Unrstandg Gay & Lbian Inti | The Trevor Project

Contents:

• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, & INTERSEX LIFE
• UNRSTANDG GAY & LBIAN INTI
• HOW TO SUPPORT, EMPATHIZE WH, AND AFFIRM LGBTQ+ PEOPLE
• LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
• THERE IS NO ‘GAY GENE.’ THERE IS NO ‘STRAIGHT GENE.’ SEXUALY IS JT PLEX, STUDY NFIRMS
• LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER (LGBTQ) TEENS
• LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER MUNY
• LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR HEALTH

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

LGBTQ2S+ ALLY: Someone who nonts heterosexism, anti- LGBTQ2S+ bias, heterosexual and cisgenr privilege themselv and others; believ that heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are social jtice issu. Gay is an adjective that scribe people who are physilly, romantilly, emotnally and/or spirually attracted to other people of the same genr.

Although n sometim seem like one type of gay person is shown over and over aga the media or on TV, gay people aren’t tomatilly effemate, and lbian women aren’t tomatilly mascule – fact, those stereotyp leave out a lot of other personali and characteristics. While there may be some jobs that tend to have more gay or lbian people them than others, often has to do wh the cultural acceptance they might fd that particular field.

Advot for Youth – I Thk I Might Be LbianAdvot for Youth – I Thk I Might Be GayPFLAG – Be YourselfPlanned Parenthood – Sexual Orientatn. G., "gay/lbian" to scribe attractn to the same sex/genr, "bisexual" to scribe attractn to multiple sex/genrs; "asexual" to scribe a lack of attractn to anyone, etc.

LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, & INTERSEX LIFE

There is no specific way that a gay or lbian person acts, drs, or speaks—a person's sexual orientatn do not rrelate wh their genr exprsn. There may be, for stance, some gay people that scribe themselv as more mascule, feme, or genr-fluid, while lbian dividuals may siarly exprs themselv wh varyg gre of masculy, femy, or genr-fluidy.

Work on dismissg any stereotyp that you may have about gay and lbian people so that you n start workg on seeg them as the people that they are. Another important part of unrstandg gay and lbian people is realizg people n't choose their sexualy, as 's an herent part of who they are.

UNRSTANDG GAY & LBIAN INTI

LGBTQ: The first four letters of this standard abbreviatn are fairly straightforward: “Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr. Queer: Once nsired a meang slur for beg gay, “queer” is beg reclaimed by some as a self-affirmg umbrella term, pecially among those who nsir other labels rtrictive. Lbian: A noun and an adjective for women who are attracted to other women, although some women prefer to be lled gay or queer – ’s always bt to ask!

Gay: An adjective and not a noun, most often ed to scribe men who are attracted to other men (except the aforementned s). Not bee they are bad, or homophobic, or transphobic… but bee the reali are not their own lived experience, or bee workg alongsi the groups may be a newer experience for them.

HOW TO SUPPORT, EMPATHIZE WH, AND AFFIRM LGBTQ+ PEOPLE

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.

LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

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. 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.

THERE IS NO ‘GAY GENE.’ THERE IS NO ‘STRAIGHT GENE.’ SEXUALY IS JT PLEX, STUDY NFIRMS

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.

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.

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.

LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER (LGBTQ) TEENS

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.

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.

LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER MUNY

Like heterosexuals, lbians, gay men, and bisexual people benef om beg able to share their liv wh and receive support om fay, iends, and acquatanc.

Th, is not surprisg that lbians and gay men who feel they mt nceal their sexual orientatn report more equent mental health ncerns than do lbians and gay men who are more open; they may even have more physil health problems. Some adolcents sire and engage same-sex behavr but do not intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual, sometim bee of the stigma associated wh a nonheterosexual orientatn.

Young people who intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual may be more likely to face certa problems, cludg beg bullied and havg negative experienc school.

LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR HEALTH

On the other hand, many lbian, gay, and bisexual youths appear to experience no greater level of health or mental health risks.

Lbian, gay, and bisexual youth who do well spe strs—like all adolcents who do well spe strs—tend to be those who are socially petent, who have good problem-solvg skills, who have a sense of tonomy and purpose, and who look forward to the future. Whether the youths intify as heterosexual or as lbian, gay, or bisexual, they enunter prejudice and discrimatn based on the prumptn that they are lbian, gay, or bisexual. For example, survey data dite that between 40% and 60% of gay men and between 45% and 80% of lbians are currently volved a romantic relatnship.