Personal Narrative: Joining The Gay Community

Have you ever been picked on, and been told who to love? I have, and it sucks. When the movie High School Musical came on TV, I was watching it with my older brother Tristan. Zac Efron came on the screen, and I told my Brother that I thought Zac Efron was cute. “GROSS” He yelled. He told my Mom, and Dad, I was so embarrassed.

The bizarre fact regarding people, is they can be given everything necessary to live: food, water, shelter yet the way a person interacts with the world is majorly influenced by numerous other factors. Intimate relationships, such as the consistent involvement of family, is one factor that has an immense impact on how humans respond to different situations in life. Melinda Sordino, a high school student at Merryweather high, had been raped, at a party a couple weeks before freshman year. She deeply felt that nobody cared leading her to have socially distant herself from everyone and no longer putting any mindfulness into her outward appearance. Just in the matter of a few weeks, an entirely new Melinda had been fashioned without even the slightest acknowledgment or concern from her parents causing a chain of followed reactions.

Childhood sexual abuse is a very sensitive matter and is not a personal issue but a familial and societal issue therefore, the Gatehouse works along with survivor’s partners and family to explore this issue. A one-day workshop is available at The Gatehouse, which explores “being the partner of a person who has been traumatized by childhood sexual abuse” (The Gatehouse, 2016). Through a reframing learning process, adult victims and survivors learn skills that allow them to transform the trauma of childhood sexual abuse into a positive lifestyle. Topics such as inner child, triggers, anxiety, sexuality, and resiliency are discussed in support groups, one-on-one sessions, and in intakes. Staff and

My coming out went really smoothly. My grandma is totally chill with it. I first told her in 3rd grade when I liked Kennedy. I honestly can not remember a thing about it, but I do know now that I talk to her about it quite often, and she does not care. She supports me.

I quickly stick the key in the lock turning, my hands are shaking with adrenaline as I quickly yank out the glittering gold medallion. I set the key back on his chest and practically ran out my heart still racing.

Growing up everyone is told that they are unique. “Be yourself,” “use your God-given talent,” and other expressions such as these impress the aforementioned narrative into our minds. Thus, when I was around thirteen years old, I thought my sexuality was just a part of me that only I had. I wanted to share this feature about myself; I wanted to take pride in it and show it off. Coming out to a close few friends showed positive and emotional responses. Riding on this high, I was ready to embrace myself in high school. Yet, my naivety took the best of me as I was going to an all male, religious high school. My sexuality has provided me with experiences that have and will continue to shape my life. These struggles, whether they are internal or external, have provided me with invaluable skills.

As far as my gender identity goes, I have never had any internal struggle with my internal sense of being a female. I am lucky that my assigned gender, anatomical sex, and gender identity lines up. I have always been interested in the different gender roles both in our country and around the world. I know that my attitudes and behavior on the matter are more so a product of my environment, family, friends, and probably media. I know I have held gender-role stereotypes for both men and women. One big over simplistic statement I have heard is men don’t care and women are overly emotional. Also, it’s stereotypical to assume men must be the providers of a family and women the stay at home mothers. A part of me doesn’t want to fall victim to role

In today's society, a lot of people are trapped by obstacles and barriers placed in front of them. Abuse is commonly found and is used as barriers to keep happiness away from certain groups of people. Abuse is prominently found in the Oprah Winfrey article when, “Oprah was neglected.At nine years old,she was left in the care of her 19 year old cousin who raped her. She continued to suffer sexual abuse.” Elizabeth Street. This quote demonstrates how Oprah was abused when she was young. This is an obstacle

I will never forget the day that I first experienced and realized what homophobia was. In the 6th grade I had to sit next to two girls, and we played a “get to know your table buddy” game. I mentioned that I grew up with two dads and immediately they gave me a strange look; the kind that makes you feel a little uneasy. They were raised to believe that being gay ran through family genes and refused to talk to me. I was always getting questioned about my entire lifestyle. It was challenging hearing these comments because I looked up to my family so much, but it helped my transition from childhood to adulthood very rewarding and taught me how to be a more open-minded and non-judgmental human being.

I. Attention getter: Do you know a friend or family member who has been sexually abused? Or maybe you have experienced sexual abuse yourself? Are you aware of the psychological and developmental effects it can have on you or someone you may know? Chances are, you don’t—while sexual abuse is common, may people do not speak up, and the problem goes unrecognized.

I once believed that society has changed and advanced along with technology and science, but this assignment has proven me wrong. This task has shown me how far we, as humans, will go to prevent change to keep things "reasonable" to our opinions. It has also shown me the dangerous changes that have taken place in my backyard.

I am a 15 year old gay male. When I was around 13 or 14 years old, one night, my father and I were lying on the same mattress in our living room. He was asleep, but I was still awake. All of a sudden, I got really horny. I turned to my father and he was lying on his stomach. I saw his butt (fully clothed) and decided to quickly tap the tip of my tongue on right where his anus would be. I did nothing after that and fell asleep. It was an urge to speedily relieve my spontaneous excitement without masturbation. Also, as a gay person I was curiosity of how "eating" ass would be like (a common sexual fetish in the gay community). At the time of the action and after, I didn't feel guilt, regret, or any emotion for that matter. I never even thought about

What keeps me up at night is endless because the world has a lot it needs to change, however, the one topic that never leaves my mind is the LGBT+ community. My life is centered around the community because I am a member of it, and no matter what I say about my sexual orientation and gender identity and romantic orientation not being the main focus of me as a person, it does make up a lot of what I am. Outside of just me, I have countless friends that do not identify as the regular heterosexual cisgender person. To me, it does matter if transgender people get the right to enter whichever restroom matches their gender identity. It is important to me that the community gets the right to equal employment, and protection from discrimination in the workplace. It is important that the entire community get its rights, no matter how long it takes.

It can be easy to take words for granted. The simple act of communicating needs and desires to other human-beings is an almost automatic action. While communication may seem simple, there are instances where the most common methods of communication are not enough. Children who have been abused often lack the verbal language skills needed to convey the horror of what has happened to them (Scheeringa, Weems, Cohen, Amaya-Jackson, & Guthrie, 2011). In 2011 alone, over 61,000 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in the United States of America (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2011). The number that was reported is staggering enough without factoring in how many were NOT reported. Child sexual abuse is such an epidemic that the Center for Disease Control has done research and studies on child sexual abuse and created manuals about how to prevent it (Centers for Disease Control, 2007). This is an issue that we all need to address, as well as the fact that Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), the most widely used treatment method for children who have been sexually abused, is not sufficient by itself. This essay will discuss some nonverbal forms of communication that can be used in building a therapeutic relationship, as well as a safe environment for young children who have been sexually abused, and the need for the inclusion of Art Therapy and Play Therapy in TF-CBT as a way for children to communicate their Trauma Narrative

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true