LGBTQ Mental Health and Wellbeing Flashcards
What does LGBTQI stand for?
LGBTQI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex. There’s also A for asexual and SP for spirit people in North America.
What is intersex?
Intersex is used to describe individuals born with ambiguous external genitalia, making it difficult to determine the sex of the baby.
Who is LGBTQI used to describe?
LGBTQI describes anyone who does not identify as heterosexual or cis-gendered. The term queer is also used as an umbrella term.
How much of the UK population is LGBTQI?
Approximately 5-7% of the UK population identifies as LGBTQI.
Why worry about LGBTQIA+ health?
The group has greater health needs and poorer health outcomes: 52% of LGBT people in Britain experienced depression in the past year; 3/5 experience anxiety; 13% of LGBT people aged 18-24 have attempted suicide in the last year; almost half of trans people have considered suicide in the past year.
What are the specific health needs which may not be met for LGBTQI people?
1/7 LGBT people have avoided seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination; 1/8 have experienced unequal treatment; 1/4 have witnessed negative remarks from healthcare staff; 1/10 have been outed without consent; 1/20 have been pressured to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
What is conversion therapy?
Conversion therapy is any attempt to correct or reverse someone’s sexuality or gender identity, and it is condemned by the Royal College of Psychiatrists as being very harmful.
What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is clinically significant distress or impairment relating to a strong feeling of being a gender other than that assigned at birth.
Can gender dysphoria be treated?
Yes, it can be effectively treated with aligning and affirming therapies, including hormonal treatment and supporting social transition. Suppression of puberty in adolescents can reduce suicidality.
What is dysphoria in queer people?
Dysphoria is similarly experienced by those who identify as queer but feel unable to express their authentic queerness, which relates to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.
How does body dysmorphia differ in gay men vs heterosexual men?
Gay men are more likely to have body dysmorphia compared to heterosexual men.
What was the Buggery Act (1553) in England?
The Buggery Act resulted in a system for prosecuting and sometimes executing people found guilty of anal penetration and bestiality, involving medical examinations to prove guilt.
How was homosexuality described in France in 1791?
Homosexuality was described as ‘crimes against nature,’ with physicians involved in confirming or diagnosing gay people via medical examinations.
What was the significance of the medical profession in the persecution of gay people?
The medical profession was involved in confirming or diagnosing gay people, contributing to their persecution and criminalization.
What were the proposed causes of homosexuality from the 19th Century onwards?
Proposed causes included sexual inversion, neuroendocrine hermaphrodites, and the Oedipus complex, which Freud described as a phobia towards heteronormative sexual practices.
What did the WHO classify homosexuality as before 2019?
Before 2019, the WHO classified homosexuality as a mental disorder in the International Classification of Diseases.
When was the last execution for homosexuality in the UK?
The last execution for homosexuality occurred in 1835 under the Buggery Act, with the Offences Against the Person Act enacted in 1861
What does the Wolfenden Report (1957) state?
The Wolfenden Report states that homosexuality is not punishable if it occurs in private.
What does the Sexual Offences Act (1967) state?
The Sexual Offences Act (1967) allowed limited decriminalization of homosexuality in private between two people over the age of 21, with limits overturned by the European Court of Human Rights in 2000.
What does Section 28 (1988) of the Local Governments Act state?
Section 28 outlawed activities that might normalize or promote homosexuality, resulting in censorship of sex education, library literature, and teaching. It was repealed in 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England.
What are some significant acts related to LGBTQI rights in the UK?
2000: HM Armed Forces removed ban; 2002: Adoption & Children Act; 2004: Gender Recognition Act; 2008: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act; 2009: equalization of age of consent.
When was same-sex marriage legalized in the UK, and what is the exception?
Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2014, with the exception of Northern Ireland.
What is the minority stress theory?
Minority stress theory explains why marginalized groups, including LGBT individuals, might experience disproportionate rates of mental distress.
What are the two types of stressors in minority stress theory?
The two types of stressors are distal stressors, which involve exclusion and isolation (prejudice), and proximal stressors, which are internal processes following exposure to distal stressors (response).
