What Is Minority Stress In People From The LGTBIQ+ Community?
Did you know that 75% of LGTBIQ+ people reported having suffered discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity?
Without a doubt, this generalized situation supports minority stress. A specific stress of the LGTBIQ+ community? Yes, one made up of homophobia, biphobia and internalized transphobia, stigma, prejudice and expectations of rejection.
But, first…. what does minority stress consist of? Is the experience of chronic, unique and hostile stress as a result of belonging to a socially marginalized category, within a predominantly heterosexual and cisgender world. In addition, it is configured by internalized homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, stigma, expectations of rejection and prejudice.
It is different from the everyday stress you may experience from traffic, work, or paying bills; It is an additional stressor that is built from the rejection of the identity of the person belonging to the minority group.
Homophobia, biphobia and internalized transphobia
As time goes by, individuals begin to believe in social biases and prejudices that denigrate LGTBIQ+ people. developing a negative self-esteem and normalizing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
In this sense, it includes apathy, hatred or irrational fear towards LGTBIQ+ people that is internalized naturally through social discourse. This internalization frequently occurs without the person being able to realize it and acts automatically, without being able to rethink the meaning of their actions, normalizing negative ideas and concepts. The discrepancy between sexuality and the desire for social validation is common.
This way, It is common for LGTBIQ+ people to ignore comments or behaviors that may undermine their own esteem or that of their social group.. A clear example would be an LGTBIQ+ person who considers that gays, lesbians or trans people are a bad example for society, that they should not show affection in public because “it doesn’t look good” or that they should not have the right to marriage. It is also very common to find preferences for people who act as “heterosexuals,” showing marked discrimination against the diversity of gender expression.
Prejudice and discrimination
Prejudice implies an anticipated negative idea about LGTBIQ+ people, ideas such as “LGTBIQ+ people do not have the moral authority to adopt children” or “gay couples cannot be happy” usually prevail. On the other hand, discrimination is based on a behavior that puts into practice the prejudiced idea. It functions as the structural exclusion that exists towards LGTBI+ people from the resources available to heterosexuals, as occurs with marriage. In addition, the heterosexist culture that censors any behavior outside of heteronormativity.
Stigma
Belonging to a stigmatized group implies that society negatively perceives some attribute or trait that is considered unacceptable or inferior.. Feeling that there is something wrong with oneself allows expectations of rejection and hiding behaviors to increase, often using a hyper-vigilant mode to avoid it. It is common for LGTBIQ+ people to constantly check whether in a certain place they will be susceptible to discrimination, even acting in advance.
Psychological consequences
It largely explains why the LGTBIQ+ community has higher rates of anxiety, depression, suicide and self-harming behaviors. The most frequent problems presented are anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.. This context is alarming especially if we take into account that more than 60% of the people who attended psychological consultation stated that they had felt prejudice on the part of their treating professional. More than 50% of people stated that they were subjected to conversion therapy.
In this sense, psychological treatment in LGTBIQ+ people is not being addressed by competent professionals trained in sexual diversity, gender and affirmative psychotherapy. On the contrary, it is very common for there to be stories of patients being discriminated against and revictimized by their treating professional, increasing feelings of stigma and internalized homophobia.
That is why it is urgent to raise awareness about the importance of training and raising awareness among professionals so that treatments can be effective and do not harm. Likewise, it is important that patients inform themselves and be able to choose a professional who can address their queries without being based on prejudices, following ethical and scientific guidelines.
