Emotional Challenges Faced by 🌈 LGBTQ Students
LGBTQ communities across the world may not find it easy to deal with the discrimination and societal pressure they face. What the youngsters face is even tougher given their age and fragile emotional stage.
Acceptance is a major issue with most 🌈 LGBT youngsters in any country. Acceptance in their minds about who they are as a person and what their sexual orientation is, is the first important step for a LGBT youngster. The phase in life is such that they are anyway discovering themselves and life, and anything that is considered to be deviant behavior by most, can prove to be very confusing. Confusion on their sexual orientation and gender identity / expression is bound to happen at a young age.
Acceptance by their family and peers is another very important aspect of their being. They might find that difficult to come by. This happens mostly due to lack of awareness and a non-inclusive way of thinking of many people.
The pressure to conform is very high in all societies. And, when a person feels different than most, it does take a lot emotionally to accept that and imbibe that as a part of ones’ self. Coming out would take a lot of courage and inner strength.
Bullying, unfortunately, is a major problem that LGBT communities around the world face in society. Bullying by peers and other people around them, and maybe lack of understanding from even their teachers is an issue of concern. It can’t be easy for a young mind to absorb such discriminatory behavior and stay calm.
Lack of access to equal educational opportunities, discrimination in public spaces, and lack of proper access to basic amenities are faced by the LGBT community youngsters. They sometimes face coercion to conform, and forceful attempts might be made to change their innate behavior patterns to match the popularly normal behavior. This cannot be easy for anyone, let alone for a young person. This can happen anywhere, be it to the LGBT Indian community or LGBT US or LGBT UK community.
Such coercive behavior from the society can prove to be even emotionally traumatic for them.
What we need to understand is that we should sensitize ourselves and we owe it to our young. They should be accorded to live their lives the way they love.