In the first part of this episode, I present some historical facts on changes within the psychological profession with regards to the classification of homosexuality. I also present some history about the gay liberation movement as well as popular misinformation circulating nowadays, with some scientific studies to disprove some of these misconceptions. Furthermore, we explore the palpable role played by media and pop culture in the confusion of today's youth, as well as the term "homophobia" as it is perceived today. In the second part of the episode, we examine the essentializing vs. non-essentializing paradigms and the difference between saying "I am gay" vs. "I have SSA", as we take a critical look at the notion of gay identity.
Links to some scientific studies cited in this episode:
- Health care problems of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients
- Effects of perceived discrimination on mental health and mental health services utilization among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons
- Sexual orientation disparities in the co-occurrence of substance use and psychological distress: a national population-based study (2008-2015)
- Embodying pervasive discrimination: a decomposition of sexual orientation inequalities in health in a population-based cross-sectional study in Northern Sweden
- Elevated empathy in adults following childhood trauma