August BIPOC Highlight, 5th Edition: Medical Wonders x Each Mind Collab

Welcome to the last edition of August’s BIPOC highlight! For this edition, we have a special treat for you! We collaborated with the youth organization Each Mind to bring you articles about LGBTQ+ Mental Health. Scroll below to learn about the LGBTQ+ stigma, health education, conversion therapy, and the Trump Administration’s discrimination on the LGBTQ+ Community!

Each Mind is a youth-run organization dedicated to changing the me mindset on mental health by enriching dialogue, advocating for policy reform, and fighting to make treatment accessible to everyone.

Stigma on Being LGBTQ+

by Ciara Balanza from Each Mind 

Despite the progress in recent decades, societal stigma surrounding the  LGBTQ+ community is still rampant. People often use religion as an argument to label LGBTQ+ people as “morally wrong”, aiming to justify their discrimination. There are also several common misconceptions surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, causing the subject to remain taboo in many places. In addition, mass consumer media such as movies, TV shows, and books often rely on stereotypes and tropes to portray LGBTQ+ characters. Combined with the lack of education on LGBTQ+ identity and subjects, many people hold misinformed and negative views towards LGBTQ+ people. 

This causes discrimination purely on the basis of gender identity and sexual orrientation – a mindset that affects LGBTQ+ representation in both the workplace and in education. In the US, despite the legalization of same sex marriage and the protection from employer discrimination for trans people, there are still large gaps in the prevention of bias against the LGBTQ+ community. This bias inhibits LGBTQ+ people from being given opportunities and advancements. Furthermore, due to the economic disadvantages faced by LGBTQ+ people, there must be an effort to reach out to these communities. This bias and prejudice also leads to LGBTQ+ people being the victims of detrimental verbal and physical attacks. 

Unfortunately, there are higher rates of mental health problems in LGBTQ+ people. This has been found to be associated with the oppression that LGBTQ+ people face rather than struggles with their identity itself. Due to the stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, many individuals do not feel comfortable enough to come out and express themselves fully to their family and community. In doing so, they are often the target of bullying and even conversion attempts, which leads to degrading self-esteem and mood. 

Conversion Therapy and its Detrimental Effects

By Avantika Samanta from MW

The stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community has led to the creation of methods that attempt to  change or “cure” the sexual orientation/gender identity of LGBTQ+ youth- one example being conversion therapy. Conversion therapists use emotionally traumatic and physically painful tactics to make their “patients” associate the painful stimuli with their identity. Some tactics include being subjected to invalid medications such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, or in more extreme cases, performing ritual cleanses, exorcism, force feeding, isolation, electric shock therapy, and more. Based on the extreme and cruel human suffering caused by conversion therapy, organizations including the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and the Independent Forensic Expert Group (IFEG) have concluded that the practice is unscientific and violates the global ban on torture and ill treatment. The fact that this still occurs to this day is incredibly saddening.

This dangerous and stigmatizing practice has also been condemned by every major medical and mental health association across the United States, yet it is still practiced by many people. It has been proven to be insufficient, as it is based on the false notion that being LGBTQ+ is a mental illness. Conversion therapy hasn’t worked, and will not achieve its intended foal, because being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is not an “illness” that can be “cured”. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) concluded in 1973 that homosexuality is not a mental illness. Conversion therapy leads to negative health consequences including depression, anxiety, and many self detsructive behaviours. Those who experienced conversion therapy have been shown to experience a sharp incline in suicidal tendencies. Conversion therapy only increases the amount of shame and stigma that LGBTQ+ youth face daily, and increases the chances of suicide by eight times. The cruel practice of conversion therapy is not only physically harmful but dangers the mental health of the LGBTQ+ youth. The IFEG concluded that health proffesionals who still practice conversion therapy are not only doing practicing nonscientific methods, but are also contributing to the systematic repression of their patients on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity. Several organizations are calling out state authorities and governments who are yet to ban conversion therapy, as states have a responsibility to regulate all health and education services. Bringing an end to conversion therapy will ultimately make the world a safer place for all people and bring the world  just one step closer towards equality. 

Health education on LGBTQ+ identity

By Crystal Widado from Each Mind

Sexual health education across the US has already been criticized harshly for not being medically accurate and not mandatory nation-wide. Having a non-mandatory sexual education system does not represent public interest, as sexual health education is widely supported to be taught to youth. According to Planned Parenthood, around 93% of parents support having sex education taught in middle school and 96% of parents support having sex education taught in highschool. What is also disturbing about the lack of sexual health education is its non-inclusivity for LGBTQ+ students. The sexual health education that a large majority of students receive in school is not inclusive to LGBTQ+ students, as only 9 of 50 states require LGBTQ+ identities and relationships to be affirming, while 7 southern states currently either prohibit the discussion around LGBTQ+ sexual health or are even required to portray them in a negative light. The lack of diverse sexual and gender indentity inclusivity in our sexual health education system also creates a gap of self-efficacy in sex between different sexualitiies. A study conducted on the sexual health information disparities between heterosexual and LGBTQ+ young adults found that most LGBTQ+ participants felt significantly less confident in sexual health practices compared to heterosexual participants. The US must close this gap of information between LGBTQ+ youth and cis hetereosexual youth in its fight for a more expansive sexual health education system.

Having a non-LGBTQ+ affirmative sexual education system can be incredibly stigmatizing for both closeted and out LGBTQ+ teens, which puts them at greater risk for unhealthy relationships in their future. According to research conducted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and Planned Parenthood, LGBTQ+ youth already have a limited number of trusted adults that they can speak to about their sexual health. The lack of an inclusive sexual health education system leads LGBTQ+ youth to not only feel more alone and stigmatized with their sexual or gender identity, but can lead them to rely on less accurate and non age-appropriate sources for vital information. Non-LGBTQ+ affirmative sexual education also often don’t coincide with the majority of parents who support sexual orientation as a part of sex educaiton. Bigoted and in fear of being “inappropriate”, these mindsets only increases the risk for negative sexual health outcomes for all LGBTQ+ youth and increases the risk for a hostile school environment. It is important to remember to include all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, in our fight for a more informative and effective sexual health education system.

Transgender Healthcare Discrimination under the Trump Administration

By Crystal Widado from Each Mind

Discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in the US healthcare system often targets transgender individuals. Under the Trump administration, there have been several attempts to discriminate against transgender individuals. Most recently, the administration rolled back the previous protections of LGBTQ+ people in healthcare and insurance. Under these previous regulations, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prohibited sex discrimination in healthcare and also included anti-transgender driscrimination. This meant it would be easier for transgender people to get access to the quality healthcare needed from hospitals, doctors’ offices, and most insurance companies. Under the rollback of the Trump administration, the director of the Office for Civil rights at the HHS argued that the rule should be based solely on biological sex. Howver, the Trump adminitration defines “sex discrimination” as only applying to discrimination within a binary gender system (female or male), but refuses to protect people from the discrmination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. According to a NPR report, without these protections, a transgender person could be denied care or a checkup at a doctors’ office and furthermore, have their health insurance be affected negatively. 

This rollback in healthcare protection is cruel to transgender people in multiple ways. In the midst of a global pandemic where everyone needs access to safe and reliable healthcare, removing these protections is inhumane. This move by the Trump administration has been heavily criticized by major organizations, including the American Medical Association, which stated, “The federal government should never make it more difficult for individuals to access health care, during a pandemic or any other time”. Furthermore, the ACLU tweeted that it would fight against the new regulation.

 Even in non-pandemic times, transgender people are already socio-economically disadvantaged compared to the general population. According to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organization, better known as GLAAD, 15% of transgender people are already living in poverty compared to 4% of the general population. Even more concerning, 19% of transgender people report lacking any form of health insurance. Healthcare is also extremely important to the mental health of transgender people, as a study by the National Center for Transgender Equality showed that 75% of transgender people had improved mental health after receiving gender-confirming treatment, and observed a drop of 10% drop in suicide rates. 

Healthcare protections for transgender people isn’t just beneficial, but necessary. Luckily, one day before the rollback was set to take place, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from removing the protections. In a preliminary injunction, the US District Court Judge announced that the administration’s new rules contradicted the recent Supreme Court’s ruling to  end discrmination against LGBTQ+ employees. Although saved, this fight is not over. As the Trump administration continually tries to attack one of the most vulnerable members of our society, the fight for equal access to healthcare doesn’t stop here. Ending transgender discrimination in healthcare is crucial in our fight to make medical healthcare and mental healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone. 

Works Cited:

“The Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People.” American Civil Liberties Union, http://www.aclu.org/other/rights-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-people.

Simmons-Duffin, Selena. “Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration.” NPR, NPR, 12 June 2020, http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/12/868073068/transgender-health-protections-reversed-by-trump-administration.

“Trump Administration Plan to Roll Back Health Care Nondiscrimination Regulation: Frequently Asked Questions.” National Center for Transgender Equality, 27 Apr. 2020, transequality.org/HCRL-FAQ.

“End Healthcare Discrimination for Transgender People.” GLAAD, 11 July 2014, http://www.glaad.org/healthcare.

“Trump Administration Scraps Transgender Health Care Protections” Deutsche Welle, 13 June. 2020, http://www.dw.com/en/trump-administration-scraps-transgender-health-care-protections/a-53793918.

Schmidt, Samantha. “Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Ending Transgender Health-Care Protections.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Aug. 2020, http://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/08/17/federal-judge-blocks-trump-administration-ending-transgender-healthcare-protections/.

Human, Rights Campaign. “The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity.” HRC, 2020, http://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy.

International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, Jorge Aroche. “Conversion Therapy Is Torture.” International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, 19 Aug. 2020, irct.org/media-and-resources/latest-news/article/1027.

Rajski, Peggy. “About Conversion Therapy.” The Trevor Project, 11 Sept. 2018, http://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-involved/trevor-advocacy/50-bills-50-states/about-conversion-therapy/.

Shurka, Mathew, et al. “Born Perfect.” National Center for Lesbian Rights, 2 June 2020, http://www.nclrights.org/our-work/born-perfect/.

“State of Sex Education in USA: Health Education in Schools.” Planned Parenthood, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/for-educators/whats-state-sex-education-us.

Stenson, Alyssa. “Why LGBTQ Youth Need Sex Education.” GLAAD, 14 Feb. 2020, http://www.glaad.org/amp/queering-sex-education-and-safe-sex-practices.

Charest, Maxime, et al. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Aug. 2016, http://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/cjhs.252-A9.
“A Call to Action: LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education.” HRC, http://www.hrc.org/resources/a-call-to-action-lgbtq-youth-need-inclusive-sex-education.