Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people continue to experience various forms of oppression and discrimination in North America and throughout the world, despite the social, legal, and political advances that have been launched in an attempt to grant LGBT people basic human rights. Even though LGBT people and communities have been actively engaged in community organizing and social action efforts since the early twentieth century, research on LGBT issues has been, for the most part, conspicuously absent within the very field of psychology that is explicitly focused on community research and action and Community Psychology. The psychological and social impact of oppression, rejection, discrimination, harassment, and violence on LGBT people is reviewed, and recent advances in the areas of LGBT health, public policy, and research are detailed. Recent advances within the field of Community Psychology with regard to LGBT research and action are highlighted, and a call to action is offered to integrate the knowledge and skills within LGBT communities with Community Psychology’s models of intervention, prevention, and social change in order to build better theory and intervention for LGBT people and communities.
Homosexuality is regarded by many as a social problem. Similarly, there has been keen interest in illuminating the origins of homosexuality amid many scholars, from psychologists to theologians, anthropologists to zoologists. Study has shown that those who believe sexual orientation is inborn are more likely to have easy-going attitudes toward gay males and female lesbians, whereas those who believe it is a choice have less tolerant attitudes. The current qualitative study used in-depth, open-ended telephone interviews with 42 White and 44 Black Americans to gain insight into the public's beliefs about the possible genetic origins of homosexuality. Along with etiological faiths, we asked respondents to define the advantages and dangers of scientists realizing the possible hereditary basis for homosexuality. We found that even though limited understanding and biased insights likely directed to simplistic reasoning concerning the origins and genetic basis of homosexuality, many individuals appreciated complex and interactive etiological perspectives. These interactive perspectives often included recognition of some type of inherent aspect, such as a hereditary aspect(s), that assisted as an underlying susceptibility that would be exposed after being prejudiced by other factors such as optimal or ecological exposures. It is found that beliefs in a genetic basis for homosexuality could be used to support very diverse opinions, including those in accordance with negative eugenic agendas.
Men who have this disorder are called as ‘Gays’. They would want to have sex with their own gender. Although homosexual activity is widespread amongst US teenagers, adolescent homosexuality in itself has been a very poorly understood phenomenon. The purpose of this investigation is to describe the meaning and experience of homosexuality from the adolescent’s perspective. (G, Remafedi, 1987)
To determine the legitimacy of hormonal concepts of human homosexuality, which are based on animal study, this article scrutinizes psych endocrine system on lesbian and transsexual women. Sex hormone levels were found to be normal in the majority of homosexual women, however, about a third of the subjects studied had raised androgen levels. In women with prenatal androgen excess, heterosexuality appears to be more frequent than bisexuality, and exclusive homosexuality is rare. Two recent reports suggest irregularities of the neuroendocrine regulation of LH exudation in female transsexuals. Obviously, prenatal or post pubertal hormone levels do not determine the development of sexual orientation, nevertheless, a facilitating neuroendocrine predisposition cannot be ruled out at present.
In almost all the states of the United States, LGBT is legalised. Many Presidents and First Ladies of the United States backed LGBT laws and rights. Hence, being an LGBT is not a deciding factor of the social status of LGBTs’ because LGBTs’ have got more rights and privileges in the United States. Similarly, LGBTs’ are indirectly considered as a harm to the society and they are not recognized by all people of the society. Because, whenever anyone seeks their privilege as LGBT, they are losing their prestige and privacy in front of others as other normal people take a strange stance on them.
Herek has claimed that most of the research into homophobia, its correlates, effects, and
