Diversity Includes LGBTQ
We live in an increasingly diverse world in terms of language, culture, religion, race, and ethnicity. We also live in a world which is diverse in terms of sexuality and gender, and where there is more open acknowledgment and expression of this diversity.
At the same time, there is considerable division, animosity, and fear surrounding this subject. Our goal here, is to outline the progression of thinking, policies, and research evidence that have informed the evolving views of some of North America’s most prestigious and influential medical, psychological, and legal organizations.
Let’s start with some terms and their definitions, as set out in Help Your Kids with Adolescence:
Straight- persons are described as straight or heterosexual, when they wish to be romantic and sexual with persons of a different sex.
Gay –persons are described as gay or homosexual, when they want to be romantic and sexual with persons of the same sex.
Bisexual-persons are described as bisexual when they want to be romantic and sexual with persons of the same sex, and also persons of a different sex.
Queer-persons are described as queer when they choose not to be identified in one category or another, in terms of their sexuality
Gender Identity –this is how persons think, feel, and perceive themselves as a man, woman, both, or neither (such as those who describe themselves as gender fluid, genderqueer, nonbinary, androgynous, or two-spirit).
Transgender-persons are described as transgender when they identify as a gender which doesn’t conform to their biological sex. They may also identify as ‘gender-variant.’
The Evolution of Support and Acceptance for Sexual Diversity
No longer a ‘Disorder’
In 1987, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. No longer was homosexuality considered a ‘mental illness.’
The Canadian Psychological Association published a policy statement in 1996 “strongly opposing prejudice, bias, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all areas including spousal and family relationships, benefits and privileges, employment, goods, services, facilities, housing and accommodation.”
Affirmation for Gay Parents
In July 2004, the American Psychological Association reviewed the research on gay parents and the children of gay parents and concluded that a) there is no empirical evidence that gay adults are not fit parents, b) gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children, and c) the sexual identities, including gender identity, gender-role behaviour, and sexual orientation develop similarly in children raised by gay and heterosexual parents.
The American Academy of Pediatrics supported the adoption of children in gay families by the second parent or coparent, on the basis that “children deserve to know that their relationships with both of their parents are stable and legally recognized” and “a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual” (2002, reaffirmed in 2009).
Recognition of Diverse Family Structures
The Canadian Psychological Association in 2003, and again in 2006, put out a position statement supporting Bill C-38, the federal government’s legislation legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada. They concluded that “the children of same-sex parents do not differ from children of heterosexual parents in terms of their psychosocial development, their gender development, and their gender identity. “
In March, 2005, the Ontario Human Rights Commission published the Changing Face of Canadian Families in which it described a “trend towards increasing diversity of family structures” including common-law unions, divorce, single-parent families, and same-sex couples.
Challenging Old Assumptions
The Canadian Paediatric Society cautioned doctors in September, 2008, saying that “It’s important that doctors keep in mind that not everyone is heterosexual; health care providers need to be aware of the diversity of experience and feelings in adolescents and be able to address issues of sexual orientation.” Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are not different from heterosexual youth except that they face increased risk factors “due to the stigma that continues to surround homosexuality,” noting that “about half of gay men and a fifth of lesbians were verbally or physically assaulted in high school because of their sexual orientation.”
The Canadian Psychological Association, in 2010, issued a policy statement regarding gender identity which “affirms that all adolescent and adult persons have the right to define their own gender identity regardless of chromosomal sex, genitalia, assigned birth sex, or initial gender role. Moreover, all adolescent and adult persons have the right to free expression of their self-defined gender identity.”
In 2015, the Canadian Psychological Association issued a policy statement opposing “any therapy with the goal of repairing or converting an individual’s sexual orientation, regardless of age. Conversion therapy or reparative therapy refers to any formal therapeutic attempt to change the sexual orientation of bisexual, gay, and lesbian individuals to heterosexual.” This position was taken because the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated that conversion therapy was cruel, harmful, and ineffective.
A Dramatic Shift
There has been a dramatic shift over the past thirty–two years regarding sexual and gender diversity. From a time when homosexuality was labelled a ‘disorder’ to acceptance of homosexuality as natural and normal, and gay parents being granted the same legal rights as heterosexual parents, in recognition of their proven competence as parents. Similarly, gender variance was universally considered unnatural and abnormal, and now it is widely accepted that gender cannot simply be defined as either male or female, but exists as a continuum or spectrum, where biological ‘males’ and ‘females’ can define themselves, express themselves, and behave in diverse and unique ways.
Stigma is the Problem
What has become increasingly clear is that sexual and gender diversity are not problems in terms of health and happiness. What is a problem for homosexual and transgendered children and youth is the experience of being bullied, ostracized, humiliated, taunted, and abused. Stigma causes stress, poor self-esteem, anxiety, alienation, and over time, can lead to school failure, drug abuse, and mental illness.
Current Focus
Mainstream researchers are no longer concerned with the question of why a person is gay or gender variant but how to support those persons to be happy, and fulfil their potential. The concern is not what identity an individual adopts but how that identity can be positive and energizing, rather than shameful. A great deal of attention is being paid to the prevention of bullying and stigma, to understanding how society can accommodate greater individualism, to promoting and protecting the rights of gay and transgendered people. School programs are being developed to teach young children to be tolerant and accepting, rather than judgmental and rejecting. There are a number of recent children’s books which address the topic of sexual diversity in developmentally appropriate terms. Attitudes, assumptions, and biases about gender and sexual orientation are developed in childhood, and it is children who will create a more generous and inclusive society.
Resources
Websites:
Canadian Psychological Association, https://cpa.ca
Canadian Paediatric Society, https://cps.ca
American Academy of Pediatrics, https://www.aap.org
American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org
American Psychiatric Association, https://www.psyciatry.org
Ontario Human Rights Commission, www.ohrc.on.ca
Books
Lee Airton, Gender: Your Guide, Adams Media, 2019
Peter Hegarty, A Recent History of Lesbian and Gay Psychology: From Homophobia to LGBT, Routledge, 2018
Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper, The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals, Cleis Press, 2008.
Amanda Wyatt (Ed), Help your kids with adolescence: A no-nonsense guide to puberty and the teenage years, Penguin, Random House, 2017.
Children’s Books
Jill Twiss, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, Chronicle Books, 2018.
Robb Pearlman, Pink is for Boys, Running Press Kids, 2018.
Theresa Thorn, It Feels Good to be Yourself, A Book About Gender Identity, Henry Holt and Company, 2019.
Michael Genhart, Rainbow, A First Book of Pride, Magination Press, 2019.
Sophie Beer, Love Makes a Family, Hardie Grant Publishing, 2018.
About the Author
Janet Morrison, M.A., C. Psych Assoc. is a psychological associate in private practice and a senior lecturer at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Over the past 30 years she has assessed, treated and supervised treatment of children in long-term care, as well as, consulted for Children's Aid Society and group homes across Ontario.