This week, the PAP was confronted by a furor caused by an article on parenting gay children. Netizens went up in arms at the homophobic tone of the article. Other psychologists reacted because of the misinformation and unethical advice given.
When we came out with the statement and alternative article, I braced myself for the backlash. And it came. The comments made me realize just how many people out there really view homosexuality as a disease and disorder. Some views are because of ignorance – people are just not aware that homosexuality has not been considered a medical or psychological disorder for 40 years. There are many negative stereotypes of gay people. Others’ views are shaped by religious dogma.
Yet, for every negative comment I read, there were more positive messages of thanks - from psychologists who felt we did the right thing, from homosexuals who have been ostracized because of their gender identity or the people who love them.
There were also a lot of questions seeking to understand homosexuality. But perhaps the most curious question I got was, “you are straight – why are you pro-gay?” The thing is, I've never thought of myself as pro-gay. What I am is pro-person. The world is difficult enough – we live with poverty in our midst, our environment is slowly being destroyed, we hear about corruption, violence and crime in the news almost daily. Why should we make it harder for people just because they have a different skin color, god, or gender preference?
True, psychology teaches us that prejudice and discrimination are human tendencies. We are affirmed by being with people like us. We shape our identity by differentiating ourselves from others. Research tells us that members of minorities are easy targets for discrimination simply because they are different from most.
Then again, the beauty of being human is the capacity to change and evolve. If the prejudice is coming from ignorance, we can inform. Bias-based stereotypes can be changed by contact. Fear can be diminished through interaction and dialogue. But perhaps the difficult aspect of prejudice is one’s heart. The challenge is making people really look beyond differences and see that we are the same where it counts - we are all human beings who simply want to love and be loved.
In one thread on the topic, someone asked "What do we call people who are homosexuals?" The response of another reader: "Tao."
When we came out with the statement and alternative article, I braced myself for the backlash. And it came. The comments made me realize just how many people out there really view homosexuality as a disease and disorder. Some views are because of ignorance – people are just not aware that homosexuality has not been considered a medical or psychological disorder for 40 years. There are many negative stereotypes of gay people. Others’ views are shaped by religious dogma.
Yet, for every negative comment I read, there were more positive messages of thanks - from psychologists who felt we did the right thing, from homosexuals who have been ostracized because of their gender identity or the people who love them.
There were also a lot of questions seeking to understand homosexuality. But perhaps the most curious question I got was, “you are straight – why are you pro-gay?” The thing is, I've never thought of myself as pro-gay. What I am is pro-person. The world is difficult enough – we live with poverty in our midst, our environment is slowly being destroyed, we hear about corruption, violence and crime in the news almost daily. Why should we make it harder for people just because they have a different skin color, god, or gender preference?
True, psychology teaches us that prejudice and discrimination are human tendencies. We are affirmed by being with people like us. We shape our identity by differentiating ourselves from others. Research tells us that members of minorities are easy targets for discrimination simply because they are different from most.
Then again, the beauty of being human is the capacity to change and evolve. If the prejudice is coming from ignorance, we can inform. Bias-based stereotypes can be changed by contact. Fear can be diminished through interaction and dialogue. But perhaps the difficult aspect of prejudice is one’s heart. The challenge is making people really look beyond differences and see that we are the same where it counts - we are all human beings who simply want to love and be loved.
In one thread on the topic, someone asked "What do we call people who are homosexuals?" The response of another reader: "Tao."