Joe Kort, Ph.D., talks about his new book, "Is My Hband Gay, Straight, or Bi?"
Contents:
- HOW TO HAVE A GAY OR LBIAN RELATNSHIP
- HOW TO ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE GAY
- GAY AND CAN'T FD A PARTNER?
- GAY RELATNSHIPS CAN BE MORE STABLE THAN STRAIGHT ON
- IS YOUR MAN GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?
HOW TO HAVE A GAY OR LBIAN RELATNSHIP
Enterg to a gay relatnship is much the same as enterg to any relatnship. Two people meet and get to know each other. Some thgs never change, even if the partners are of the same genr. Date first. More than once. A mon... * being in a gay relationship *
Don't leave your partner twistg the wd - particularly if you're not out, and 's a member of your fay makg a gay joke or sultg gays. If any such issue aris at your place of work, there may be anizatns is the area that you n ntact for advice, such as the Gay/Lbian Center or GLAAD (Gay/Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn) the Uned Stat. Sce 1975, APA has lled on psychologists to take the lead removg the stigma of mental illns that has long been associated wh lbian, gay, and bisexual orientatns.
The prejudice and discrimatn that people who intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual regularly experience have been shown to have negative psychologil effects. This page provis accurate rmatn for those who want to better unrstand sexual orientatn and the impact of prejudice and discrimatn on those who intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual. In the Uned Stat the most equent labels are lbians (women attracted to women), gay men (men attracted to men), and bisexual people (men or women attracted to both sex).
Some people know that they are lbian, gay, or bisexual for a long time before they actually pursue relatnships wh other people. Prejudice and discrimatn make difficult for many people to e to terms wh their sexual orientatn inti, so claimg a lbian, gay, or bisexual inty may be a slow procs.
HOW TO ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE GAY
Learn how gay men n overe the hurdl and fd Mr. Right. * being in a gay relationship *
There is no nsens among scientists about the exact reasons that an dividual velops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lbian orientatn.
Lbian, gay, and bisexual people the Uned Stat enunter extensive prejudice, discrimatn, and vlence bee of their sexual orientatn. Public opn studi over the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s routely showed that, among large segments of the public, lbian, gay, and bisexual people were the target of strongly held negative attus.
More recently, public opn has creasgly opposed sexual orientatn discrimatn, but exprsns of hostily toward lbians and gay men rema mon ntemporary Amerin society. Severe antigay prejudice is reflected the high rate of harassment and vlence directed toward lbian, gay, and bisexual dividuals Amerin society. The HIV/AIDS panmic is another area which prejudice and discrimatn agast lbian, gay, and bisexual people have had negative effects.
GAY AND CAN'T FD A PARTNER?
Unrstand health ncerns for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and learn how to promote good health. * being in a gay relationship *
Early the panmic, the assumptn that HIV/AIDS was a “gay disease” ntributed to the lay addrsg the massive social upheaval that AIDS would generate. The associatn of HIV/AIDS wh gay and bisexual men and the accurate belief that some people held that all gay and bisexual men were fected served to further stigmatize lbian, gay, and bisexual people.
GAY RELATNSHIPS CAN BE MORE STABLE THAN STRAIGHT ON
Gays n end up havg better and longer relatnships than heterosexuals * being in a gay relationship *
On the social level, prejudice and discrimatn agast lbian, gay, and bisexual people are reflected the everyday stereotyp of members of the groups. The stereotyp persist even though they are not supported by evince, and they are often ed to exce unequal treatment of lbian, gay, and bisexual people.
For example, limatns on job opportuni, parentg, and relatnship regnn are often jtified by stereotypic assumptns about lbian, gay, and bisexual people. On an dividual level, such prejudice and discrimatn may also have negative nsequenc, pecially if lbian, gay, and bisexual people attempt to nceal or ny their sexual orientatn. Although many lbians and gay men learn to pe wh the social stigma agast homosexualy, this pattern of prejudice n have ser negative effects on health and well-beg.
The wispread prejudice, discrimatn, and vlence to which lbians and gay men are often subjected are signifint mental health ncerns.
IS YOUR MAN GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?
Sexual prejudice, sexual orientatn discrimatn, and antigay vlence are major sourc of strs for lbian, gay, and bisexual people. Although social support is ccial pg wh strs, antigay attus and discrimatn may make difficult for lbian, gay, and bisexual people to fd such support.
Dpe the persistence of stereotyp that portray lbian, gay, and bisexual people as disturbed, several s of rearch and clil experience have led all mastream medil and mental health anizatns this untry to nclu that the orientatns reprent normal forms of human experience.
Furthermore, seems likely that the promotn of change therapi rerc stereotyp and ntribut to a negative climate for lbian, gay, and bisexual persons. Helpful rpons of a therapist treatg an dividual who is troubled about her or his same sex attractns clu helpg that person actively pe wh social prejudic agast homosexualy, succsfully rolve issu associated wh and rultg om ternal nflicts, and actively lead a happy and satisfyg life. The phrase “g out” is ed to refer to several aspects of lbian, gay, and bisexual persons’ experienc: self-awarens of same-sex attractns; the tellg of one or a few people about the attractns; wispread disclosure of same-sex attractns; and intifitn wh the lbian, gay, and bisexual muny.