012). This type of transphobia is particularly damaging because they exist in systems that are enmeshed in the daily lives of trans people. Legislation can have detrimental impact on the mental health of LGBT people. One study found that when same-sex marriage was banned, it had detrimental mental health implications for LGBT people (Levitt et al., 2009). Many transphobic laws are based on historic gender binaries and are passed by voters who may not be aware of the impact these laws have on the transgender community. However, many incidents of systemic discrimination are malicious, conscious, and intentional. Systemic transphobia is found in macro level systems including

Over thirty percent of adult and young adult transgender individuals have attempted suicide in 2014, according to suicidology.com, so creating an accepting and encouraging environment is vital for transgender people thrive.

As the title of the article states, this report discusses the stigma towards the Transgender community and the results of intervention. Through out the article stigma, within our society, of transgender individuals is the main topic with emphasis on the effectiveness of intervention style approach to reduce prejudice overall. Transgender (TG) individuals experience widespread prejudice and discrimination and are at greater risk for associated adverse mental health outcomes relative to their gender-conforming peers (Institutes of Medicine, 2011).

In this journal, it is assumed that there is a heterogeneous group of transgender women, and men who have sex with men, have sexual behaviours and gender identities that varies between cultures and among individuals. The increased efficiency of HIV transmission via sexual role adaptability, carrier of sexually transmitted infections, and unprotected anal intercourse as well as behavioural factors that may be associated with condomless sex with multiple partners their sources of increased vulnerability to HIV and other STDs. The authors hypothesized that societal stigmatization of gender non-conformity and homosexual behaviour results in unfavourable feelings that lead to depression, mood disorders and substance abuse, which are basically associated

This research has revealed a concerning number of individuals that have been affected. Kuper and Mustanski (2013) found that about 94% of participants in a study sample experienced name calling, threats, and physical violence due to their sexual identity. Parents of LGBTQIA victims also play a role in these numbers as they have expressed verbal harassment toward their children who they suspect are nonheterosexual before the child’s coming out (D’Augelli, Grossman, & Starks, 2005). Parents have mostly demonstrated these actions in the form of antigay comments, leading the individual to have a negative relationship with his or her family members (D’Augelli, Grossman, & Starks, 2005). For this reason, these researchers found that many LBGTQIA individuals chose to still be in the closet and not state their identity to decrease the probability of discrimination (Kuper & Mustanski, 2013). Overall, experiences of LGBTQIA-specific discrimination can lead to lower self-esteem and depression in this population (Nadal, Davidoff, Davis, Wong, Marshall, & McKenzie,

Transgender people are discriminated on an almost daily basis. They are discriminated in the workplace, as shown in a study commisioned by the Equalities Review. In a group of transgender people who have jobs and are prone to workplace-enviroment effects and opinions, “many respondents experienced harassment from co-workers and employers.” Nearly 29% of the group experience verbal abuse and harassment in the workplace enviroment, and about 4% received physical abuse. About 7% experienced threats, and about 27% experienced some sort of different treatment due to their gender non-conforming ways.(Whittle 38-39). In another study, it was found that being mistreated in the school years would have a negative effect on future outcomes relating to employment. “Those who were physically attacked in school were considerably more likely to stay in a job (64%) compared to those who were not (42%) (Grant 50).” They are also discriminated in public as well, adding on to the distress that many transgender people suffer from regularly, making it seem as if all transgender people are crazy. Transgender people are just more likely to be diagnosed as someone with a mental disorder because its helpful to see that those who have been diagnosed are “hurting and something needs to be done to help (Kreitler 1).” In