Week 9 Section D

The article Lesbian and Gay Adolescents:  Social and Developmental Considerations by Dennis A. Anderson was a complete eye opener to me.  I had never thought about the emotional aspects and the severity of it in homosexual population.  It was disheartening to know that teachers themselves tend to hide their identities since they don’t want to be discriminated against by other teachers or staff.  Gay/Lesbian students are too scared to make friends that are like them or go up to a teacher who is like them.  Gay/Lesbian students also can’t openly associate with other gay/lesbian friends.  I tried to put myself in their shoes and tried to empathize with them.  I also tried to imagine myself in middle school and realized how difficult it would have been if I had a different orientation.  I also want to point out that even in this day and age there are societies that are in complete denial of this issue.  I grew up in India and I don’t think anyone even talked about being gay.  I am certain gay and lesbian adolescents/adults existed then but no one identified them.  They would have lived a life of complete isolation or would have forced a different identity upon themselves.  I also did some research and found out that the homosexual teens commit suicide as a last resort.  In a country where doctors go to great lengths to save lives, in a country where we celebrate lives of disabled children and in a country where we accommodate special needs children in main stream classroom, reading about increase suicide rates among the homosexual population was very disheartening.  I want to share this video with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg

I was curious about the history, origin and other opinions so I searched on Wikipedia.  As a scientist I wanted know if there was any biological basis behind homosexual behavior. The following excerpts are from Wikipedia.

The American Academy of Pediatrics stated in Pediatrics   in 2004:
Sexual orientation probably is not determined by any one factor but by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. In recent decades, experts have favored biologically based theories. Although there continues to be controversy and uncertainty as to the genesis of the variety of human sexual orientations, there is no scientific evidence that abnormal parenting, sexual abuse, or other adverse life events influence sexual orientation. Current knowledge suggests that sexual orientation is usually established during early childhood.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has stated "some people believe that sexual orientation is innate and fixed; however, sexual orientation develops across a person's lifetime". In a joint statement with other major American medical organizations, the APA says that "different people realize at different points in their lives that they are heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual". A report from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health states: "For some people, sexual orientation is continuous and fixed throughout their lives. For others, sexual orientation may be fluid and change over time". One study has suggested "considerable fluidity in bisexual, unlabeled, and lesbian women's attractions, behaviors, and identities".