G&S Lesson 10

LGBTQ+ Psychology
In many countries, being a member of the LGBTQ+ community means being frequently
exposed to discrimination. While there has been a shift towards tolerance of homosexuality in
the non-conservative cultures and nations, acceptance of homosexuals and transgender people
remains an issue.
The specific goal of this module is to understand what it means to become an LGBTQ person.
Relevant to the understanding of LGBTQ+ is tracing its history. This module will also explore
the relevant LGBT terms and explain the importance of these terms.
Learning Objectives:
 At the end of this module, you should be able to:
 Discuss LGBT history and relevant LGBT terms; and
 Explain the importance of these terms.
1.1. Views on LGBT in History
Same-sex attraction already existed in ancient times. In China, 600 BCE, they used the
terms 'pleasures of the bitten peach' and 'brokeback.' In Japan, they have 'shudo' or 'nanshoku.'
'Kathoey' is used in Thailand to refer to ladyboys. In the Philippines, we have 'babaylan' and
'catalona' who mostly women priests, but some are males who lived their lives as women
(Peralta et al., 2019).
The attitude towards homosexuality and other gender vary from culture to culture. While
others condemned homosexuality, others are more tolerant of it. In ancient Egypt, homosexuals
are tolerated. In Greece, they had a custom known as pederasty, where an adult man takes a boy
between 12 and 18 in a relationship taken as a rite of passage. However, in later cultures,
especially those rooted in Christian ideals, their attitude towards homosexuality became sour.
Homosexuality was perceived as not just being deviant, but it was considered a sin as well. The
religious perspectives were carried over into secular laws. In the 16th century, homosexuality
was categorized as a felony punishable by death in England. Later, other countries also had
similar laws with England, like the United States, which criminalized homosexuality (Baughey-
Gill, 2011). Western countries dominated the world during the era of colonialism. The belief
system about homosexuality was enforced into the countries' consciousness that Western powers
colonized. It resulted in a more hostile treatment of homosexuals, like burning, stoning, or killing
them. Moreover, it was also documented that homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder
in the 1950s by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (Baughey-Gill, 2011). With
professionals labeling them as abnormal made a significant impact on the lives of the LGBT
people. The LGBT community was discriminated against, and homosexuality became a basis of
legally persecuting homosexuals, putting them in prison, or sending them to mental institutions.
In response, gay activists began a series of protests and demonstrations to fight for "gay rights"
and equality. With advances in science, APA voted to remove homosexuality as a mental illness
in the DSM in 1973. APA finally acknowledged that being attracted to people of the same sex is
a natural variation of the human experience. It does not make anyone any less of a healthy and
functioning human being (Peralta et al., 2019). Today, more society is accepting LGBT, and new
terms and labels are now used to cater to everyone.
1.2. The ABC’s of the LGBTQIA+

In an effort towards visibility and inclusion, a few letters were added to the LGBT. The
term' homosexual' sounded too clinical, and it no longer adequately represents the diversity
within the LGBT community. These labels are changing some you may be familiar with, but
others may be very new to you, so let us try to explain it as simple as we can (Gold, 2019).
Lesbian – women who are emotionally and sexually attracted to women.

Gay – men who are emotionally and sexually attracted to men.
Bisexual – man or woman who is emotionally and sexually attracted to men or women.
Pansexual – someone who is attracted to people of all gender identities.
Transgender – when your gender identity (how you feel) is different from your physical sex
(male/female).
Queer – used by people, who celebrate all gender identities, can also mean someone who does
not want to be restricted as Lesbian, Gay, or Bi.
Intersex –people who were born with sex genitals or chromosome patterns that do not fit the
typical male or female body.
Asexual/Ally – asexual are people who do not feel sexual attraction to anyone, but it does not
mean that they do not engage in romantic or sexual relationships. Allies are straight or
heterosexual people who are fighting for LGBT rights.
Gender Fluid – people whose identity shifts or fluctuates.
Plus + - The plus sign refers to all sexualities that do not fit in the LGBTQI spectrum.
Knowledge of human sexuality is still evolving, so there many terms that pop up. Here are a few
more to help users become more inclusive:
Androgynous – people whose gender expression (their physical appearance) may or may not be
distinctly male or female
Gender – internal sense of being masculine or feminine or neither.
Gender identity – how you feel, man, women, or neither.
Gender expression – how you express your sense of being male or female or neither, maybe
through hairstyles, clothes, etc.
Sexual orientation – emotional and sexual attraction to a person
Sex assigned at birth – your given sex when you were born based on your sex organ.
Cisgender – when your gender identity matches the sex you are assigned at birth.
Non-binary – people who do not feel like a boy or a girl; they may feel like they are both or
neither, so sometimes they use the pronouns they, them, and theirs.
1.3. Who is a transgender person?

Some people and society have a limited or distorted view of transgender people. Often,
transgender people face the difficulty of fitting in the box of masculinity and femininity. Others
feel that they are born in the wrong body or given the wrong biological sex. According to APA
(n.d.), transgender is “an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or
behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned
at birth.” The transgender person is those who do not feel comfortable in their biological sex.
That "feeling" or gender identity is already with the person since childhood, and it cannot be
changed through time.
The word “trans” is sometimes used as shorthand for “transgender” (American Psychological
Association, n.d.) It may be a good term, but not everyone who appears to behave in a gender
nonconforming identifies themselves as transgender. Other identities are under the umbrella term
of "transgender." For example, transsexuals are often used in the medical field to refer to people
whose gender identity is different from their biological sex. They want to change their bodies, so
it resembles how they feel about their gender identity. A biologically male person may feel like
she is a woman since she was just a child, and in adulthood, she may choose to have "hormonal
replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery” (Peralta et al., 2019). Medical advancements
have helped transgender people live a full life; however, it is a given fact that it can become a
long and expensive process. Other sexualities under the transgender umbrella term include:
FTM – female to male, a person whose biological sex is female and has transitioned to living
his life as a male;
MTF – male to female, a person whose biological sex is male and has transitioned to living her
life as a female;
Crossdressing – some people want to dress as the opposite gender from time to time. However,
unlike the transsexual, they are comfortable identifying with their biological sex;
Drag kings and queens – these are people who dress as the opposite gender for entertainment,
which they do out of passion or for work; and
Gender queer – these are people who feel like their gender does not fit the gender binary view
that is limited to the male or female category because they feel that these are too restrictive.
1.4. The Transitioning Process

“Coming out” or being true to one’s identity and sexual orientation is not an easy process for
most LGBTQ. They needed support and guidance, especially if they realize that they want to go
through permanent changes like sex reassignment surgery. In some countries, transitioning is
covered by their medical insurance. They get support from their employers and families, which is
crucial during transitioning because it takes years to transition fully. It is a fact that the
experience of transitioning varies from one person to another. Given the stigma, discrimination,
accessibility of medical procedure, the costs, laws in the country, and the violence and prejudice
that the LGBTQ people face, transitioning is challenging for most people.
.

G&S Lesson 10

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G&S Lesson 10

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LGBTQ+ Psychology

1.1. Views on LGBT in History

1.2. The ABC’s of the LGBTQIA+

Lesbian – women who are emotionally and sexually attracted to women.

1.3. Who is a transgender person?

1.4. The Transitioning Process

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