Use your Diversity, Oppression, and Social Functioning text to read the following: Chapter 11, 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People Confront Heterocentrism, Heterosexism, and Hom

Chapter 11 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People Confront Heterocentrism, Heterosexism, and Homophobia

George A. Appleby

Human behavior surrounding sexuality, intimacy, affection, and identity is complex, and this complexity has to be acknowledged when dealing with sexual orientation. Even the words that are used to describe gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual identity are complicated and hotly debated. Many now reject, for example, the term sexual preference, once considered correct for describing gay, lesbian, or bisexual phenomena, because it seems to reduce a core identity or master status to a matter of taste, as if one likes tacos or spring rolls. The term sexual orientation, which is the one used in this chapter, is now generally preferred because it seems to suggest something more fundamental to the person than just a casual choice among equally available alternatives. The other term used here, sexual identity, emphasizes self-labeling, although it has both social and psychological components. However, sexual orientation can be seen as more stable than sexual identity, which may change over a person’s lifetime (Chung & Katayama, 1996). Just as gay, lesbian, and bisexual people must negotiate their social and psychological identity development in the context of a heterocentrist, homophobic, and heterosexist society, social work and other mental health professionals must develop their understanding of sexual orientation issues in a context that until recently viewed homosexuality as pathology in and of itself. It was only in 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which sets the prevailing terms in the United States for classifying psychopathology through its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, now in its fourth edition (APA, 1994), removed homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders. Thus anyone living with such identification or learning about mental health before that time had to deal with the prevailing psychiatric view of a homosexual sexual orientation as a mental illness. It is not surprising, therefore, that the remnants of that attitude are still commonly encountered in the professional context today, in professionals, in clients, in their families, and in the community (Appleby & Anastas, 1998).

The view of a gay, lesbian, or bisexual orientation as a form of psychopathology was gradually replaced by the idea that being lesbian or gay is a stable and fixed positive identity. Sexual orientation refers to a characteristic of an individual that describes the people he or she is drawn to for satisfying intimate affectional and sexual needs—people of the same gender, the opposite gender, or of both genders. We use the terms lesbian and gay in preference to homosexual to refer to men and women who are not heterosexual, or straight. In part, this is done because of the history of pathologizing attached to the term homosexual. In part, it is done because patterns of development and adaptation to a same-gender sexual orientation, like many other aspects of development, tend to differ somewhat between men and women. However, we sometimes use the term homosexual to refer to both genders together, especially to refer to specifically sexual phenomena. However, the term homosexual has been used in the past to refer only to males, so care must be taken in using the term not to render the experiences of women invisible (Garnets & Kimmel, 1993). However, the terms gay and lesbian are often used to refer to men and women who not only engage in same-gender sexual and/or affectional activities but who also adopt, to some degree or another, what is termed a homosexual lifestyle. Some object to this concept of lifestyle, too, because it may seem to trivialize what is a life by suggesting that it has elements of fashion to it. In fact, this discussion touches on the controversy about whether there is a gay or lesbian culture in the true sense of the term and about whether open participation in that culture is necessarily desirable for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (Lukes & Land, 1990). This issue of culture was discussed in greater depth in Chapter 2.

The term sexual identity, which is increasingly emphasized in the literature, refers to self-labeling as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (Reiter, 1989). Because sexual behavior and self-labeling are often not consistent with each other, some have differentiated the concepts by noting that “identity changes [while] orientation endures” (Reiter, 1989, p. 138). Although sexual identity is usually experienced as psychological, or internal, it is also influenced by interpersonal, social, and cultural experience (Cox & Gallois, 1996).

While sexual orientation certainly involves sexuality, it is just as strongly related to affectional and social needs that are not just sexual. Gay, lesbian, or bisexual people who are not currently sexually active retain their basic sexual orientation, just as a heterosexual person does. In fact, viewing gay, lesbian, or bisexual people as overly sexualized or compulsively sexually active is one form that homophobia can take. Based on research findings and practice experience, we now know that sexual orientation is not just about sex and sexuality; it is about sexuality, emotionality, and social functioning. The development of a sexual identity represents the integration of all of these aspects of sexual orientation into a coherent whole, an authentic sense of self, with a self-label that is subjectively meaningful and manageable. Differences in sexual orientation are based on whether a person directs his or her sexual and intimate affectional feelings and behavior toward same-gender, opposite-gender, or both same-and opposite-gender others. Thus, some bisexual people explain their choice of love object as the result of finding specific personal qualities of the individuals they choose to relate intimately to as more important than the person’s gender (Weinberg, Williams, & Pryor, 1994; Eliason & Raheim, 1996). This conceptual definition suggests that sexual orientation should be assessed on multiple dimensions (Chung & Katayama, 1996).

The definition of sexual orientation that we have so far given is primarily a psychological one; that is, it is mental, affective or emotional, and behavioral. It has nothing to do with appearance and identifiability, because there is a great diversity in how gay, lesbian, and bisexual people look, how they present themselves, and thus how identifiable they may be. In fact, the great majority of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are not visible or identifiable as such. Nor is any visible gay, lesbian, or bisexual community or subculture available or attractive to all gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. In fact, the formerly pejorative term queer has been adopted by some gay, lesbian, and bisexual activists to indicate a specific identification with and participation in the visible gay, lesbian, and bisexual culture and political movement that flourishes in some large cities and to distinguish a cultural and/or political commitment from sexual orientation itself.

Rubin (1984) observes that acceptable sexuality should be heterosexual, marital, monogamous, reproductive, and noncommercial (pp. 280–281). It should be coupled, relational, express itself within the same generation, and occur at home. It should not involve pornography, fetish objects, sex toys, or roles other than male and female. In most cultures, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people violate many of these rules.

Transgender people are the least studied and the most discriminated against of all sexual minorities. Cross dressing and gender blending have existed everywhere throughout human history. Despite anatomical differences between males and females, there is potential for considerable physiological and anatomical variation among individuals with the same sex organs and much overlap between the two genders. Bushong (1995) reminds us that one’s gender is on a continuum with most people at either end of the female to male scale, but a significant minority are somewhere in between. There are those whose gender does not match their physiological gender. A term used to characterize such individuals is gender dysphoria. As is the case with same-gender sexual orientation, gender dysphoria is not pathological, but a natural aberration that exists within the population. Estimates of the number of people with gender dysphoria vary, ranging from 1% to 3% of the population. Gender norms depend strongly on the time, location, and the history of a culture (Bornstein, 1994; Wilchins, 1997).

Transgender people have varying sexual orientations ranging from heterosexual to bisexual to homosexual. They also have varying degrees of discomfort with their physiological gender of birth. Bullough, Bullough, and Elias (1997) report equal numbers of male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals. Some transsexuals identify themselves at a very early age, well before puberty, while others emerge in their retirement years. There appears to be a surge in coming out during the mid-life years when there is a reevaluation of one’s life. Generally speaking, transgender people fall into five primary groups:

1. Cross dresser (Transvestite): people who have a desire to dress and in general appear as members of the other gender. Most cross dressers are heterosexual men. Their sexual orientation has nothing to do with their cross dressing.

2. Transgenderist: people who avoid gender role extremes and tend to be androgynous. They often incorporate both female and male aspects into their appearance. They may live part of their lives as the other gender or a blend of both. They may live entirely in the other gender role but with no plans for genital surgery.

3. Transsexual: people whose gender identity most closely matches the other sex. These individuals often feel trapped in the body of their biological gender and long to rid themselves of their primary and secondary characteristics. They yearn to live as members of the other

USEFUL NOTES FOR:

Chapter 11, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People Confront Heterocentrism, Heterosexism, and Homophobia,” pages 162–182.

Introduction

Heterocentrism is the belief that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality. Heterosexism is the systemic oppression of LGBTQ people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and homophobia refers to prejudice against LGBTQ people as a whole. As you can see from these definitions, heterocentrism and heterosexism are closely related concepts. They both result from a cultural bias against homosexuality—in this case, heterosexuality—and stem from ideas about who should be allowed to have sex with whom (or not). However, these terms also apply more broadly than just sexual preferences: they refer to any social groups deemed inferior by society at large (such as racial minorities).

Lesbianism and Gay Male Subculture

In a heteronormative culture, the gay male subculture is one of the most visible and important ones. Gay male subcultures are defined by their shared identity as a subset of men who have sex with other men; they may also be referred to as “gay” or “lesbian.”

Gay male subculture refers broadly to all aspects of life that take place within this group: politics, activism, lifestyle choices like clothing and music preference (e.g., Top 40 radio or rap), social interactions (such as bars), sexual practices (for example: oral sex vs anal sex), etc…

Transgender Identity

The term transgender refers to people who identify with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. This can include people whose gender identity does not match their biological sex or those who feel they have been born into the wrong body.

Transgender is an umbrella term that includes many different identities, but it also has its own specific meaning: someone who identifies with another gender than the one they were assigned at birth and has undergone medical treatment or other procedures to bring their body into alignment with that identity.

Gender dysphoria is a condition in which someone experiences distress over the mismatch between their biological sex and psychological sense of self as male or female (or both). The cause of this discomfort varies from person to person; however there are several factors involved including genetics, environmental influences such as abuse during childhood years etcetera…

Heterosexuality and Homophobia

Heterosexuality and homophobia are two separate issues. One is a problem for the LGBTQ community, while the other is not.

Heterosexuals are not homophobic because they feel that it’s their right to be in control of who they love or don’t love. They see homosexuality as something different than what they were taught growing up, so they don’t understand why someone would choose to stay away from women if he/she can have sex with men instead! Homophobia comes from being uncomfortable around people who aren’t like ourselves (usually because we think we know better than them), but also having internalized negative stereotypes about gay people as well as negative feelings towards them because of those stereotypes.”

Straight People vs. LGBTQ People

In the last chapter, we discussed how LGBTQ people confront heterocentrism, heterosexism, and homophobia. This means that when straight people are confronted with an LGBTQ person or issue they immediately assume that the person is gay or transsexual (transgender). But this isn’t always the case! Many times it’s just another way of saying “I don’t agree with you.” For example:

When a cisgender woman comes out as lesbian she might be met with some resistance from her family if they’re conservative Christian conservatives who believe homosexuality is wrong. They may even try to convert her back into being straight by telling her what happens when you go through puberty again after being a woman for so long! However if someone were transgender then their parent would probably accept them no matter what their sexual orientation was because they understand that being transgender isn’t just about how much testosterone someone has in their body anymore than anything else like race or religion would need explaining too outside of their personal beliefs which might not necessarily coincide with ours either way depending on whether those beliefs align more closely with ours vs theirs…

The world would be a better place if people weren’t so homophobic

Homophobia is a problem, and there are many ways to combat it. It’s not just an issue for LGBTQ people, but one that affects everyone who has been taught to hate themselves or others because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Homophobia isn’t just something that happened in the past; it’s still happening today, even in countries such as Canada and Sweden where same-sex marriage was legalized decades ago! Homophobic culture can be found anywhere—even in your own hometown! In order for societies around the world to become more accepting of each other (and ourselves), we must first recognize our faults before trying again on another day.”

Conclusion

I hope that this chapter has been an enlightening one for you. I can think of no reason why someone should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity. There are many ways to love and show affection without being intimate with someone else’s body, just as there are many ways to be intimate with someone without sharing any bodily fluids. In my opinion, it is only natural for us humans to want to connect deeply with those we care about—and in doing so, we allow ourselves to feel more human and alive than ever before