The Effects Of Heterosexism And Homophobia On LGBT Youth

LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender. It is intended to highlight a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. Historically, LGBT people have had to deal with being brutalised and misunderstood because of the misconception that being gay is different and deserves different treatment. However, there are efforts being made daily by the community in order to educate people and ease their fears. The purpose of the following analysis is to deconstruct how people who fought back while growing up realizing they are apart of community help shaped and/or will shape them to become strong roles for LGBT people around the world.

The first three sets of theory incorporated the levels, shifting levels of identities shaped by outside agencies for LGBT youth. Another social factor that impending on young sexual minorities are the threats of poverty. These threats cause LGBT youth to experience vulnerability and detriment to their identities. Corliss et al. research validates that statement. In their article, “High Burden of Homelessness Among Sexual-Minority Adolescents: Findings From a Representative, Massachusetts High School, Sample,” they review the prevalence of homelessness in LGBT and heterosexual adolescents (Corliss et al. 1683). Their findings include: 40% LGBT student in the Massachusetts

An approximated 6 % to 10 % of street youth report being gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender (GLBT) (Oliveira & Burke, 2009, p. 155). In 2009 there was an estimated 1.7 million homeless youth in the United States (Oliveira & Burke, 2009), and of those, thousands were reported to have been “throwaway, castaway, or pushed out” due to parental figures driving the point that their sexual orientation was no longer welcome in the home (p.155). These children have been abandoned or deserted, leaving them at risk to later be victimized in the street culture, while leaving many scars on their

Heterosexism is the assumption that all people are heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior and more desirable and are socially and culturally superior to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit and queer (LGBTTQ) people. But is also the discriminations and/or prejudice against homosexuals. I think that heterosexism is like racism, in our society people discriminate and oppress people because of their race or ethnicity and is knows as racism but heterosexism is when our society discriminates against homosexuals.

Dahl defended the night in Chicago in an interview 37 years later as teenage rock fans having fun. But they were not the innocent teenagers that Dahl still makes them out to be - they were “agitated, riotous, rockist thugs protesting a rhythmic dance that was explicitly black, brown, gay, and woman-centric” (Shepherd). According to Vince Lawrence, who was a 15 year old usher at Comiskey Park, there were more than just disco records being burned that night. Teenagers awaiting entry, most of them straight, white, male, and blue collar, brought Stevie Wonder records, Marvin Gaye records - in other words not disco, just black, and proceeded to burn them (Drake). Dahl pins later claims of racism and homophobia on modern political correctness and

Introduction: A common form of victimization, homophobic name-calling, has been associated with negative mental outcomes among adolescents. Research has shown the correlating effects of homophobic victimization, in the form of name-calling, to be associated with depression, increased suicide rates, feeling unsafe and insecure, and a developmental continuation of mental health problems into adulthood for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. According to studies, adolescents have reported several reoccurrences of hearing epithets such as ‘queer’, ‘dyke’, and ‘faggot’ throughout their day. The results of this study may help researchers investigate how homophobic behaviors develop in adolescence so that it may provide adequate information to help prevent the future victimization of LGBT students.

In the last decade, in particular, there has been an increasing awareness of the rights and struggles of the LGBTQ community.As a result, positive changes such as recognition and legalization of same-sex marriage, prohibition of discrimination based on gender identity/expression and sexual orientation, and greater rights for the LGBTQ community in public and private spheres have come about. However, the LGBTQ community is not a uniform entity; rather, it encapsulates a variety of distinct identities and lifestyles, many of whom are still fighting for their rights and freedoms. An example of this is the transgender community, which consists of, but is not limited to, individuals whose gender identity does not align with their biological sex. While dealing with transphobia at any age is devastating and harmful, for transgender teens, adolescents, and young adults, it can lead to lifetime of trauma.It can not only lead to feelings of marginalization, rejection, and isolation, but also the likelihood of mental illness, suicidal tendencies, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and homelessness among trans adolescents and teens.

The line was long , and the air chilled my bones. But her hand was clasped tightly in mine, and so the cold didn't feel so cold anymore. The anticipation was getting to us, the huge rollercoaster looking up ahead. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. As I turned, I was faced with a young woman, no more than 23. “Excuse me.” She said with a glance at our hand. “Could you not? My kids are here.”

LGBT adolescents and young adults have a tough time fitting into society. In schools, teens have experienced physical and mental issues, dating problems and homelessness. Transgender teens and young adults usually suffer from physical and mental problems the source of these problems' comes from domestic violence, bullying, and substance abuse. It is difficult to find parents that can accept the adolescent and give emotional support. For a transgender youth and young adult dating is hard to find. When a trans girl starts dating a heterosexual man, the man expects the “girl” to be a girl but when the heterosexual man finds out it's a man. The man begins to feel betrayed by the “girl” and hits her. As soon as the teen tells the parents that he/she

In today’s society, it is very difficult for some teenagers to be who they truly are because of the risk of being ostracized and isolated by their peers. There are certain pressures and prejudices imposed by a predominately heterosexual society on homosexuals, and especially on homosexual teens, that can cause teenagers to suppress their preferences. These stereotypes can influence if a teen is willing to openly reveal their sexual identity and because society has become so absent- minded to the mannerisms commonly used to describe homosexuals such as "queer," "fag," and "dyke" and the offensive nature of these words/phrases, this project will help assist with opening the minds of my peers to help eliminate biases, stereotypes, and prejudices associated with being gay.

The disenfranchisement of the LGBT community is an issue that has plagued society for a long time. They have been regarded as aberrant, defective, and subhuman. They have been denied basic rights and rejected by society. They have been arrested, abused, and even killed for being who they are. Even in the present, although times and circumstances have improved, bigotry is still prevalent in the populace. As someone who is transgender and bisexual, these issues are important to me. I may be living in a fairly accepting environment, but I am still not insusceptible to microaggressions, even from those who mean well. If my circumstances could be considered to be on the fortunate side, I can only imagine what the less fortunate members of my community must be dealing with. In order to take a step toward eliminating those struggles, I seek to educate people about these problems and encourage them to fight against them.

There is a tremendous amount of LGBT youth that experience homelessness in the United States, and forty percent of them identify themselves as LGBT. There are so many issues that cause homelessness in the LGBT community such as discrimination in religious communities, lack of support from families and rejection from society. But in a world where these issues are all around us, how can we solve this? It starts with every individual to just stop and maybe educate themselves on this unique youth community and the struggles they must face to bring in equality. This education can start with volunteer work, educational classes, or even support groups. The problem is the discrimination against the LGBT youth community, so many do not understand what it means to be in the LGBT individual and the obstacles they must face such as finding a job, going to school and finding a place to live, etc.

Unsupportiveness is a harsh reality for many teens that decide to not fit into their parents seamlessly old fashioned idealistics. A significant example is how Tracy Morgan, a comedian, made threats that if his son where to be gay “. . . he would stab him to death with a knife” (Siciliano). Even with that being a hypothetical statement from a comedian, it is no joke to thousands of teen nationwide. To such teens the threat is their reality as they deal with the repercussions of parental authority and power. Murder is also an extreme of the rejection, but other impacts can still be detrimental for teens. Parents of LGBT youth who are unsupportive may have a significant factor on their children's long term mental health.

Homophobia attitudes generate a social climate that is repeatedly detrimental to LGBT individuals. Homophobic statements and discrimination of LGBT students contribute to higher rates of dropouts, absenteeism, and lower academic performance. The psychological health of most LGBT individuals suffers due to the much stress they feel as a result of homophobic attitudes. Living with much stress often causes these students to experience "high vulnerability to depressive anxiety and distress" (Pelleschi, 2016). Homophobic statements reinforce stereotypes and beliefs by gender identity or sexual orientation. Besides affecting LGBT students, homophobia also directly affects those who have homosexual family members. Parents of LGBT children are not only susceptible to homophobic attitudes but also likely to be rejected in the school and wider society. In fact, there is a danger to personal security and emotional wellbeing when the family is neither recognized nor protected. This lack of recognition or rejection of family lowers confidence, self-assurance, and stability of the LGBT individuals in a society where homosexuals are not accepted. In 2016, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey was carried out and found that 10 percent of students who identified as

The LGBTQ identified students face more than no home, but lifelong hardships. After coming out to his parents that he was gay, Michael Miller “couch surfed among friends and teachers” his whole senior year in High School(Clemmitt 318 ). Being denied in his family, left Michael with no home and neglection. This issue of no acceptance between these families is leaving a strong impact of no self confidence or trust within these students. Furthermore the rejection throughout these families because of the students sexual orientation is leaving these young adults homeless. Not to mention, our society has learned to become more accepting and welcoming to the LGBTQ community. This not only gives courage to these kids to come out to their families, but develops the instinct that this place called “home” is somewhere where they should be accepted and loved for who they are.