Long Term Effects Of Discrimination In The LGBT Community

Statistics show that over 85% of the members of the LGBT community are bullied because of their sexual orientation. Sadly, this is yet another example of discrimination toward a group because they happen to be different. Many people don't realize the long term effects this kind of discriminatory behavior can have on a person in the LGBT community psychologically. The words of hatred resonate with them for a while and can affect the way they perceive themselves. The worst part is the antagonist can vary from peers in school, or family members at home. I personally dealt with both, like when my schoolmates would bully me and call me names, or follow me around and tell me what a discussing person I was. That all really made me feel terrible,

I couldn't help the insecurities creeping in, and sooner or later I let her words become my truth. It changed the way I saw myself entirely. This is something that goes on in the LGBT community everyday, all over the world,and young homosexual males have reported high levels of victimization. Especially physical violence(Newcomb,204) This comes from the idea that society has placed that men must be this ultimate masculine alpha male that dominates everything in his path. And to go against the majority in America, is to dance with a mob of ignoramuses bringing the dance of death. Females on the other hand, get more of a indirect victimization. Some of the terrible forms of victimization that these researchers have pointed out that happen to the members of the LGBT community are "verbal threats and insults, being chased, having property damaged, and being physically or sexually assaulted."(Mustanski,209) . When this kind of bullying is forced upon someone, it starts to damage them psychologically, similar to what it did to me. In Mustanski's research, their sample had over one third of their participants reported psychological distress on a clinical level. That portion is made up of people who have to take medicine for their problems. the other two thirds is still very affected by this. All of this rejection leaves the person feeling very depressed and lonely. According to research, loneliness affects

I totally understand that everyone is different and everyone isn't as confident in themselves. But when one has to live in a world where everyone wants to put them down and bully them because they 're different, one will learn to disregard what others have to say about them. For me, this happened when I got back to my room, I was a wreck because I let this bitch make me feel like her not liking me was my fault. An epiphany occurred to me out of the blue and suddenly my tears stopped. I finally realized that she didn't have a problem with me, she had an eternal problem that I just couldn't see. It was at this moment that I realized, I can't let other people's opinions from my own opinions of myself. This helped me so much, because all the kids that bullied me in school just became irrelevant. I'm not going to lie, I still didn't like what they said, it's just after that altercation, I realized that none of their word were of any value. I wasn't looking to please my own flesh and blood, I damn sure wasn't going to try to impress someone's snot nosed ass child. I feel as though this was the point in my life where my confidence became my own. After that moment, I never needed anyone else's approval for me to feel satisfaction. Unfortunately, not everyone can take a message like that from this kind of