True Struggles of the LGBTQIA+ Community

1. Discrimination and Prejudice

Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals remains a pervasive issue globally. This can manifest in various forms, including:

• Workplace Discrimination: Many LGBTQIA+ individuals face bias and unequal treatment in employment settings. This includes being passed over for promotions, receiving lower wages, or even being terminated due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Housing Discrimination: Securing housing can be a challenge, with some facing rejection or eviction due to their LGBTQIA+ status.
• Healthcare Discrimination: Access to quality healthcare is often compromised, with some healthcare providers lacking cultural competence or showing outright prejudice against LGBTQIA+ patients.

2. Mental Health Challenges

The mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals is significantly impacted by the stressors associated with discrimination, stigma, and lack of acceptance. Key mental health challenges include:

• Higher Rates of Anxiety and Depression: Experiencing societal rejection, bullying, and isolation contributes to elevated levels of anxiety and depression within the community.
• Suicidality: LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially youth, are at a higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers.
• Substance Abuse: Coping mechanisms can sometimes lead to higher rates of substance abuse as individuals try to manage the stress and emotional pain associated with their experiences.

3. Violence and Hate Crimes

Violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals is a grave concern, with many facing physical assault, sexual violence, and hate crimes. Transgender individuals, particularly transgender women of color, are disproportionately affected by violence and hate-related incidents.

• Physical Assault: LGBTQIA+ individuals are often targets of physical violence simply because of their identity.
• Sexual Violence: Higher rates of sexual assault and violence are reported within the LGBTQIA+ community, with limited access to supportive resources.
• Hate Crimes: Hate crimes motivated by bias against sexual orientation or gender identity are alarmingly common, resulting in trauma and fear.

4. Family Rejection and Social Isolation

Family rejection is a significant issue for many LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly youth. Coming out can result in estrangement from family members, leading to homelessness and social isolation.

• Homelessness: A disproportionate number of homeless youth identify as LGBTQIA+, often due to family rejection or unsafe home environments.
• Social Isolation: Lack of acceptance from family and peers can lead to profound feelings of loneliness and isolation.

5. Legal Inequality

While legal protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals have improved in some regions, disparities remain. These legal challenges include:

• Lack of Protections: In many areas, there are no explicit legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Marriage and Parenting Rights: Legal recognition of same-sex marriages and the right to adopt or parent children are not universally guaranteed.
• Transgender Rights: Transgender individuals face hurdles in legally changing their names and gender markers on identification documents, as well as accessing gender-affirming healthcare.

6. Healthcare Barriers

Accessing healthcare can be fraught with obstacles for LGBTQIA+ individuals, including:

• Lack of Provider Knowledge: Many healthcare providers lack the training and understanding needed to offer competent and respectful care to LGBTQIA+ patients.
• Fear of Discrimination: Fear of judgment or mistreatment can deter individuals from seeking necessary medical care, resulting in untreated health issues.
• Limited Access to Gender-Affirming Care: Transgender individuals often struggle to find providers who offer gender-affirming treatments and face insurance barriers to accessing such care.

7. Educational Challenges

LGBTQIA+ students often encounter hostility and exclusion within educational settings, impacting their academic performance and overall well-being.

• Bullying and Harassment: LGBTQIA+ students frequently face bullying, harassment, and exclusion from peers and sometimes even educators.
• Lack of Inclusive Curriculum: Educational curriculums often lack representation of LGBTQIA+ histories and contributions, leading to feelings of invisibility and invalidation.
• Support Services: Limited availability of supportive resources, such as LGBTQIA+ student groups and counseling services, can exacerbate the struggles of these students.

Statistics of Traumas Experienced

Let’s start with the queer youth and the serious traumas that they are currently facing. Queer youth report being harassed in school at a rate of 75%, physically assaulted is reported to be at 35%, and sexual violence at their school is at a rate of 12%. Moreover, they are experiencing an increase of
rejection stimming from religious organizations. The rejection that can come from non-religious families can be painful. Now imagine how much more difficult and scarier the unknown responses from being raised in a religious setting could potentially be for these youth. The risk for them could range from hiding their truth, being kicked out of their homes, disowned, or sometimes even physically harmed. 
The adults also continue to struggle with discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil rights, harassment, and family rejection. Complex trauma continues to be commonplace within the LGBTQIA+ community. They are two to four times more likely than any other group to have mental health issues;
that number increases depending on their ethnicity, culture, and the area that they live in.
Imagine being a part of this community, with one or more children, wanting to go on a vacation or visit family out of state. You would have to not only do the typical preparations for the trip, but you'd also have to consider what route you are going to take, as well as where you're staying, and ask yourself,
 

How to Help

The best way to help is to, first, BE INFORMED and spread the information you've learned here today. Understanding the issues faced by this community, and educating others, opens opportunities of safety and freedom to those who can often be left feeling hopeless. As clinicians, we need to be trauma informed, create safe places for everyone, and be especially mindful of those who are, at a legal level, at risk of human rights and opportunities taken from them; the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. We can, furthermore, help by educating ourselves on the common struggles happening today, with resources at their disposal within their community, and following up with them. Learning about the different parts of their community and their unique struggles while holding space for them and learning how to support them through your words, insight, and advocacy, is what it will take for them to feel safe. Feeling safe means, they have avenues to grow without limitations and become the best versions of themselves.
This, in turn, means less mental health setbacks. Be open minded, and teachable, when approached with new language, mislabeling, or misunderstandings when being corrected by the LGBTQIA+ community or allies. 

Conclusion

The struggles faced by the LGBTQIA+ community are multifaceted and deeply rooted in societal biases and systemic inequalities. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from individuals, communities, and policymakers to create a more inclusive and supportive environment. By raising awareness, advocating for legal protections, and promoting acceptance and understanding, we can work towards a future where LGBTQIA+ individuals can live freely and authentically without fear of discrimination or prejudice.

Resources

• https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/stress-and-trauma/lgbtq
• https://disasterphilanthropy.org/resources/lgbtqia-communities-and-disasters/
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/lgbtq-americans-are-under-attack-human-rights-campaign-
  declares-in-state-of-emergency-warning
• https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/mental-health-in-the-lgbtq-community/
• https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-
  Dimensions/LGBTQ#:~:text=LGB%20adults%20are%20more%20than,experience%20a%20mental%20he
  alth%20condition.