Unrstand health ncerns for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and learn how to promote good health.
Contents:
- INTIMACY AND SEXUALY GAY MALE UPL
- THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO DATG AFTER 50
- HOW TO TACKLE GAY RELATNSHIP PROBLEMS
- HOW TO HAVE A GAY OR LBIAN RELATNSHIP
- GAY RELATNSHIPS CAN BE MORE STABLE THAN STRAIGHT ON
- SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?
- MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
INTIMACY AND SEXUALY GAY MALE UPL
* sex in gay relationships *
Many health re and mental health anizatns foced on the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny also offer substance e treatment or may be able to provi rmatn about lol rourc. In a study of 320 men (20 to 77 years) gay relatnships, data were gathered on verbal, physil, and emotnal timacy and on sexual aspects of relatnship functng. "Wh the gay muny, negative stereotyp rerce the belief that gay relatnships are based solely on physil attractn, and that once youth starts to fa, we are unlikely to have any real or lastg relatnships, " says Rik Isensee, thor of Are You Ready?
THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO DATG AFTER 50
Across much of the gay and bisexual male rearch on sexual posn self-label (i.e., llg onelf a top, bottom, or versatile), there exist two monali: (1) studi tend to foc almost entirely on dividual, relatnally sgle androphilic men; (2) studi rarely acunt for relatnshi … * sex in gay relationships *
For every 20-somethg enterg the gay datg scene full of wi-eyed wonr, there's a 50-somethg (or a 60-, 70- or olr-somethg) man back on the market after a relatnship ends. 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. 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). 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.
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. 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.
HOW TO TACKLE GAY RELATNSHIP PROBLEMS
In a study of 320 men (20 to 77 years) gay relatnships, data were gathered on verbal, physil, and emotnal timacy and on sexual aspects of relatnship functng. Inpennt of relatnship duratn and partners' age, emotnal timacy predicts relatnship satisfactn the bt. Sexua … * sex in gay relationships *
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. 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.
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. 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.
HOW TO HAVE A GAY OR LBIAN RELATNSHIP
Whether you're sgle aga or you've been around the block, gay datg isn't easy. * sex in gay relationships *
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.
GAY RELATNSHIPS CAN BE MORE STABLE THAN STRAIGHT ON
Are you havg a tough time alg wh gay relatnship problems? Like hetrosexual upl same sex upl have their own set of relatnship problems. This article entails the relatnship stggl of gay upl and provis tips for alg wh them. * sex in gay relationships *
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. If they are a heterosexual relatnship, their experienc may be que siar to those of people who intify as heterosexual unls they choose to e out as bisexual; that se, they will likely face some of the same prejudice and discrimatn that lbian and gay dividuals enunter.
SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?
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... * sex in gay relationships *
Although parable data are not available, many sgle lbians and gay men are also parents, and many same-sex upl are part-time parents to children whose primary rince is elsewhere. The majory of rearch on this topic asks whether children raised by lbian and gay parents are at a disadvantage when pared to children raised by heterosexual parents.
For example, are the children of lbian or gay parents more vulnerable to mental breakdown, do they have more behavr problems, or are they ls psychologilly healthy than other children? The picture that emerg om this rearch shows that children of gay and lbian parents enjoy a social life that is typil of their age group terms of volvement wh peers, parents, fay members, and iends. There is no scientific support for fears about children of lbian or gay parents beg sexually abed by their parents or their parents’ gay, lbian, or bisexual iends or acquatanc.
In summary, social science has shown that the ncerns often raised about children of lbian and gay parents, ncerns that are generally ground prejudice agast and stereotyp about gay people, are unfound.
MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
Gays n end up havg better and longer relatnships than heterosexuals * sex in gay relationships *
Overall, the rearch dit that the children of lbian and gay parents do not differ markedly om the children of heterosexual parents their velopment, adjtment, or overall well-beg.
Lbian, gay, and bisexual people who want to help rce prejudice and discrimatn n be open about their sexual orientatn, even as they take necsary preutns to be as safe as possible. They n make a pot of g to know lbian, gay, and bisexual people, and they n work wh lbian, gay, and bisexual dividuals and muni to bat prejudice and discrimatn.