Homophobia is not a neutral position: it is harmful to gays

[bluedawg12]

Gay's suicide rate driven by societal intorelance not because being gay means you are crazy, or being punished by a higher power.

Int J Health Serv. 1993;23(3):437-53. Related Articles, Links

Interpreting the evidence: competing paradigms and the emergence of lesbian and gay suicide as a "social fact".

Erwin K.

Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.

Almost two decades after the American Psychiatric Association acknowledged that homosexuality should no longer be considered a pathological condition, studies continue to show significantly higher rates of suicide, depression, substance abuse, and other indicators of psychological distress among lesbians and gay men than among heterosexuals in the United States. If homosexuality is not, in fact, pathological, then what accounts for such self-destructive behavior? This article examines contending causal theories of homosexual suicide and psychological distress ranging from religious and medical-psychiatric theories that problematize individual behavior to societal explanations that locate the cause in social intolerance and internalized oppression. Illuminating the origins of myths that persist today, it demonstrates how historical, social, and political forces have been instrumental in shaping the scientific and medical response to gay and lesbian psychological distress. Emphasis is on the need to question the "objective validity" of scientific theories in order to develop more effective responses to gay and lesbian mental health problems. Finally, this article considers alternative views of sexuality that are emerging from such sources as feminists and gay Native Americans, and proposes new directions for mental health research that encompass issues of diversity within the gay and lesbian population.




A look at perental abuse of openly gay children:

...........
Arch Sex Behav. 1989 Jun;18(3):251-61. Related Articles, Links

Parental physical abuse and sexual orientation in males.
Harry J.
Sociology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb 60115.

Because male homosexuals have usually been found to have poorer relationships with their fathers than male heterosexuals, and because children who are disappointments to their parents are more likely to be physically abused than other children, it was hypothesized that gays are more likely than heterosexual men to have been physically abused by parents. This hypothesis was tested comparing 17 gay male college students and 67 heterosexual male college students. Gay males were found to have been more abused during adolescence. Abuse was related to a history of childhood femininity, to having poor relationships with fathers, and to having engaged in gay sex during adolescence. A history of childhood femininity and engaging in gay sex may provoke parental abuse.
.............
Coming out was hard to do.
.........
Adolescence. 1993 Spring;28(109):213-26. Related Articles, Links

The effects of traditional family values on the coming out process of gay male adolescents.

Newman BS, Muzzonigro PG.
Temple University, School of Social Administration, Department of Social Work, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122.

The development of a gay or lesbian identity (often referred to as the coming out process) has been widely studied in adults; however, few studies have examined the process in gay adolescents. Even among these studies, little research has investigated the effects of race or family values on the coming out process. A small sample of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Eurasian, and Caucasian gay male adolescents participated in this survey study. Coming out was operationalized in three stages: sensitization; awareness with confusion, denial, guilt, and shame; and acceptance. The majority of respondents reported feeling different from other boys as children. The average age of first crush on another boy was 12.7 years; average age for realizing they were gay was 12.5 years. Most respondents reported feeling confused during their first awareness that they were gay. Denial of identity was a coping strategy for about half the sample. Traditional family values played a greater role in predicting coming out experiences than did race. Families were categorized as having high or low traditional values based upon (1) the importance of religion, (2) emphasis on marriage, (3) emphasis on having children, and (4) whether a non-English language was spoken in the home. Families with a strong emphasis on traditional values were perceived as less accepting of homosexuality than were the low traditional families. Those who work with adolescents need to be aware that some will recognize their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, or bisexual during this time of their lives. These youth need support in the coming out process because they may encounter stigmatization and disapproval not only from the larger society, but also from their families, peers, and sometimes the gay community itself.

[WinkyDink]

1. The term itself

is incorrect. "Phobia" = "fear of", not "hatred of".

[bluedawg12]

2. Homophobia and homo hatred go hand in dirty glove n/t

[bluedawg12]

9. Here is an article from S. Dakota- uess what they would say?

Someone has spent a lot f money in the late 90's funding research from places in Kansas and S. Dakota.

Geography is destiny.

Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1999 Apr;69(2):220-7. Related Articles, Links


College students' perceptual stigmatization of the children of lesbian mothers.

King BR, Black KN.

Department of Psychology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA.

To ascertain the extent to which children of lesbian mothers are stigmatized, 338 undergraduate students were asked to complete a child behavior checklist for a hypothetical child of either a divorced lesbian or a divorced heterosexual mother. Respondents attributed more problematic behavior in a variety of domains to the child of the lesbian mother, although this stigmatization was not compounded if lesbian mothers were depicted as living with adult female partners. Implications for child custody determinations and future research are considered.
..............

[kanrok]

3. Is it fear of homosexuals, or fear of becoming homosexual?

[bluedawg12]

5. Many straight people think that the over reaction against gays

is nothing more than masked latent homosexuality.

Ever see shrub light up around big burly men in uniform?

Here is an interesting bit about church acceptancy from the Dutch, US churches might learn from this, they have gone through this and yet do not sup at the dinner table of satan:

J Homosex. 1993;25(4):101-19. Related Articles, Links

Exclusion, toleration, acceptance, integration: the experience of Dutch Reformed churches with homosexuality and homosexuals in the church.

Mader D.

The overwhelming majority of Protestant Christians in The Netherlands are members of denominations in the Reformed tradition (i.e., protestant churches characterized by Calvinist theology and a "presbyterian" church government by elected assemblies of elders). Comparable North American denominations are the Reformed Church in America and the United Presbyterian Church, both of which are facing some degree of internal controversy over homosexuality. In The Netherlands, the four major strands of the Reformed church have taken various positions on homosexuality, ranging from absolute rejection of homosexuality in the church and society, through one denomination which found itself in the curious position of approving the ordination of homosexual clergy while barring homosexuals from the Lord's Table, to creating "life covenants" which re-evaluate heterosexual marriage while also blessing relationships between homosexuals. All call upon the same set of principles for their varied stands. The two major denominational branches, the Netherlands Reformed Church (Hervormde Kerk) and the Reformed Churches in The Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken) have taken different approaches to resolving the issue, the former through internal political conflict and the latter through a more authoritarian (though progressive) stand. The article traces the political, theological, and juridical history of the evolution of these positions, and suggests various potential models, and their possibilities and pitfalls, for North American Protestant churches dealing with issues surrounding homosexuality and the church.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Nitpick

The study is from 1993. How have things changed in the last twelve years?

[bluedawg12]

8. The issues of intolerance to emerging gays and adult gays

being harmful remains, IMHO, a valid conclusion.

Has intolerance changed for better or worse? Not sure, I haven't looked that up.

But, I did find a slew of anti-gay articles published in the wake of the rise of the right wing. I called it my "geography is destiny" section of research. I surmise this was due to increased funding and grants from right wing parent groups and think tanks. So the news seemed to get worse. Not buying it.

Meaning areticles in journals that sought to prove something negative about gays came from highly conservative states. I could almost predict where the authors worked, meanig deep red state, by their topic and conclusion.

[bluedawg12]

14. Here is an updated article from '05 :

J Abnorm Psychol. 2005 Aug;114(3):471-6. Related Articles, Links


Mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual siblings: effects of gender, sexual orientation, and family.

Balsam KF, Beauchaine TP, Mickey RM, Rothblum ED.

Department of PsychologyUniversity of Washington, WA, US. [e-mail].

Self-identified lesbian, gay male, and bisexual (LGB) individuals were recruited via convenience sampling, and they in turn recruited their siblings (79% heterosexual, 19% LGB). The resulting sample of 533 heterosexual, 558 lesbian or gay male, and 163 bisexual participants was compared on mental health variables and their use of mental health services. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that sexual orientation predicted suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, self-injurious behavior, use of psychotherapy, and use of psychiatric medications over and above the effects of family adjustment. Sexual orientation was unrelated to current psychological distress, psychiatric hospitalizations, and self-esteem. This is the 1st study to model family effects on the mental health of LGB participants and their siblings. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

[benburch]

6. As somebody with his very own homophobe cyberstalker...

I can see how that might drive somebody to suicide.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bluedawg12]

10. Two recent articles disputing that GL parenting is harmful

Gays may have to endure lousy parenting- but make good parents themselves.
......
Hum Reprod Update. 2001 Jan-Feb;7(1):38-46. Related Articles, Links

Review: parent-child relationships and child development in donor insemination families.
Brewaeys A.
Netherlands Institute of Social Sexological Research, Utrecht. [e-mail]

The present article reviews the empirical research regarding the parent-child relationships and the development of children in donor insemination (DI) families. Over the years, follow-up studies have appeared sporadically and, despite the varying quality of the research methods, preliminary findings have emerged. Heterosexual DI parents were psychologically well adjusted and had stable marital relationships. DI parents showed a similar or higher quality of parent-child interaction and a greater emotional involvement with their children compared with naturally conceived families. The majority of studies which investigated several aspects of child development found that, overall, DI children were doing well. Findings with regard to emotional/behavioural development, however, were divergent in that some studies identified an increase of such problems while others did not. A steadily growing group within the DI population is lesbian mother families. More recently, follow-up studies have been carried out among DI children who were raised from birth by two mothers. Despite many concerns about the well-being of these children, no adverse effects of this alternative family structure on child development could be identified. As the DI children in all investigations were still young, our knowledge about the long-term effects of DI remains incomplete.
............
Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2000 Oct;70(4):542-8. Related Articles, Links


The National Lesbian Family Study: 3. Interviews with mothers of five-year-olds.

Gartrell N, Banks A, Reed N, Hamilton J, Rodas C, Deck A.

Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, USA.

This third report from a longitudinal study of lesbian families presents data obtained from interviews with mothers of five-year-old children conceived by donor insemination. Results indicated that 87% of the children related well to peers, 18% had experienced homophobia from peers or teachers, and 63% had grandparents who frankly acknowledged their grandchild's lesbian family. Of the original couples, 31% had divorced. Of the remainder, 68% felt that their child was equally bonded to both mothers. Concerns of lesbian families are discussed.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bluedawg12]

12. Hey I know this tune

But Im just sitting here watchin the world go round and round

man I love to watch it roll

You've just got to let it go.

...Now it's in my head. Group? Year?

beatles? Johnny Lennon?

[bluedawg12]

13. From 2005-better news and more fair to gay parents!

Future Child. 2005 Fall;15(2):97-115. Related Articles, Links

Gay marriage, same-sex parenting, and America's children.

Meezan W, Rauch J.

College of Social Work, Ohio State University, USA.

Same-sex marriage, barely on the political radar a decade ago, is a reality in America. How will it affect the well-being of children? Some observers worry that legalizing same-sex marriage would send the message that same-sex parenting and opposite-sex parenting are interchangeable, when in fact they may lead to different outcomes for children. To evaluate that concern, William Meezan and Jonathan Rauch review the growing body of research on how same-sex parenting affects children. After considering the methodological problems inherent in studying small, hard-to-locate populations--problems that have bedeviled this literature-the authors find that the children who have been studied are doing about as well as children normally do. What the research does not yet show is whether the children studied are typical of the general population of children raised by gay and lesbian couples. A second important question is how same-sex marriage might affect children who are already being raised by same-sex couples. Meezan and Rauch observe that marriage confers on children three types of benefits that seem likely to carry over to children in same-sex families. First, marriage may increase children's material well-being through such benefits as family leave from work and spousal health insurance eligibility. It may also help ensure financial continuity, should a spouse die or be disabled. Second, same-sex marriage may benefit children by increasing the durability and stability of their parents' relationship. Finally, marriage may bring increased social acceptance of and support for same-sex families, although those benefits might not materialize in communities that meet same-sex marriage with rejection or hostility. The authors note that the best way to ascertain the costs and benefits of the effects of same-sex marriage on children is to compare it with the alternatives. Massachusetts is marrying same-sex couples, Vermont and Connecticut are offering civil unions, and several states offer partner-benefit programs. Studying the effect of these various forms of unions on children could inform the debate over gay marriage to the benefit of all sides of the argument.

[benburch]

15. What is it about topics like this?

That brings out the "Deleted Message" Trolls?

[bluedawg12]

16. Truth hurts? n/t

[Quetzal]

17. You have a very valid question

GLBT issues seem to bring out right wingers by the droves.

They take advantage of those that are perceived to be weak? Maybe they "think" they can boss GLBT-folk around. They really do remind me of the school yard bully.

[bluedawg12]

18. We are standing up, uniting, and using our brains

they need to get another scapegoat- we ain't gonna take it no more.