GENDER AND SOCIETY

BEEd 1

Lesson 13
LGBT PYSCHOLOGY

Lesson Objectives:
1. Discuss LGBT history and relevant LGBT terms
2. Explain the importance of these terms

Introduction

Labels are so powerful it can be used to discriminate and

oppress people. Like how the German Nazi's used word "Aryan race" to
mean superior and "Jews" and "homosexual" justify their mass murder of
what they called as "inferior” race. However, labels can also empower
people to claim their space in our society, especially in the political
sphere. Language can be used to avoid offense or disadvantage to
certain groups of people like using "persons with disabilities instead of
disabled, "African American" instead of "blacks", and "LGBT" instead of
"homosexuals".

Views on LGBT in History

 In China 600 BCE, they used the terms “pleasures of the bitten
peach" and "brokeback"
 In Japan, they have “shudo” or “nanshoku”
 in Thailand, they used the term “Kathoey” refer to lady boys.
 In the Philippines, we have the “babaylan” and the “Catalonan”
who were mostly women priests, but some are males who lived
their lives as women.
 In ancient Greek, all males are expected to take on a younger
male lover in a practice called pederasty.
 In the 19th century, homosexuality was classified as an illness, a
basis for them to legally persecute homosexuals, imprison and
commit them to a mental institution.
 Through years of extensive research, the APA removed
homosexuality as an psychiatric disorder or sickness in 1973.

The ABC's of the LGBTQIA+

a) Lesbian- Women who are emotionally and sexually attracted to
women.
b) Gay - Men who are emotionally and sexually attracted to men.
c) Bisexual - Man or woman who are emotionally and sexually
attracted to men or women.
d) Transgender - When your gender identity is different from your
physical sex.
 e) Queer - people who celebrate all gender identities, can also
mean someone who do not want to be restricted as Lesbian,
Gay, or Bi. Intersex - People who were born with sex genitals
that do not fit typical male or female body.
f) Asexual/Ally - People who do not feel sexual attraction to
anyone.
g) Plus + - The plus sign refers to all sexualities that do not fit in the
LGBTQI spectrum.

Other terms related to human sexuality:

a) Androgynous - People whose gender expression (their physical
appearance) may or may not be distinctly male or female.
b) Gender - your internal sense of being masculine or feminine or
neither. Gender Identity - How you feel, men, women, or neither.
c) Gender Expression - How you express your sense of being male
or female or neither, through hair style, clothes, etc.
d) Sexual Orientation - Your emotional and sexual attraction to a
person. Sex assigned at birth - Your given sex when were born
based on your sex organ.
e) Cisgender -When your gender identity matches with the sex you
are assigned at birth.
f) Non-binary - People who do not feel like a boy or a girl. They
may feel like they are both or neither.

Understanding Transgenderism

Transgender- ”an umbrella term for persons whose gender

identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that
typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.”

This means that a transgender person does not feel comfortable

in their biological sex like a person who is born male but feels like a
female and a person who is born female may feel like he is a male.

The word transgender is also used as an umbrella term, this

means that there are many identities under this term.

Transexuals, for example, is often used in the medical field to

refer to people whose gender identity is different from biological sex
and they want to change their body, so it resembles how they feel
about their gender identity.

A biologically male person may feel like she is a woman since he

was just a child and in adulthood, he may choose to have a “hormonal
replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Medical advancements have helped transgender people live a full life,
however it can be a long, difficult, and expensive process.

Other sexualities under the transgender umbrella term:

a) FTM - (Female to male) is a person whose biological sex is
female and has transitioned to living in his life as a male.
b) MTF - (Male to Female) a person whose biological sex is male
and has transitioned to living her life as a female.
c) Crossdressing are people who dress as the opposite gender
from time to time.
d) Gender Queer these are people who feel like their gender does
not fit the gender binary view that is limited to the male or
female category. Drag King and Queens- these are people
who dress as the opposite gender for entertainment which they
do out of passion or for work.

The Transitioning Process

- When a person realizes that he or she may be a transgender, a
psychologist can guide the person through the transition.
- Transitioning to another gender is a very challenging process for many
transgender people because of the social stigma, discrimination,
medical cost, accessibility of medical treatment and support,
oppressive laws , and the threat of violence from prejudiced people.

Summary
Labels are important especially in the acceptance and
promotion of human rights. The evolution of the terms used to describe
people who are emotionally and sexually attracted to the same sex
have evolved through time. From homosexuality, to gay, and to
LGBTQIA+, let us remember that we are all humans, born free and
equal.

Written Activity: (to be submitted on March 8, 2025)

1. Trace the historical evolution of LGBTQIA+ terminology. Discuss how

different cultures have described same-sex relationships and gender
diversity, citing at least four historical terms and their significance.

2. Explain the role of language in shaping perceptions of gender and

sexuality. Define key LGBTQIA+ terms and discuss how inclusive
language contributes to social acceptance and legal recognition.

3. Evaluate the challenges faced by transgender individuals in their

transitioning process. Discuss the social, economic, and psychological
barriers they encounter and propose solutions that educational
institutions, healthcare systems, and policymakers can implement to
support them.