No matter how forward the world has moved in a lot of aspects, we still have restrictive growth along some lines.
The acceptance and the understanding of a lot of things have happened but we are still not at a stage where everything is easily understood, no questions asked and no problems created.
People are taking time to open up their hearts and minds to these, and one of these things is the feeling about homosexuality, which is still questioned in many places by various sections of people.
So, let’s understand more about it, is homosexuality a psychological condition?
1. What is Sexual Orientation?: Is Homosexuality a Psychological Condition?
Sexual orientation as the work suggests is how a person is sexually attracted to another person of the opposite gender, same gender, or in some cases both genders.
Broadly it will also refer to the part where the person’s identity is based on this sexual behavior as it will place him/her into a specific community of people who will probably follow the same kind of sexual attraction.
Although it can vary at different times even within the same person, usually it is put under three subcategories.
These are,
- Heterosexual refers to the section of people who have an emotional, sexual, or romantic attraction to the opposite sex.
- Gay/Lesbians are sexually and romantically attracted to the same sex.
- Lastly, there are bisexuals who are emotionally, and physically attracted to both sexes including male and female.
2. How do People Know if they are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual?
It is believed according to scientific understandings that sexual orientation usually emerges in a person somewhere between late childhood and early adolescence.
The feelings or the emotional patterns or even the romantic thoughts of sexual attraction can appear with or without any prior sexual encounters or experience.
You may be celibate and still know your sexual orientation. Although all people will have different experiences, be it gays, lesbians, or bisexuals.
Some people might think that they are attracted to one sex before they are engaged in sexual activity but it might change after getting a sexual experience, and they can then label it better.
3. What Causes a Person to have a Specific Sexual Orientation?
Well as surprising as it might sound, the truth is that there is no clear proof or reasoning of why people have specific sexual orientations.
There is no one factor that can decipher why a person is gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
There has been research done on many factors like genetic, social, cultural, and hormonal but nothing conclusive has come out of any of these.
4. Is Homosexuality a Mental Disorder?
Well as opposed to the question; gays, lesbians, or bisexuals having different sexual orientations is just a normal part of human sexuality.
There is no connection between sexual orientation and psychopathology because homosexuality and heterosexuality are both equally normal.
They have been present from historical times and continue to date.
It is just some people or certain communities who have some weird beliefs about the same who spread the wrong word. Just because they believe that it is not normal, they term it as a mental disorder but that is clearly not the case.
5. Therapies Conducted for Conversion from Homosexuality: Is Homosexuality a Psychological Condition?
Health organizations across the globe have clarified that they do not support therapies that are intended to change the sexual orientations of people from gay to straight.
Indeed by far, it has not even been understood clearly if such therapies are even effective on people or worse, are they even safe.
If such therapies are prevalent, in spite of the outcome, it creates a worse environment for all people who are gays, lesbians, or bisexuals because now the people will have less acceptance of their sexual orientation.
Conservative areas and communities specifically will feel like wanting some kind of treatment to this situation which they would term as a problem.
What help a therapist could provide is understanding a person who is sexually attracted to their own gender and helping him/her handle the social prejudices present in the community.
They should help such a person become more mentally strong and get the coping power to bear the absurd behavior they might receive from some people who do not understand their inclination.
And it should be laid down for one and all that a person’s sexual orientation just like any other choice of his/her life should be equally accepted and respected.
They have the right to choose and nobody has the right to discriminate against them based on those, just like you can not discriminate on the basis of culture, race, ethnicity, language, age, or gender.
6. Coming Out
The self-awareness of your sexual orientation and telling people about your attractions is called coming out.
People take time to come out and tell people because they are anxious that they will not be accepted by others, or that they will be discriminated against.
People like to keep their identity a secret due to this reason, and some like to tell it to only a few selected people.
Research has shown that if you feel positive about your sexual orientation it works better for your well-being and mental health.
The coming out process also helps when you integrate your life with more activities with people of the same gay community.
When you get that sense of comfort and the feeling of ease in discussing your life or other sexual experiences with someone, it actually helps you destress and acts as a big social support as well.
7. Final Thoughts about Homosexuality
Well, the question of whether homosexuality is a psychological condition or not, has been clearly answered with a negative.
It is just a normal human situation, just like heterosexuality; homosexuality is also a variation of human sexuality.
As a person who always think homosexuality is normal, this article affirms my thoughts. I hope world will treat the LGBTQ+ people equally with heterosexual people.
I always have a debate with numerous people about homosexuality. I think being gay, lesbian or bisexual is as normal as being straight. I don’t know why so-called straight people have so much problem accepting homosexuality. I hope all will be treated normally and equally one day, and I hope this article reaches all the homophobic people.
I found this article on sexual orientation thought-provoking. The exploration of heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and bisexual categories, along with the discussion on how sexual orientation emerges, provided valuable insights. The mention of scientific understandings and the absence of prerequisites for experiencing attraction made it accessible, even for someone new to the topic.
Homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexuality, and it is not considered a psychological condition. Sexual orientation usually emerges in late childhood or early adolescence, and there is no conclusive evidence regarding the specific causes of different sexual orientations. Health organizations globally do not support therapies attempting to change sexual orientations, as they can be ineffective and potentially harmful. Coming out and self-acceptance play crucial roles in the well-being of individuals with diverse sexual orientations.
Yeah this is a Sexuality, I don’t know why people always mention it as a gender. People need to learn and be sensitive about sexuality and sexual orientation.. And also everyone should learn to accept as well as respect it
This article resonated with my belief in diversity and the acceptance of individual differences. The clear and affirmative response to the question of whether homosexuality is a psychological condition reinforces the understanding that it’s simply a natural variation of human sexuality. Embracing this perspective is crucial in fostering inclusivity and acknowledging the diverse spectrum of human experiences. A valuable read promoting understanding and acceptance.