There are many things in life that can cause people to feel upset, angry or worried. These things can be the same for LGBT and non­LGBT people like money worries, family problems or bereavement. However, some LGBT people may also experience feelings specific their own experiences.

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans is obviously not in itself a mental health problem; however, coping with the effects of homophobia or transphobia can be highly detrimental to the mental health of a lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans person.

If you want to talk to someone about any of these issues, you can come to one of our drop­-ins or you can ask to speak to a counsellor at the DSU Advice Centre. Alternatively, you could speak to any of the welfare services in your college such as welfare officers, senior tutors or chaplains. For a service with national coverage you can call the LLGS (London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard), which has contact details listed at the back of this handbook.

Some common causes of mental distress that some LGBT people experience are described below.

Heterosexism

Heterosexism is a bias shown by a society or community where cultural institutions and individuals are conditioned to expect everyone to live and behave as heterosexuals. Homophobic or transphobic beliefs and values can be transmitted through traditional rules and rituals such as the marriage ceremony in its religious context, through literature and the arts and through the mass media, including television and film. Mainstream culture has been predominantly homophobic, transphobic and heterosexist. Whilst LGBT people have heightened viability compared to the past, this bias can make LGBT people feel pressured to behave in ways they don’t actually feel reflect their identity.

Internalised homophobia and transphobia

LGBT people who are brought up in a homophobic and transphobic society can come to believe these negative ideas and develop negative feelings towards their own sexuality. This is known as ‘internalised homophobia/transphobia’ and can result in low self­esteem and feelings of self­hatred. This is likely to have serious adverse effects on mental health. Over the past ten years, studies have suggested that internalised homophobia/transphobia is a risk factor for alcohol and drug dependency among LGBT people. Anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self­harm, suicide and attempted suicide have also been linked with the combination of prejudice of discrimination and internalised negative feelings. Internalised homophobia and transphobia can also make it incredibly difficult to feel that you deserve support for these problems – if you are struggling and suspect that you might hold negative views of yourself based on your sexuality or gender identity, it is very important that you talk to someone about it.

Interpersonal factors

‘Interpersonal homophobia/transphobia’ refers to behaviour between individuals. Homophobia or transphobia may be expressed through jokes, verbal bullying or even physical violence. Examples of interpersonal homophobia/transphobia include negative attitudes from staff in customer service environments, homophobic/transphobic bullying in schools and homophobic or transphobic ‘hate crime’. Research from Stonewall focusing specifically on the health of lesbians and bisexual women found evidence of widespread discrimination and negative attitudes towards lesbians and bisexual women within health services. Examples included inappropriate comments from healthcare professionals and unwelcoming attitudes to same-­sex partners.

Coming Out

Coming out to anyone anywhere, at any time can be a stressful, anxious event. Not only are you sharing intimate information about yourself – your sexuality – but you are opening yourself to an entire spectrum of reactions that may or may not be easy to deal with. Much of this stress may be heightened while you are here at university due to the microcosmic societies that exist. When you are living, eating, sleeping, working and studying side­ by­side with fellow students the coming out process may seem a million times more intense. If you are having difficulties with coming out to anyone, be it yourself, friends or family, the welfare officer is on hand to listen to you and offer advice or signpost you to help when needed.

Racism in the LGBT Community

Black and Asian LGBT people may be subject to two sorts of discrimination, being at risk of negative perceptions and treatment on the basis of both their sexuality and their visible ethnicity. LGBT people whose minority ethnicity is less visible (for example, Eastern European people) are less likely to experience some forms of racial discrimination. However, they may face language barriers and other cultural problems when trying to access LGBT services and social opportunities.

LGBT people from black and minority ethnic groups may feel that they have to choose between their sexuality and their cultural identity; they may fear exclusion from the support networks of friends, family and culturally specific organisations if they are open about their sexuality.

Black and minority ethnic people now have increased visibility and face less discrimination within the LGBT sector than has been the case in the past. The main LGBT organisations such as Stonewall and the LLGS provide resources on issues relating to black and minority ethnic groups, reflected in their media publicity.

The LGBTa has an Ethnic Minorities Representative position which, at the time of going to press, is empty. If you’d be interested in acting as a contact point for LGBT ethnic minorities in the LGBTa, talk to an exec member!

Several organisations work to promote and support LGBT people from particular ethnic groups. You can send us an email to receive information about these organisations, or ask at one of our drop­-ins.

LGBT People with Disabilities

People with disabilities are frequently assumed not to have any sexuality at all, and this equally applies to disabled LGBT people. Disabled people have generally been pressured to play down their sexuality, both in wider society and in residential settings. Where the issue of sexuality is raised, most people with disabilities – like non­disabled people – are assumed to be heterosexual.

LGBT people are affected by the discrimination against disabled people that still exists in society generally, including the perception that people with disabilities lack sexually. This discrimination can result in practical barriers, for example many gay clubs and gay bars are not fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Some disabled people may require the input of unpaid carers (such as family members) or paid personal assistants to carry out the tasks of everyday life. Some disabled people draw on the support offered by networks or communities who define themselves by health status, disability or experiences of social exclusion. A suspicion of homophobia in such valued sources of support can make the process of ‘coming out’ extremely risky for a disabled person.

Fortunately, in addition to improving awareness of disability issues within the LGBT community, several organisations work to promote the needs of and support LGBT people with specific disabilities. The LGBTa has a Students with Disabilities representative.

Faith

Whether you believe in God or not, faith and religion can be a contentious issue for LGBT people. For some religion can be a source of great comfort and fulfilment, as integral to their identity as their sexuality or gender identity – perhaps even more so. Some may feel that find that they can reconcile their sexuality or gender identity and faith with surprising ease and there are a growing number of LGBT friendly churches which reflect this attitude.

For others, religion and religious debate on LGBT issues can be a cause of profound distress which can take various forms. Facing discrimination from people who have sought to justify using their religious beliefs can make an LGBT person feel very negatively about religion and the religious. Reading stories in the news about subjects like ‘ex­gay ministries’ and condemnation of gay bishops can further entrench this feeling. Equally, one can have a huge amount of respect for their faith and struggle with the feeling that they have to choose between it and their sexuality or gender identity. Still others can be very at peace with their faith but feel that the LGBT community as a whole does not respect their beliefs, and some even can be left feeling that both their church and the LGBT community rejects them for two integral parts of their identity.

The LGBTa endeavours to acknowledge and accommodate LGBT people of all beliefs and is on hand to help you if you are struggling with the issue of faith. The LGBTa has a Faith representative.