Sorry Natkat, but I just cannot let it pass when somone waves their hollier than thou-finger against people
under the same roof as themselves only to try to look "better" and more "righteous".
So, let's investigate the claims of our dear lilacwoman, then, and go by her logic and see where that leads us.
She claims:
Quote from: lilacwoman on December 23, 2011, 02:09:54 AM
Homosexuality and lesbianism are mental illnesses
Her defence for her standpoint is the following:
Quote from: lilacwoman on December 23, 2011, 03:37:18 PM
official statistics of how being LG or B causes mental health problems.
42% of gay men, 43% of lesbians and 49% of bisexual men and women have clinically recognised mental health problems compared with rates of 12% and 20% for predominantly heterosexual men and women. (16)
Gay and bisexual men are more than 7 times as likely to attempt suicide compared with the general population. (25)
According to her logic, then Transsexualism
must then be a mental disorder aswell, as the rate of depression, the unemployment, the social phobias, etc, is
extremely high in the T-group, and not any least, the suicide rate amongst transsexuals are 42%. That's right, 42%, even higher than the suicide rate amongst gay males, gay females and bisexuals.
So if going by lilacwomans famed logic, then transsexualism must be a mental disorder, too, given the extremey high rate of mental problems and illnesses the group contains.
However, here lilacwoman will now say: "NO! That is different! Transsexuals have these problems because of social misary and ignorance from the surrounding- Not because they are transsexuals!".
Ah, interesting claim. Could it perhaps be the same for homo and bisexuals, then?
Well, according to the following research, that is indeed the case:
QuoteMental Health HBTQ-people greater in Societies that are openminded:
Many studies show that gay teenagers with supportive families have better mental health and lower suicide rates. A study has also shown that gays who live in states with marriage bans have higher levels of depression than gays who don't. Another study shows that gays who are out(open about their sexuality) have better mental health than those who are not. There's a study that shows its a gay person's attitude towards their gayness that predicts their mental health with gays having a negative view of gayness having poorer mental health.
"The effects of social factors on the mental health status of homosexual men and women have been well documented in studies, which found a relationship between experiences of stigma, prejudice, and discrimination and mental health status.52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61 Furthermore, controlling for psychological predictors of present distress seems to eliminate differences in mental health status between heterosexual and homosexual adolescents.62 The mediating role of relationship status suggests that higher prevalence rates of some disorders in homosexual people compared with heterosexual people could also be caused by loneliness."
52 Brooks V. Minority Stress and Lesbian Women. Lexington, Mass: DC Heath; 1981
53 Meyer IF. Minority stress and mental health in gay men. J Health Soc Behav. 1995;36:38-56
54 Bradford J, Ryan C, Rothblum ED. National Lesbian Health Care Survey: implications for mental health care. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1994;62:228-242
55 Frable DE, Wortman C, Joseph J. Predicting self-esteem, well-being, and distress in a cohort of gay men: the importance of cultural stigma, personal visibility, community networks, and positive identity. J Pers. 1997;65:599-624
56 Herek GM, Gillis JR, Cogan JC. Psychological sequelae of hate-crime victimization among lesbian, gay and bisexual adults. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999;67:945-951
57 Meyer IH, Dean L. Internalized homophobia, intimacy, and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men. In: Herek GM, ed. Stigma and Sexual Orientation: Understanding Prejudice Against Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications; 1998:160-186
58 Herek GM, Gillis JR, Cogan JC, Glunt EK. Hate crime victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. J Interpersonal Violence. 1997;12:195-215
59 Otis MD, Skinner WF. The prevalence of victimization and its effect on mental well-being among lesbian and gay people. J Homosex. 1996;30:93-121
60 Ross MW. The relationship between life events and mental health in homosexual men. J Clin Psychol. 1990;46:402-411
61 Rotheram-Borus MJ, Hunter J, Rosario M. Suicidal behavior and gay-related stress among gay and bisexual male adolescents. J Adolesc Res. 1994;9:498-508
62 Safen SA, Heimberg RG. Depression, hopelessness, suicidality, and related factors in sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999;67:859-866
Oops. Seems like it after all is not the homo or bisexual orientations itself that is the mental problem, but the social factors and the attitudes from the surroundings.
Lilacwoman should know better at her age, and not the least, in her situation.
Quotethis 2005 survey for UK's Dept of Health shows that taking homosexuality out of the mental illness lists doesn't take mental illness out of homosexuals.
On the contrary, all the research done in this area not only proves that homo and bisexuality are not
the cause for the mental problems at all, but the social factors the homo or bisexual individual moves in.
In the surroundings where the homo and bisexual person is accepted, the person do not experience this rate.
You know, just because you look down upon "different" people and groups as being "deviant groups", it does not make you any more- big quote- "normal" in any way in the view of the people that condemn those groups, if that is your secret goal and reason for your attitudes.
For, according to the Religious condemners, the anti gay activists and the homophobes/transphobes, you are
just as "deviant" and "unwell" yourself, as these people do not view you as a woman but as a homosexual man, that, at best, "needs help",
no matter how
you view yourself.
You might just aswell realize, that- despite the differences between the groups- you are in the very same boat as the T-persons in all their versions, the Crossdressers, the Intersexuals, the Androgynes, the homosexuals, the bisexuals, the ->-bleeped-<-s, etc etc etc, whether you wants it to be that way or not, so you might just aswell start rowing.
Quotesorry about that. 
You should be. Tsk tsk.