Pride 2020: LGBTQ+ Mental Health
LGBTQ+
Happy Pride from SIOV! We are proud to be LGBTQ+ allies and advocates. Even though we can’t come together in person due to the pandemic, there are so many ways we can still uplift, support and love each other.
Image Source: Mental Health America
Risks to LGBTQ+ Mental Health and General Wellbeing
The LGBTQ + community faces unique challenges for mental health and fundamental risks in daily life.The fight for equality, dignity, safety and civil rights that finally started gaining traction during the Stonewall riots is far from over.
Riah Milton
Dominique Fells
Tony McDade
Nina Pop
Monika Diamond
Systemic Bias for LGBTQ+ Mental Health Care
Countless other precious lives are snuffed by ignorance and hate just for being who they are, with transgender people of color murdered at an astronomically higher rate:
- Nearly 1 in 5 hate crimes are rooted in anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, the FBI has calculated since 2017.
- LGBTQ+ youth contemplate suicide at 3x the average rate, with suicide being the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10-24 – The Trevor Project
- “Homosexuality” wasn’t fully removed from the DSM until 1987.
Via Psychology Today:
“In the 1950s and 1960s, some therapists employed aversion therapy of the kind featured in A Clockwork Orange to “cure” male homosexuality. This typically involved showing patients pictures of naked men while giving them electric shocks or drugs to make them vomit, and, once they could no longer bear it, showing them pictures of naked women or sending them out on a “date” with a young nurse. Needless to say, these cruel and degrading methods proved entirely ineffective.
First published in 1968, DSM-II (the second edition of the American classification of mental disorders) listed “homosexuality” as a mental disorder. In this, the DSM followed in a long tradition in medicine and psychiatry, which in the 19th century appropriated “homosexuality” from the Church and, in an élan of enlightenment, promoted it from sin to mental disorder.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) asked all members attending its convention to vote on whether they believed homosexuality to be a mental disorder. 5,854 psychiatrists voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and 3,810 to retain it.
The APA then compromised, removing homosexuality from the DSM but replacing it, in effect, with “sexual orientation disturbance” for people “in conflict with” their sexual orientation. Not until 1987 did homosexuality completely fall out of the DSM.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) only removed “homosexuality” from its ICD classification with the publication of ICD-10 in 1992, although ICD-10 still carries the construct of “ego-dystonic sexual orientation”. In this condition, the person is not in doubt about his or her sexual preference, but “wishes it were different because of associated psychological and behavioural disorders”.
The evolution of the status of “homosexuality” in the classifications of mental disorders highlights that concepts of mental disorder can be rapidly evolving social constructs that change as society changes. Today, the standard of psychotherapy in the U.S. and Europe is gay affirmative psychotherapy, which encourages gay people to accept their sexual orientation.”
Until 33 years ago, openly existing as LGBTQ+ was classified as a mental illness, enabling abusive “conversion therapy” from electroshock therapy to forced psychiatric incarceration. These horrific practices continue to this day in for-profit, unlicensed facilities.
Let that sink in.
Recent Policy Changes That Impact the LGBTQ+ Community
Just recently, on June 12th 2020, the government eliminated regulations protecting transgender people from healthcare discrimination.
“The Trump administration on Friday finalized a rule that would remove nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people when it comes to health care and health insurance.
“HHS respects the dignity of every human being, and as we have shown in our response to the pandemic, we vigorously protect and enforce the civil rights of all to the fullest extent permitted by our laws as passed by Congress,” said Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, in a written statement announcing that the HHS rule had become final. The rule is set to go into effect by mid-August.
It is one of many rules and regulations put forward by the Trump administration that defines “sex discrimination” as only applying when someone faces discrimination for being female or male, and does not protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The rule focuses on nondiscrimination protections laid out in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. That federal law established that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of “race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities.” In 2016, an Obama-era rule explained that protections regarding “sex” encompass those based on gender identity, which it defined as “male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female.”
[…]The Trump rule makes changes to gender-based discrimination protections beyond Section 1557 of the ACA; it affects regulations pertaining to access to health insurance, for example, including cost-sharing, health plan marketing and benefits. The rule could also mean that those seeking an abortion could be denied care if performing the procedure violates the provider’s moral or religious beliefs.
[…]Under the new rule, a transgender person could, for example, be refused care for a checkup at a doctor’s office, said Lindsey Dawson, associate director of HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Other possible scenarios include a transgender man being denied treatment for ovarian cancer, or a hysterectomy not being covered by an insurer — or costing more when the procedure is related to someone’s gender transition.”
These regulations kept people alive. This is unacceptable.
Just a week later, however, America took a huge step forwards toward true equality with a Supreme Court ruling that protects the LGBTQ+ community professionally.
Via Politico,
In a historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex. The ruling was 6-3, with Justice Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s first appointee to the court, writing the majority opinion. The opinion was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s four liberal justices.
“Today,” Gorsuch said, “we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear.” He found such discrimination is barred by the language in the 1964 law that bans discrimination in employment based on race, religion, national origin or sex.
LGBTQ+ Resources
Despite barriers to mental healthcare like social stigma, cost and accessibility, YOU deserve the support you need. Check out our general mental health resources page and our COVID-19 resource hub for more. and dedicated organizations fighting for you every day, both nationally and locally in the DMV:
The Trevor Project — Saving Young LGBTQ Lives
Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 : “Our trained counselors are here to support you 24/7. If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk, call the TrevorLifeline now”
Human Rights Campaign: Advocating for LGBTQ Equality
Homepage | GLSEN
GLSEN believes that every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education.
“Our goal is to be a safe and welcoming place for you to receive excellent care and services.Our mission is to offer affirming community-based health and wellness services to all with a special expertise in LGBTQ and HIV care. We empower all persons to live healthy, love openly, and achieve equality and inclusion.”
SIOV Stands in LGBTQ+ Solidarity
To our LGBT+ community, you are never alone, or less than, or forgotten. Like our mental health, sexuality and gender identity should never be a source of shame.
SIOV is here for you, as your fullest, truest self, and we always will be. You deserve physical, emotional, and mental wellness. As an organization, we are committed to helping every person in our community tap into their inner resilience and develop sources of strength to rely on.
We are proud to be in this together. We are proud of you. We will always fight for you.
