Internalized Homophobia and Relatnship Qualy among Lbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals - PMC

Contents:

• INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND RELATNSHIP QUALY AMONG LBIANS, GAY MEN, AND BISEXUALS
• INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA: A FACTOR PRSN, ANXIETY, AND SUICI THE GAY AND LBIAN POPULATN

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND RELATNSHIP QUALY AMONG LBIANS, GAY MEN, AND BISEXUALS

As I’ve grown to unrstand om my iends, fellow LGBTQ muny members, lleagu, and clicians, ternalized homophobia is what happens when we take the bias, prejudic, and hatred towards gay folks rerced by society (aka societal homophobia) and turn the bias ward back on ourselv.

I should also acknowledge there is bate wh the psychologil and scientific muny as to the extent that this impacts gay and lbian dividuals and if we should e the term "ternalized homophobia" or stead nstct and redirect our attentn stead towards "more salient issu of cultural and stutnalized heterosexism. Internalized homophobia n be fed as the tenncy of some lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ) dividuals to regularly validate, margalize, and/or opprs their own or other LGBTQ members’ sexual orientatn, sexual inty, self-worth, dividual exprsns, and human rights.

Often, those wh gre of ternalized homophobia are nscly or unnscly socialized to believg that members of the LGBTQ muny are “abnormal”, “shameful”, “unsirable” and “unacceptable”, and should be regard wh disda (self-rejectn) and ntempt (self-loathg). It is also signifint to note that while some people wh ternalized homophobia are “out of the closet” and openly alg their own sexual orientatn/sexual inty issu, many others are still “ the closet” (to themselv and/or to others) and secretly stgglg.

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA: A FACTOR PRSN, ANXIETY, AND SUICI THE GAY AND LBIAN POPULATN

While some LGBTQ dividuals may ocsnally dabble the followg behavrs, which might not be a ser issue, someone wh strong ternalized homophobia will routely engage one or more of the pathologi (dysfunctns) below, while remag largely unaware of (or unncerned wh) the tangible and psychologil damage done to onelf and others. Disfort wh other gay people:men who prefer not to socialise on the gay scene for fear that they will be seen gog to/om those venu spe beg fortable gog to gay bars when abroad on holiday, or the man who choos not to speak to another gay man at work bee “he is a b mp and people may put two and two together”. Exampl clu attus such as “gay men have a better drs sense than straight men” or “gay men are better listeners than straight men” attracted to unavailable people:an example may be a gay man who happens to “be love wh a iend who’s straight”.

Internalised homophobia and opprsn n have a huge impact on your mental health, as well as fluence your thoughts, feelgs, and & Neal believe that is virtually impossible for any gay or bisexual man who has grown up the UK or Ireland not to have ternalised society’s negative msag about you would like to unrtake some personal therapy to help you al wh ternalised opprsn, please see our unsellg sectn for more rmatn.

Acrdg to Daniel Lyons a piece for Psychology Today, the first step dismantlg the “eply entrenched system homophobia” is acknowledgg that everyone, regardls of race, sexual orientatn, genr, or socenomic stat, is pable of thkg or actg a homophobic way. Homophobia, gay discrimatn and stigma, is monly seen certa segments of the populatn and n be seen acts of homosexual discrimatn, teasg, gay bullyg, gay bashg, anti-gay jokg and negative attus towards those who are not heterosexual. It's cril to posively al wh ternalized homophobia as s prence n prevent people om seekg appropriate healthre, havg timate partners and livg full and happy liv, and crease their risk of velopg mental illns such as a substance e or an eatg disorr.

It is clear that the word “homophobia” this ntext, is misleadg – the over simplified ia that is dividual acts of fear and ignorance diverts our attentn om the much more pervasive systemic opprsn that is at the root of the problem.

When we see that homophobia is a rult of a this larger system, we see that is stutnal; that is impossible to exist outsi of ; that the real fn of is so much more than the dictnary simplicy of “irratnal fear of, aversn to, or discrimatn agast homosexualy or homosexuals;” that the root stcture is vast, affectg every aspect of life and culture.

” This clus the examatn of four key areas of a person’s LGBQ inty: public intifitn as beg gay, perceptn of stigma associated wh beg gay, gree of social fort wh other gays and beliefs regardg the relig or moral acceptabily of homosexualy. While the sl might be eful on a prelimal level, we mt also nsir the issue well beyond the tegori set forth by the psychologil tablishment and remember that the qutn of whether or not you suffer om ternalized homophobia is one that is bt answered by yourself. While is hard to image the closet as anythg other than a prison, we often blame people the past for not havg had the urage to break out of ..., or we nscendgly assume they had ternalized the prevalent hatred of homosexualy and thought they served to be there.