Below are some questions to help guide your discussion on the oppression of individuals who are LGBTQQIPA2+. Provide answers to each question below.

1. Identify 3 take-aways (important things to remember) from this week’s recorded lecture and explain how you will apply these reminders in social work practice.
2. In the video, Heteronormativity – Today’s Homophobia, how does the speaker describe heteronormativity and its effects.
3. In the video, How I help transgender teens become who they want to be, what does the speaker explain is the 12, 16, 18 hormone plan? Why is this knowledge important for social workers?
4. In the video, This is what LGBT life looks like across the world, which individual’s story was most interesting to you and why?

Note: Respond to at least two other classmate’s questions, then provide a rejoinder to at least one comment on your own original post.  The point of this is to facilitate an actual back-and-forth discussion so you’re interacting with the course materials, with each other, and with me. To give your colleagues enough time to respond, please make your original post by Wednesday, and responses/rejoinders are due Sunday by midnight.

https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_weinger_heteronormativity_today_s_homophobia_please_replace_other_version

https://www.ted.com/talks/norman_spack_how_i_help_transgender_teens_become_who_they_want_to_be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivfJJh9y1UI

Oppression of
LGBTQQIAP2+

People

Definitions
• Heterocentrism: expectations and behaviors that people are heterosexual
• Heterosexism: a discriminatory attitude towards homosexuals, favor and

privilege to opposite sex relations
• Homophobia: unreasoning fear, dislike, or hatred of sexual minorities

üResult of heterosexism which has been an ideological system
• Homo-ignorance: minimal level of encounter resulting from lack of knowledge
• Homo-negativity : discriminatory attitudes and behavior resulting from stereotypical beliefs

that stigmatize gay, lesbian, and bisexual
• Homo-hatred: active form of discrimination and prejudice stemming from strongly held

religious beliefs.

Gay and Lesbian Population
• Gay and Lesbian individuals are increasingly

represented in census
• Not totally accurate

• Gay and lesbian families live in 99.3 percent of all
counties in the United States
• Historic Discriminatory Policy:
• Marriage
• Employment
• Partner benefits
• Adoption

Wisconsin Senator
Tammy Baldwin

Oklahoma State Senator
Al McCaffrey

Sexual Identity
• Sexual Orientation: describes emotional, physical and/or sexual attraction to an individuals sex
• Sexual Preference: Describes the sexual interests of the individual

• No longer used as synonymous to sexual orientation which is considered innate not choice

• Sexual Identity: how one identifies their sexuality
• Behavior is not consistent with identity

• Men who have Sex with Men vs. Gay Men

•Heterosexual
•Marital
•Monogamous
•Reproductive
•Noncommercial
•Coupled relational

Privileged Sexuality:

LGBT Universal Processes
• LGBT individuals share several psychosocial

processes
• Identification and confrontation of sexual differences
• Socialization in the gay and lesbian communities
• Self-identification or coming out to self and others
• Sexual experimentation
• Development of a sexual identity
• Nurturance of sexual and intimate relationships
• Formation of families of choice
• Coupling and separating
• Raising children

Transgender and Gender Nonconforming

• Transgender: when gender identity
differs from

biological sex

• varying sexual orientations ranging

from heterosexual to bisexual to
homosexual
• Gender Nonconforming: individuals

who cross over or challenge
traditional gender roles or
expectations
• Cisgender: gender identity matches

biological sex

Historical Oppression in Context

• Overt Societal Discrimination for Sexual
Orientation remains permissible
• Heterocentrism, heterosexism and

homophobia shapes the context of
psychosocial development of LGBTQIA
people
• Produce barriers to:
• Individual identity development
• Coping ability
• Adaptation to Social and Psychological Social

Status Stressors

The Roots of Oppression

• Socially Constructed Gender Ideology

üAll human sexual behavior is socially
scripted behavior
üRely on historically bound socio-cultural

definitions
üGender role conformity differs within or across

cultures.
üIdeologies related to sexuality and gender

hold hierarchical roles together
üHeterosexuality is equated with “normal”

masculinity and “normal” femininity:
Homosexuality violates norms.

The Roots of Oppression

•Heterosexual Privilege
üHeterosexism is a system of

advantages over heterosexuals
üReligion, law, psychiatry play key

roles in teaching and reinforcing
gender
üProblematic to gay and lesbian social

role functioning
üRely on Stereotypes of GLBTQIA

The Roots of Oppression
•Religion
• Values patriarchy and

heterosexuality
• Foundation for homophobia and

heterosexism
• Support the social order
• Judeo-Christian roots of the legal

system
• Social construction within religion

is evident: The words
homosexual, homosexuality, and
sodomite do not appear in the
Bible until 1946.

The Roots of Oppression

• Psychiatry/Psychology
• Labeled as dysfunctional, deviant, or a social

problem.
• Mentally and physically deviant
• Unconvinced of naturalness of homosexuality.
• 20% of practicing therapists treat

homosexuality as a mental illness
• despite fact that it is not classified as such

since 1973
• Gender dysphoria diagnosis is controversial

The Roots of Oppression

•Law and Policy
•Disenfranchisement
through exclusion.
• Current attention to:
• Workplace protections
• Parental recognition
• Religious exemption
• Youth law and policy
• Health and safety
• Correct name and gender on

documents

2017 LGBT
Equality by State

• Violence and Gay Bashing
• Victims are less likely to report

crimes because of individual
family and friend stigma.

• 80s & 90s: anti-gay violence
paralleled the increased attacks
against women and against ethnic,
religious, and racial minorities.
• LGBTQIA violence increased after

marriage equality laws passed
• Trans* women of color are at the

highest risk for physical and sexual
assault and murder.

Internalized Homophobia
• Gay men and lesbians are taught to hate

themselves
• Internalized Homophobia:
• A set of negative attitudes and affects

towards homosexuality in other persons
and towards homosexual features in
oneself

• A core construct in understanding gay
and lesbian affirmative psychology and
often in developing a focus for clinical
intervention