Reflective Essay: Internalized Homophobia

Daryll, I think it’s great that we can all share our prospective and discuss challenging topics in such a respectful manner. Every LGBTQ person has their own unique set of circumstances and experiences, but I strongly believe internalized homophobia is something most LGBTQ people have to confront in their lives. There were years of my life I hated myself for being gay. Growing up as a kid being called gay was the ultimate insult and remark a person can make to devalue someone. Before I even know what the word gay meant I knew from the context people were using it in that it was something no one wanted to be. I deeply internalized that. Add in the message that being gay is the ultimate ticket to hell and it’s easy to see how someone who is …show more content…
Being able to participate in some honest self-reflection on why you believe what you believe can help to uncover some flaws in thinking. I don’t think people are born prejudice. Prejudice is learned. I’ve had to unlearn a lot of the prejudice I was taught growing up about what it means to be gay. Regarding your questing about encouraging people to come out or explore being straight I don’t think it’s a counselors job to encourage one or the other. I don’t prefer people to be gay, straight, bi, or other. I do want them to love themselves and live authentically. I tried “being straight” as most LGBTQ people has as it is the preference of society at large. Trying to be something I wasn’t brought about a lot of suicide ideation, depression, and emptiness. Counseling practices such as conversion, reparative, and “pray the gay away” therapies are very harmful to clients in an attempt to change client’s sexual orientation to that of heterosexual. Research shows a large percentage of those who undergo such treatments experience increased depression and suicide ideation. Plus, in the end it just doesn’t render the desired results of