Internalized Stigma and Psychological Well-Being in Gay Men and Lesbians in Italy and Belgium

Several studies have shown that internalized homophobia is a risk factor for mental health illness in homosexual individuals, whereas the perception of social support is a protective factor for their psychological well-being. In line with those studies, the present research has investigated the levels of internalized homophobia, anxiety, depression and social support, among two groups of gay men and lesbian individuals living in two European countries (N = 194: 86 Italian and 108 Belgian), where legislations grant different civil rights to lesbian and gay individuals (LG). The main goal of this research has been to verify the possible differences between the two groups. Results showed some significant differences in terms of observed levels of internalized homophobia, which was higher in the Belgian gay men\u2019s group compared to the Italian one. Furthermore, path analysis emphasized the role of social support as a potential factor of mediation between internalized homophobia and mental health

Surviving Homophobia: Overcoming Evil Environments

Thinking of the evils of homophobia and what is needed to survive them requires acknowledging a new category of evil besides the evils of individual deeds, social practices and social structures. That further category is evil social environments. Building on the work of Jeremy Waldron on the harm in hate speech, this chapter extends that account to certain hate crimes that, like the written word, send a lingering social message. The cases of four women survivors of homophobia are then examined in relation to such harm. Two who wrote memoirs had been targeted for murder, one in an evil environment, the other in a more positively responsive environment. The remaining two survival stories are less dramatic. But they are important in how they illustrate ordinary challenges faced successfully by lesbians and gay men in emotionally toxic environments, and how, in this sense, those not directly threatened with murder might still be justly regarded as survivors. The chapter concludes with reflections on the meanings of survival and some of the costs of surviving an evil homophobic environment

When Do Opponents of Gay Rights Mobilize? Explaining Political Participation in Times of Backlash against Liberalism

Existing research suggests that supporters of gay rights have outmobilized their opponents, leading to policy changes in advanced industrialized democracies. At the same time, we observe the diffusion of state-sponsored homophobia in many parts of the world. The emergence of gay rights as a salient political issue in global politics leads us to ask, “Who is empowered to be politically active in various societies?” What current research misses is a comparison of levels of participation (voting and protesting) between states that make stronger and weaker appeals to homophobia. Voters face contrasting appeals from politicians in favor of and against gay rights globally. In an analysis of survey data from Europe and Latin America, we argue that the alignment between the norms of sexuality a state promotes and an individual’s personal attitudes on sexuality increases felt political efficacy. We find that individuals who are tolerant of homosexuality are more likely to participate in states with gay-friendly policies in comparison with intolerant individuals. The reverse also holds: individuals with low education levels that are intolerant of homosexuality are more likely to participate in states espousing political homophobia

Gay men’s experiences coming out online : a qualitative study

The current study employed qualitative methodology to investigate the experiences of 12 men who came out online, using Facebook. Analysis of coding data yielded several key themes. First, gay men discussed a range of experiences that influenced their online disclosure including homophobia, internalized homophobia, and previous salient sexual identity disclosures. Participants also commonly expressed a variety of goals and concerns about coming out online, including improving relationships and loss of friends. Finally, gay men identified several benefits to coming out on Facebook, including increased efficiency in coming out as compared to face-to-face disclosures, increased authenticity, and decreased ambiguity about their sexuality. Results are discussed within the context of literature on men’s coming-out experiences, men and masculinity and online identity management.Educational Psycholog

Battling the big one: LGBTQ inclusive art education during the Trump era

Recently, because of our new political atmosphere, there have been many attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, or LGBTQ+, individuals and communities. Even though there have been positive developments in the past few years, homophobia is still a major concern for many people in the Unit- ed States. These issues often manifest themselves to a greater degree within the microcosm of public schools where LGBTQ+ students are forced to deal with hateful speech, heteronorma- tive environments, and rampant homophobia. These strugglescan have harmful e ects on the social and emotional develop- ment of queer youth. Progressive and inclusive art educationthat provides re ective and thoughtful creative projects may aidin identity development, increase self-esteem, and encourage activism, thus helping to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ youth and educators

Case Study: Out of the Box: Queer Youth in South Africa Today

Describes LGBTI youths' challenges in negotiating being gay in a straight environment, lack of inclusive policy, and effects of homophobia; youths' perspectives on efforts toward change; and ways to build their confidence in youth groups and at school

The effects of an eight-hour affective education program on fear of Aids and homophobia in student nurses

Research was conducted to determine the relationship between fear of AIDS and homophobia, and to determine the effects of an eight-hour affective education program in reducing homophobia and fear of AIDS in associate degree nursing students (n = 22). The Neuman Systems Model guided the study and a portion of Bandura\u27s social learning theory provided the framework for the education intervention; A quasi-experimental time-series design (pretest/posttest I/posttest II) with a control group was used. Instruments to measure homophobia and fear of AIDS were the Homophobia Scale and the Fear of AIDS Scale developed by Bouton and colleagues (1987); Within group comparisons of fear of AIDS and homophobia were made utilizing Pearson r. There was no statistically significant correlation found between measures of homophobia and fear of AIDS. To determine the effects of an eight-hour affective education program on homophobia and fear of AIDS, paired t-tests were computed. There was no statistically significant decrease of homophobia or fear of AIDS in the experimental group (n = 11) or the control group (n = 11). The hypothesis was that homophobia and fear of AIDS would be decreased in the experimental group as a result of the affective education program. Instead, the experimental group actually had an increase in homophobia and fear of AIDS

HUBUNGAN ANTARA DUKUNGAN SOSIAL DAN KOMITMEN BERAGAMA DENGAN INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA PADA LESBIAN

Lesbian masih mengalami penolakan di masyarakat terutama pada masyarakat heterosexism. Hal ini mengakibatkan timbulnyainternalized homophobia dalam diri lesbian. Internalized homophobia adalah sebuah perasaan dan pikiran negatif yang dimiliki kaum homoseksual terhadap dirinya sendiri karena identitasnya sebagai homoseksual yang diwujudkan dalam penyangkalan diri, rendah diri dan menyembunyikan identitasnya sebagai homoseksual. Berbagai faktor penyebab munculnya internalized homophobia adalah dukungan sosial dan komitmen beragama. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji hubungan antara dukungan sosial dan komitmen beragama dengan internalized homophobia. Subjek pada penelitian ini adalah 42 lesbian di Surabaya yang diambil dengan menggunakan teknik snowball sampling. Pengambilan datadilakukan dengan menggunakan angket dukungan sosial, komitmen beragama, dan internalized homophobia. Hipotesis penelitian diuji dengan teknik korelasi Spearman rank Order. Hasil pengolahan data diperoleh bahwa tingkat dukungan sosial pada sampel penelitian dominan dalam kategori sedang (40.5%) dan tingkat komitmen beragama dominan kategori tinggi (50%) sedangkan tingkat internalized homophobia dominan dalam kategori sedang (47.6%) dan cenderung rendah (33.3%). Dari hasil uji hipotesis diketahui bahwa tidak ada hubungan antara antara dukungan sosial dengan internalized homophobia pada lesbian (r=0.006; p=0.972). Selanjutnya, tidak ada hubungan antara komitmen beragama dengan internalized homophobia pada lesbian (r=0.173; p=0,273). Internalized homophobia,dukungan sosial, komitmen beragama, lesbian

Hegemony and the internalisation of homophobia caused by heteronormativity

The aim of the article is to focus on hegemony as it relates to the issue of sexuality and the trauma imposed on sexual minorities. A point of departure is that social identity theories can shed light on homophobia. The article argues that an empathic approach to those traumatised by internalised homophobia calls for a gay-friendly psychotherapy/analysis. The article reflects particularly on how heteronormativity maintains homophobia. It also illustrates the relationship between homophobia and social scientific insights regarding personality types and gender. The concepts homophobia and the internalisation of homophobia are discussed by focusing on aspects such as personality types and violence. The article finds that blind submission to heteronormativity, an outdated social construct, traumatises those who do not conform to the hetero norm, in two ways: hegemony is one consequence, and internalised homophobia is another. HTS Theological Studies Vol. 63 (1) 2007: pp. 1-1

HUBUNGAN ANTARA DUKUNGAN SOSIAL DAN KOMITMEN BERAGAMA DENGAN INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA PADA LESBIAN

Lesbian masih mengalami penolakan di masyarakat terutama pada masyarakat heterosexism. Hal ini mengakibatkan timbulnyainternalized homophobia dalam diri lesbian. Internalized homophobia adalah sebuah perasaan dan pikiran negatif yang dimiliki kaum homoseksual terhadap dirinya sendiri karena identitasnya sebagai homoseksual yang diwujudkan dalam penyangkalan diri, rendah diri dan menyembunyikan identitasnya sebagai homoseksual. Berbagai faktor penyebab munculnya internalized homophobia adalah dukungan sosial dan komitmen beragama. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji hubungan antara dukungan sosial dan komitmen beragama dengan internalized homophobia. Subjek pada penelitian ini adalah 42 lesbian di Surabaya yang diambil dengan menggunakan teknik snowball sampling. Pengambilan datadilakukan dengan menggunakan angket dukungan sosial, komitmen beragama, dan internalized homophobia. Hipotesis penelitian diuji dengan teknik korelasi Spearman rank Order. Hasil pengolahan data diperoleh bahwa tingkat dukungan sosial pada sampel penelitian dominan dalam kategori sedang (40.5%) dan tingkat komitmen beragama dominan kategori tinggi (50%) sedangkan tingkat internalized homophobia dominan dalam kategori sedang (47.6%) dan cenderung rendah (33.3%). Dari hasil uji hipotesis diketahui bahwa tidak ada hubungan antara antara dukungan sosial dengan internalized homophobia pada lesbian (r=0.006; p=0.972). Selanjutnya, tidak ada hubungan antara komitmen beragama dengan internalized homophobia pada lesbian (r=0.173; p=0,273). Internalized homophobia,dukungan sosial, komitmen beragama, lesbian