Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Flashcards
What year was homosexuality (gross indecency and buggery) taken out of the Criminal Code of Canada?
1973
What year did Pierre Elliot Trudeau decriminalize consensual same-sex activity? what is controversial about it today?
1969 - separated the state from the bedroom (21yrs+)
- today it is still prohibited except for people 18+, 2 people, consensual and private
anal sex is still in the criminal code of Canada - illegal if you are under 18 and more than 2 people… BUT the age of consent for vaginal sex is 16, so there is still discrimination against same-sex couples in the criminal code
What year was homosexuality declassified as a psychopathology in the DSM?
1987
In 1973 homosexuality as a psychopathology (DSM-2) was termed ego-dystonic homosexuality (DSM-3) until 1987 so there were some changes
What year did the WHO declassify homosexuality as a mental health disorder?
1990 - not that long ago!!!
What is the fruit machine?
- Invented by a professor at Carleton
- Lie detector
- It tried to weed out the gays from the government of Canada employees, if you were gay you were a liability
- They lost their jobs, their homes, everything
In relation to transgender and non-binary people, which generation has a higher percentage of them? Why do we think?
Millennials and Gen Z
- Over time, the acceptance and understanding of gender and sexual diversity have evolved
- Laws and policies for protection
- The ability to come out or self-identify is taken more freely and comfortably by Millennials and Gen Z (younger generations) than the baby boomers who would not feel safe in the past and are still hesitant
Why is sexual diversity and youth interesting to the Government, Canadians, researchers, health, and social sciences?
- Gender and sexual attraction as a dimension of sexual orientation are important determinants of health among youth
- Studies have found that nonbinary, transgender, Two-Spirit, and sexual minority persons in Canada face a broad range of health and social inequities compared to cisgender and heterosexual persons
Reasons for creating new words and definitions
- to surveille and control or historically pathologize gender diversity that’s outside the norm
- created to speak of our experiences and translate, connect, and build that bridge across different experiences so that we understand each other and do better by each other
What terms are used extensively in research to describe people, especially trans?
“assigned female at birth”
“assigned male at birth”
Meyer’s Minority Stress Model
- suggests that differences in the prevalence of mental health problems among non-heterosexual and non-cisgender populations can be explained as a consequence of social stigma, as well as other specific stressors.
- The distress experienced by members of these groups is the result of prolonged stress which, over time, leads to psychological dysfunction and impairment.
- experiencing social exclusion -> inc exposure to stressors
- overexposure to stressors dec the ability to regulate emotions and cope
- this leads to neg consequences on relationships and ability to maintain social support (ex: if people look at you weird all the time you will self isolate)
- cognitive processes may be affected (ex: negative mindset, lens for which we view the world is warped:
- inc vulnerability (risk) of developing psychopathologies
Microaggressions
- subtle forms of discrimination that include antisocial or demeaning messaging, typically towards or about socially marginalized groups, and frequently unconsciously or unintentionally.
- has consequences on individuals’ ability to feel safe, accepted, and valued in society
Microinvalidations
comments that exclude, negate, or render impossible the psychological thoughts, feelings, or reality experienced by members of a marginalized group.
Like a big society gaslight, “what you experience and who you say you are… I don’t believe you”
recognized as the most dangerous forms of microaggressions for mental health:
- make them question, doubt, and not have a good relationship with their ability to trust their gut and instinct
- It denies their realities and tells them that there’s no such thing as heterosexism or transphobia
Ex: Telling someone in a same-gender relationship they are overreacting, when they tell you they’re afraid to hold hands with their partner in public
Microassaults
more similar to commonly recognizable “traditional” forms of discrimination but the context surrounding microassaults includes specific conditions that act in the perpetrator’s favour (the person has no accountability and no risk)
Ex: Leaving anonymous comments online that aim to demean, mock, or insult individuals based on their minority status: “Ew, she looks like a man!” next to a picture of your lesbian cousin’s wedding ceremony.
Microinsults
nonpliments: an insult disguised as a compliment
- statements or actions that might demean or devalue an individual’s marginalized identity
Ex: Telling a trans woman that she looks like a “real woman” and expecting her to take it as a compliment. Despite good intentions, this wording implies that, in your opinion, trans women are not “real” women
Ex: “You’re cute for a trans guy”
Microaffirmations
small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others succeed - very beneficial
Example:
When Joel’s father-in-law (a traditional catholic man) introduced him to a colleague in passing as his son’s husband
- Felt seen and valued by his father-in-law and felt like he belonged
