Sexual Orientations

The term “sexual orientation” refers to who you are attracted to – physically, emotionally and romantically – or if you are attracted to no one. This attraction helps define your orientation or sexual identity. You are probably most familiar with the identities “gay,” “lesbian” and “bisexual” but there are other sexual orientations, such as pansexual, demisexual or asexual. Someone who identifies as “questioning” is still in the process of figuring it all out.

Sexual orientation and the labels associated with it may change over time. Some people may identify as gay, then later as bisexual or pansexual, or vice versa. It helps to recognize that there is a societal norm or cultural expectation that someone is heterosexual, called heteronormativity, which makes the process of discerning identity difficult for most people.

Culturally, gender has often been confused with sex, and assumed to be a binary, “a pair of opposites,” of male and female. However, some people identify outside of the gender binary, with identities such as genderqueer or non-binary. The acronym LGBTQIA+ tries to account for sexual and gender identities that are different from being heterosexual and cisgender (being in agreement with the gender assigned to you at birth).  

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and the plus indicates there are still more. Younger people can prefer the word “queer,” which was reclaimed from being a slur. It is an umbrella term that captures the many diverse identities represented within and beyond the LGBTQIA+ acronym.  People of color may prefer other terms such as “same gender loving” (SGL) or “men who have sex with men” (MSM), for men who might not self-identify as gay. Most queer people do not use the term “homosexual,” due to its history of being used as a diagnosis.

If you are reading this webpage, you are likely considering your own LGBTQIA+/queer identity or maybe that of someone you love. Most importantly, please know that all major mental health and medical associations believe a queer identity is healthy and normal. In the US, 5.5% of the adult population identifies as LGBT and .5% as transgender. Those percentages increase for teens and college-age people. Currently, across the globe, there is a struggle for full LGBTQIA+ equality but there is evidence that queer people have been a part of most cultures throughout history. The complicated explanation of why heterosexism and heteronormativity is so prevalent has its origin in colonialism and the dissemination of anti-queer values by powerful, European countries over the centuries.

It is important to realize that QTPOC have an intersection of race and queer identities that can result in feeling marginalized in both communities. Research and advocacy groups have historically been focused on and led by white LGBTQIA+ people, and QTPOC can hold different values (e.g., perhaps not emphasizing being out as much as white queer people) and can prefer different identity labels (e.g., maybe not using the labels of gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.).

It is no accident that queer community events often have “Pride” in the title. The word “pride” brings to mind several strengths of the LGBTQIA+ community. The first is self-expression. Queer people work hard to identify who they are and to express it, often times boldly. The opposite of feeling judged or ashamed of one’s self is to take absolute pride in expressing one’s queerness – wearing the clothes that you feel best in or kissing your partner in public. Second, pride also symbolizes the power and tenacity of queer people to persevere and thrive in the face of heterosexism that is lurking everywhere. Even as national debates wage about LGBTQIA+ equality and trans rights, queer people continue to attend to their relationships, go to school and work, and raise families. Queer people often survive and flourish by building and relying on social networks of like people that provide support and celebrate LGBTQIA+ life. Especially if family is not accepting, alternative families, or chosen families, can provide the love and support queer people need to live their best lives. 

The theory of Minority Stress explains the detrimental impact of a heterosexist and cissexist environment on queer mental health. This theory states that being a minority, LGBTQIA+ people are more exposed to societal stressors, ranging from violence to everyday indignities like someone assuming you are heterosexual, having to hide your identity or hearing media debates that disparage queer rights. These stressors can be amplified when someone holds another unprivileged identity such as being a person of color or non-Christian. Continually being faced by these stressors can lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety, addictions or medical concerns, as compared to heterosexual people.

It is a helpful coping strategy to recognize that heterosexism and cissexism create mental health issues. Hopefully any queer person who is struggling with mental health issues will reach out for help, realizing that it is not their identity that is causing their distress, but rather unaccepting cultural values or heteronormativity. 

The following are some mental health challenges related to having a queer identity as presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

• Coming out can bring better health or it can lead to challenging rejection from family, friends and church communities.
• Trauma can result from violent hate crimes or discrimination.
• A substance use disorder may result from relying on alcohol or drugs to cope with a marginalized identity.
• The queer, and specifically trans community, has a higher risk for depression and suicide.
• There can be a lack of queer affirming mental health care depending on where someone lives.

For up-to-date statistics on LGBTQIA+ mental health, visit NAMI, Infographics from the National School Climate Survey (ages 13-21), and the Trevor Project (ages 13-24).

LGBTQIA+ college students thrive when they build and maintain relationships that allow them to express themselves fully, with peers, professors, university staff and family. Here are some ways to attend to one’s mental health as a queer person on Towson’s campus:

 

• Join a LGBTQIA+/Queer student group:
  • Queer Student Union– for LGBTQIA+ students and allies
  • Gender Blur– for trans, genderqueer and non-binary students
• Check out a queer spaces on campus, like the Rainbow Lounge and Resources Library
• Be aware of all the resources and events on campus organized by the Center for Student Diversity
• Contact the Counseling Center about the LGBTQIA+ Students support group, the Two-Spirit, Transgender, Nonbinary support group, workshops and events, or for drop-in counseling.
• Educate yourself about mental health issues on the Counseling Center’s webpage.

TU’s LGBTQIA+ History page -offers many campus resources.

The Trevor Project- Provides 24/7 crisis counseling and suicide prevention services to LGBTQAI+ youth through phone, text and chat.

PFLAG– Works with LGBTQIA+ people, their family, friends, and allies to provide education, advocacy and support around queer issues.

It Gets Better– A source of thousands of videos from LGBTQIA+ people to offer hope that indeed life gets better for queer youth.

The American Psychological Association’s pamphlet on sexual orientation.