Mental and Physical Effects of Discrimination on the LGBTQ Communities

Mental and Physical Effects on the LGBTQ Communities Due to Discrimination
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Mental and Physical Effects on the LGBTQ Communities Due to Discrimination
Introduction
With the increasing levels of stigma, victimization, and discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex (LGBTQI+), members of this minority group face particular challenges in society (Wilson, C., & Cariola, 2020). In particular, prejudice and disparaging attitudes or discriminatory practices against the LGBTQ community have profound mental and physical health effects. Understanding these challenges that LGBTQ experience is critical in establishing better programs and social support services and addressing disproportionate mental health incidences among the population. Discrimination against the LGBTQ community affects these individuals’ mental and physical health more than most people know or care to realize.
Drydakis, N (2021). Sexual orientation discrimination
Purpose statement
Assessing the recruiter’s attitudes against gay men and the impacts of sexual orientation on labor market discrimination.
Hypothesis
Gay men experience constraints in occupational access and wage discrimination in labor markets.
Description of methods
Drydakis (2021) employs correspondence tests and replication of previous field experiments in Athens (December 2006 to September 2007) that aimed to quantify the extent of potential discrimination in occupational access and wage sorting in low-wage vacancies among gay members. Correspondence tests measure discrimination in the natural context of the recruitment process, starting from application screening to selecting candidates for job placements.
Results
Field experiments conducted between 2013 and 2014 and from 2019 to 2019 show that gay men experience discrimination more than in the earlier 2006 experiment. The results also indicate a relationship between monthly unemployment rates and access constraints to employment and wage sorting in jobs with lower remunerations for gay members. In terms of recruiters’ attitudes, the study indicates that an increase in taste and statistical-discrimination attitudes against gay individuals declines their chances of employment.
Strength
The author, Nick Drydakis, has published widely on the subject of sexual orientation and discrimination and conducted previous experiments that this study relies on.
Weakness
While the study results in present patterns, they do not represent the average sexual orientation minority individual because it focuses on the private sector. Besides, study participants were recruited from young and less-educated groups. Another limitation is that the study examines only four occupations: office jobs, industrial jobs, restaurant and café services, and shop sales. Finally, the study only focuses on gay individuals and not members of other sexual orientation minority groups such as lesbians.
How findings support the thesis statement
Findings that gay individuals face profound discrimination in the labor market support the thesis of this paper since unemployment is one of the factors that result in depression and other mental health conditions among the LGBTQ.
Pennasilico, A. & Amodeo, A. (2019). The Invisi_les
Purpose statement
Understanding the link between prejudice against bisexual people and their physical and mental health.
Hypothesis
Discrimination has diverse effects on the mental and physical outcomes of bisexual people.
Description of methods
The author employs a secondary research method in reviewing previous studies on the subject of bisexuality and discrimination.
Results
The bisexual population has worse mental and physical health outcomes compared to lesbian and gay populations. Bisexual discrimination falls under three different categories: bi-erasure, bisexual invisibility, and biphobia, which is distinct from homophobia. Bisexual discrimination is one of the causes of depressive symptoms that lead to risky behaviors such as attempted suicide. The population also faces stigmatization in healthcare, similar to gays and lesbians, as healthcare providers may not consider the possibility of individuals being bisexual, and this makes it difficult to understand one’s sexual history and possible health risks. The author also reports that bisexual people are less likely to disclose to healthcare providers their sexual orientation compared to gay and lesbian counterparts. Lastly, the increased levels of stress among bisexuals, prejudice, and internalized social attitudes drive the population to higher risk-taking behaviors that result in increased infections with STDs and the spreading of HIV.
Strength
The author refers to peer-reviewed studies published by authoritative experts in the fields of psychology and LGBTQ.
Weakness
No primary data is used in the article but largely relies on secondary data or research that has been conducted and published by other authors.
How findings support the thesis statement
The findings are relevant to the thesis statement as they point to the impacts of prejudice against bisexuals who are part of the LGBTQ.
Moagi, M. M., et al. (2021). Mental health challenges
Purpose statement
To explore and describe various challenges that face the LGBT population.
Hypothesis
The LGBT population experiences poorer mental health outcomes than cis-gendered and heterosexual minority groups.
Description of methods
The study employs a secondary research method and uses electronic databases, including Africa-Wide Information, Academic Search Premier, and EBSCOhost, to search for terms such as “LGBT” and “mental health challenges.” A total of 57 full-text articles were published between 2010 and 2019, and the final 21 artic...