Homosexuality, mental and physical heath in colleges

Homosexuality and mental and physical heath in colleges

According to a Bower (2010), research has proved that homosexuals have a significantly bigger risk of suffering from a psychiatric disease than a heterosexual student. HIV infection can be looked at as a reason for social stigmatization and at the same time a by product of the social stigmatization due to involvement in careless sexual behavior following depression.

HIV prevalence among gay students could also be worsened by the fact that gay students have numerous relationships. A recent study report that about 66 percent of lesbian and gay couples have sex outside the relationship after a year of dating  and almost 90 percent in the case where relationship is about five years.
Higher rates of suicide, depression, bulimia, antisocial personality disorder, and substance abuse even in Netherlands schools where gay and lesbian relationships are accepted have been on the increase.
In most cases, psychological differences between students who are gays/lesbians and straights may not be there in actual sense, and could there be any, it possibly will be accredited to social stigma.  There is more evidence of pathology connected with homosexuality due to the sexual stigmatization. The social stigma leads to depression and drug abuse which trigger dangerous sexual practice that direct to serious medical problems (Bower 2010).

There are other fatal diseases associated with homosexuality which cause even further social stigmatization among gay and lesbian students. Their health issues have not been addressed to adequately reach out to their health problems which have far reaching effects especially due to the nature of sexual activities, for example, anal-oral sex, fisting, human waste which expose them to major threat of anal cancer, as a result of infection with subtypes of human papilloma virus (HPV). These are just a few diseases which affect the students (Kardia 2010).

Role of Education in dealing with homosexuality

Role of Education in dealing with homosexuality

Education can be used as a significant tool in changing the attitudes of students towards gays and lesbians in colleges/universities. Although this has not been achieved it can be blamed primarily on individuals who have not embraced the change and the educational institutions which have not instituted measures to address the attitude of heterosexual students towards gays and lesbians.

It can appear ironic that education can change the attitude of people who are in educational institutions considering the fact that it is in these institutions that the prejudice thrive the most. However, this is possible because education has the ability to change students’ perspectives both in curricular and extra curricular sense (Kardia 2010).

The role of education in the extra curricular aspect has the ability to bring both homosexuals and heterosexuals together through activities like games, forums, debates and other social activities. Despite the fact heterosexual students feel uncomfortable when asked by a gay male or female to join them in a game, playing together can help them appreciate them and get to understand what it is like to be gay.
Like wise, it will help gay students shed off the feelings of isolation and prejudice and subsequently change the perception of them being viewed as “abnormal.” Forums, discussions and other kind of debates will help the students understand their gay peers by letting them expressing their quarter and trying to get a chance to understand them with an open mind (Kardia 2010).

  Education should address negative attitude to homosexuals

 Education in the curricular aspect has a lot to offer in regard to addressing the negative attitudes towards homosexual students. Through the curriculum, education should gear towards promoting understanding of homosexual behavior through psychology, sociology, gender studies, developmental studies and any other relevant study even in the form of common courses.

Many prejudicial attitudes are as a result of lack of information and interaction about gay and lesbian behaviors, no wonder many students in the faculty of arts and social sciences and education tend to understand them and hence less cases of intense negative attitudes towards them.
Studies on psychological development, child development and social behavior promote understanding of gay behavior since in most cases it roots from childhood and it’s affected by human development process (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).

Most importantly education through the scholars can save the prejudice and harassment toward the gay male and lesbian students by carrying out research on the most controversial issue. Results of the research will provide information on the statistics, causes and the way forward. It will also address other issues pertinent to gay and lesbian issue like their health issues, career and vocational development.
Certainly by providing literature about gay and lesbian behavior will help people judge them on the information at hand, because the truth is there is no enough information on this issue because they are a despised sexual minority group.

Many scholars do not want to research on the issue since their view could be viewed with questionable morality grounds or that they view it as completely wrong and therefore requiring no attention. Availability of information will be a great milestone in recognizing gay students as human beings who have rights and deserving respect and dignity (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).

We can look at education as a measure to address homosexuality that is influenced by peer pressure and choice. Once again people who have higher level of education tend to be more liberal, they also tend to appreciate other peoples choices and ways of living. Education unifies diverse personal, cultural, racial and emotional perspectives because it promotes understanding of various groups of people (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).

Sexual orientation in college (Gays and Lesbians): come out or not

Sexual orientation in college: come out or not?

As noted before, gay and lesbian students have been seen coming out in the open about their sexual orientation than before. They have come out to their fellow students and are even demanding respect.
They are almost persuaded that the difference in their sexuality is a benefit in the fight back in opposition to prejudice. They are holding many meetings and getting avenues to address journalists and tell about their experiences.

Studies have indicated that students display significantly more negative attitude to other students who have come out as gay and lesbian or whose sexual orientation has been particular than those whom sexual orientation is not known. For example if two females or two males are seen holding hands and whose sexual orientation is not specified, the feelings of concern and embarrassment will be less than in the case of two lesbian or gay students.

They also feel embarrassed, anxious and uneasy when a gay or lesbian student asks them to work on a class project or play a game than when asked by a student whose sexual orientation is not specified. Again students show feelings of empathy when a counter part whose sexual orientation is not specified falls ill or has a terminal disease, they can term it as unfair and wrong, than when a gay male or lesbian student has the same illness or even dying (Kardia 2010).

homosexuals or gay in college-to disclose or not.

The manner in which a gay or a lesbian person handles information about his sexual orientation influences the attitude of heterosexual students towards them. Homosexual students can even decide to conceal information about their sexuality but it may have far reaching implications later, when the information leaks through another party.

When students learn that the other students are gay directly from them they tend to have positive attitudes towards them than when they learn it from a third party like a friend  to the gay student or from a relative. It is explicable that many homosexuals hide the information in fear of stigmatization.
Generally when heterosexual students get direct disclosure of information on another individual’s homosexuality directly; it sparks more positive attitudes than in the case where information is obtained indirectly (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).

When sexual orientation of a gay or a lesbian student is revealed or disclosed to her or his heterosexual classmates and other people who know them, three things are likely to happen: one is that, they can continue to attach their anti homosexual attitudes or stereotypes to them and continue to judge them in regard to past experiences in a way to connect them or relate them with those discriminative attitude.

Secondly they can choose to maintain the same positive attitude or feelings they had towards that person and assume it’s an atypical case of gayism and that he is not a representative of the larger gay community or finally they may want to understand that person and be more receptive but in some cases it happens due to curiosity (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).

The relationship between a homosexual student who comes out on her sexuality to her heterosexual friends, classmates or peers influences their attitude on the gay or lesbian student. For example, those who have a close friend who is gay or a lesbian tend to have less intense negative attitudes, although initially they may experience shock and disapproval but later they in most cases display feelings of acceptance.

It is only in some cases where close friends completely turn away from the homosexual student who has come out directly on their status. This also helps the friends or those with close relationship with a gay or lesbian student to foster empathy to the wider homosexual society by getting to know them better, how it is about being gay or a lesbian and getting more information about homosexuality and what they feel about it (Engstron & Sedlack 1997).