What It Means To Have Celebrities Supporting LGBTQ Publicly

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The members of the LGBTQ community are some of the loveliest people I know. For one, they are so strong for being able to come out and tell the world, “It’s who I am, and I’m not sorry for it.” Individuals with homophobia may frown upon them and call them names. Others even become discriminated at work or even in public establishments because of showing their true colors. Although such incidents hurt them, they do not hold on to that grudge for long. Instead, they smile and think that they must not be enlightened yet.

You can still hear or see news about gay folks getting mistreated not only in the United States but also in various countries. It is saddening to know that they have to deal with so much negativity before everyone can accept them. That should never be the case because we have the right to choose who we will become, and no one should tell us any differently.

Nevertheless, there seems to be hope still for acceptance to come sooner than later. After all, many Hollywood celebrities — even the straight ones — show their support to LGBTQ friends. We are talking about huge names, such as Chris Evans, Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, and former President Barack Obama. Didn’t Lady Gaga even release the song entitled Born This Way, which became the unofficial anthem for the rainbow community?

So, the standing question is, “What does it mean to have celebrities supporting LBGTQ publicly?”

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It Prevents The Cultivation Of Hate

The first advantage of having famous personalities saying that they love the gay community is that it prevents the cultivation of hate. Many celebrities have young fans who like to copy whatever their idols do, you see. Even though someone at home may frown upon LGBTQ, if their favorite singer or actor supports it, they will follow the latter in a heartbeat.

It Helps People See The Gay Community In A Non-Stereotypical Light

There is a significant number of individuals from the rainbow community who have contracted HIV or AIDS after having unprotected sex. Even straight people can acquire such illnesses, as well as addicts who inject themselves with drugs using a used needle. However, only gay people get associated with sexually transmitted diseases, to the extent that those are the first words that homophobes think of upon seeing them.

This stereotype is something that celebrities can help squash. By merely posting something about it on Instagram or talking about it in a TV show, they can make people aware that HIV/AIDS isn’t synonymous to being gay. And if you do come across someone with this condition, you should show them love instead of disgust or prejudice.

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It Opens Opportunities For Talented Gay Individuals

Gay characters in movies or TV shows used to serve as comic relief. Thanks to the growing support for the LGBTQ community, though, we see more plots that revolve around it and more gay actors breaking into mainstream media. They merely have to be themselves; they do not have to play the role of a straight man or woman. Their parts are still fun — that’s for sure — but they are not made fun of anymore.

No matter what your occupation is, dear reader, you should act like celebrities in this manner and advocate equality wherever you go. Being gay is neither a sin nor a crime. It is not someone’s fault if they end up liking another person from the same sex. To quote Lady Gaga, they are simply “born this way.”

Same-Sex Couples On Adoption In New York And New Jersey

Cole Styers March 11, 2019 LGBT Online Support 0

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Same-sex marriage has already been legalized by all fifty states in America. It is one of the greatest triumphs of the LGBT community in New York so far, and it signals toward realizing a society that is free from irrational discrimination and hate. Indeed, in no time we can achieve a utopia where each one of us is treated equally and given the same opportunity to build our own homes, where same-sex couples can establish parenting identities like any other individual. They can express their compassion and unconditional love towards the person they love regardless of sexual orientation, and build a family with them.

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Stress And Depression In The LGBT Community

Cole Styers November 14, 2018 LGBT Online Support 0

Being part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, collectively referred to as the LGBT community, can be a proud and empowering fact. Around 91 percent of LGBT members are not ashamed to be part of this community.

However, being part of the LGBT community can be very difficult at times due to the intense societal discrimination that they sometimes face. These difficulties can have an adverse impact on their mental well-being, and indeed they are more prone to psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. This article seeks to quantify the incidence of stress and depression in the LGBT community, identifies factors that contribute to this phenomenon, and suggests ways to counteract it.

Manifestations Of Stress And Depression

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The incidence of stress and depression can be very high for the LGBT, with an incidence rate of around 30 to 60 percent that is 1.5 to 2.5 higher than that of non-LGBT members. The amount of stress that they receive can be enormous, and they are exposed to it whether they go.

Around 37% of LGBT feel unsafe at school due to their gender expression, 55% have experienced verbal harassment, and 11% became the target of the physical assault. Meanwhile, LGBT members are frequently also targeted even by family members. There are severe cases that their own family kicked them out of the house. Evidence of this is the fact that around 40$ of homeless youth identify as part of the LGBT community.

Around 70% of the LGBT experience feelings of worthlessness, while approximately 95% have sleep problems due to stress. This report is can also be read on a website like whattoexpect.com. The amount of pressure they receive can damage their mental health, making them prone to more disorders. They have a higher incidence of drug use, risky behavior such as drunk driving, and suicide. As will be shown later, several factors contribute to the vulnerability of LGBT members to mental health disorders such as stress and depression.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Stressors For The LGBT

We all live in a heteronormative world. Most people still treat homosexuality as deviance from normal behavior instead of just a regular occurrence. Hence, many LGBT members feel that they are not normal or that there is something wrong with them. Also, many of them are still afraid to embrace their gender expression or sexual orientation.

They may also be afraid of how others would react if they come out. These fears are not unjustified given that the incidence of LGBT-targeted violence and isolation is common. In summary, they are experiencing confusion between expressing themselves and protecting themselves from the world. This mental tension can cause their mental health to suffer.

Providing Adequate Mental Healthcare

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However, all is not lost in ensuring that LGBT members receive adequate mental health care. LGBT members can be protected from mental health disorders. This is especially true if they have a good support system. They need a loving family and caring friends that will accept them fully and without judgment. They can also be provided a safe space to protect them from mentally damaging discrimination.

Social interaction with LGBT members can help forge their sense of identity and increase their confidence, knowing that they are with kindred souls. Finally, enabling easy access to professional mental health care providers can help them seek out therapy and counseling when they need it the most.

Trans Identities – A Comprehensive Guide

Cole Styers August 13, 2017 Gender Laws LGBT Online Support 0

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Being Transgender: The Basics

Identifying as transgender doesn’t necessarily mean that you would like to have or have had some kind of sex change. Quite simply, transgender is a collective term for anyone who identifies as a gender that doesn’t match the sex that they were assigned when they were born. This broader term is much more inclusive to all individuals who have decided that the sex they were born with doesn’t match how they feel, which includes quite a lot of different identities.

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Finding Yourself: Resources for Sexuality and Identity Crisis

Cole Styers July 24, 2017 LGBT Online Support Uncategorized 0

Resources for LGBTQ Youth

The LGBTQ community is already a marginalized demographic. But the stress, stigma, and harassment are even worse for younger people within the community, than let’s say, the stigma of growing up without parents and in an institution such as here. In fact, in LGBTQ individuals from the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is one of the leading causes of death. LGBTQ youth are also twice as more likely to be physically assaulted in some way for their sexuality or gender identity. Fortunately, this vulnerable demographic has many resources to give individuals love, support, and opportunities to succeed. Here are some of the most helpful and well-known resources for LGBTQ youth:

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What To Do When You Are Getting Bullied?

Cole Styers July 4, 2017 Counseling LGBT Online Support 0

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teenagers or LGBT are at a higher risk to get bullied compared to straight teenagers — be it in their school, community, or the internet. Statistics show that LGBT youth experiences more violence like bullying, humiliation, harassment, and physical assaults in their lifetime. As a result of this, it drives them into such unfortunate incidents like drugs and the like, and can fall into different types of addiction, food, drugs, and more.

What should be the appropriate action whenever teenagers are being bullied? How can parents support their children in this manner? Fortunately, there are places that offer counseling and behavioral therapy, provide help with addiction, and other related issues. This indeed will be a great help to parents going through this problem with their children.

Let’s discuss the answers to these questions by reviewing different literature pertaining to the issue.