LGBTQ+ representation in the media

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Bruised_Reed said:
Just curious: Do you speak about other mental illnesses the way you did this one? There has been a movement over the last few decades to remove the stigma from mental illness so people can talk about it, seek help, get help with out fear of losing friends, jobs, credibility and the confidence of others, including those of family. I feel you used “mental illness” here rather dismissively.
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I strongly dislike the term “mentally ill” to describe people because it is often used to dismiss what someone has to say and to disparage them. It gets used regularly here in CAF when talking about transgender people and sometimes when talking about gay men and lesbians, too, even though homosexuality has been removed from the DSM.

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and found when I went into Internet forums for people with this neurodevelopmental disorder, that others in the forum frequently warned everyone never to reveal to anyone where they worked that they have ADHD unless absolutely necessary since it would eventually be used against them in some way either by co-workers or by their boss. Some people said that they didn’t even tell most of their friends or family because of the stigma that is usually attached to any sort of mental health issues.

I’m glad to see that no one seems to have been going into the thread here in CAF for people with OCD to tell them that they’re all “mentally ill.”
 
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Keen said:
Okay, as someone who is trying to live a virtuous life while dealing with same sex attraction, one of my biggest problems is coming across LGBTQ+ members in the media. I am a teenager and I frequently use social media and in the past I have followed a lot of people in that community because I felt I could relate to them. I also grew to like them for their personalities. It got to the point where more than half of the people I followed were somehow in this community. The problem is, now that I am trying to live a virtuous life, do I go ahead and start unfollowing and unsubscribing these people because of their sexuality, or do I just ignore that part of their lives and focus on the other reasons why I like them? Also, when I come across the stories of other people in the community, is it wrong to sympathize with them?

Btw, just some extra information if it helps: I’m female and I feel that I am (“was”) pansexual which is like bisexual aka liking people of both genders.
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First I just want to tell you I am happy you are choosing to live a purposed and virtuous life…you did not mention if you are Catholic so I am going to assume you are and answer from that perspective…

Ok, by your own words you are struggling with this issue…

So my advice is to first please please please consult with a trusted priest…

Second, if you are already struggling with this, then recognize it is because you are struggling with sin…do not try and fight this sin, RUN form this sin…do not put yourself in any situation that may tempt you…

29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
 
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I am a product of a generation that vilified homosexuals. And so much of the trans portion was even generally unheard of back then. As I grew to know and understand, first what the church teaches, and secondly looking at people on that side of the fence so to speak as individuals, I came to enjoy the talents and products of the LGBT community. I don’t identify with them, but I now longer “ostracize” them in my life. (I miss George Michael and Freddy Mercury so much. Absolutely loved their talent and their music.)
I guess the upshot of what I am saying is that I perceive you to be young. I would urge you to find and focus on the person with whom you want to share your life. Hopefully, that is a heterosexual male with whom you can and will form and bond and eventually a family. Realize that that will take a determined choice for you. If you make that choice and stay faithful to it, having friends in the LGBT community will add to your enjoyment of life, just not an intimate part of it. That discipline and understanding comes with a Christian maturity. Catholics don’t “hate” gays, that would be a serious sin in our Community of Faith.

good luck and peace!
 
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No, not dismissively at all, simply making a point. Mental illnesses have a stigma because they cannot be seen or treated like a physical illness. We do not promote and celebrate physical illnesses (we don’t celebrate and promote the flu we seek a cure). So we should not promote and celebrate mental illnesses especially those with such horrible and potentially debilitating symptoms.
 
That’s a good point. Don’t know what others will think on the delivery.
 
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nightshade said:
Sure much like other extreme forms of body dysphoria. Such as the strong urge to be limbless, or unhealthily skinny, or to perform genitalia mutilation (sex change and hormone drugs) due to an extreme case of body dysphoria (which is now being labeled as gender fluidity). They exist but do not need to be promoted. They need to be treated as mental illnesses. We don’t celebrate and promote paranoid schizophrenia, and we shouldn’t other delusional behaviors like “gender identity” crises but transsexual behaviors became lumped together with homosexuality and is now seen as a protected status. When in reality the two are pretty exclusive. You can be homosexual (or bi) and not question your gender.
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I think you may want to google what intersex means.
 
I know what it means, that’s why I said “sure” and other forms of body dysphoria- i.e. transgenderism.

Intersex is an illness with physical symptoms due to a physical cause.

Transgenderism is an illness of the mind in people that are not born intersex.

Just like you can suffer from obesity from a thyroid problem, you can suffer from obesity from a food addiction. Being obese is still a bad thing with negative consequences and should not be celebrated or promoted. Although in the insanity of today’s world, obesity is being promoted under the guise of “body acceptance” and “body positivity” movements. But that’s another can of worms.
 
Hi. Yes I am Catholic and the problem is when I say I’m struggling with it, it’s not that I’m coping to come to terms with it, but more like I’m trying to get that viewpoint of it being a sin because I don’t feel that way as of now. I know it is a sin and I understand why from the teachings of the church but I just don’t feel in my heart that it’s wrong. Not yet anyways. That’s why I feel so conflicted. I just wanted to clarify because I think it’ll help others too in the best way to advice me.

Also about the running away from it instead of fighting it part, I feel like I can apply that in some areas such as social media, which I’m already doing, but I just wanted to get your opinion on what you think I could do for friends that I already know.

Thanks.
 
Keen said:
I know it is a sin and I understand why from the teachings of the church but I just don’t feel in my heart
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Heart knowledge and head knowledge don’t always match up, and that’s okay.
You understand the Church’s reasons for the teachings on sexual morality.
You also know and like people who aren’t following the Church’s teachings.

The world isn’t divided into “good” people and “bad” people, only good behavior and bad behavior.
And most of us are a mixed bag of choices. 🙂
That’s why you can have a person who is kind, or generous, but still be enmeshed in a particular sin.
Peace 🕊️
 
I think the advice to talk to a priest is good. They are good at helping us navigate these types of issues and feelings.

With regards to social media, I think that you have received some good ideas that you will have to bring to prayer and discern the best path forward. It is certainly true that we can overdo it with regards to social media in general. And social media does have the tendency to create an “echo chamber” where we simply hear repeated the same types of stories from the same perspectives. Subjecting ourselves to that over long periods of time shapes the way we think.

So maybe you decide to take a break from social media. Maybe you decide to unfollow certain people, or to start following certain Catholic people and groups.

For me, when I am trying to change my habits, I find it best to start small. Saying, “I’m going to completely wipe out my social media presence” seems like a huge step. But saying, “I’m going to stay off social media for two weeks” is doable. That’s how I broke my TV addiction in college. I gave it up for three weeks as a “challenge”. And when those three weeks were up, I found I didn’t really miss it all that much. I still watched TV after that, but not nearly as much, and I no longer had the attitude of just having to watch every episode of certain shows. But if I had started with the mindset that I was going to give up TV altogether and indefinitely, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it.

So keep praying. Keep talking with your parents (that’s a great blessing that they are helping you through this!). Talk to a priest. Keep seeking the truth. And keep seeking to follow God’s will for your life.

Okay, I’m all out of advice now. 🙂
 
Great post Joe…

I can only comment on my life experiences…and from that I can say that I had to leave life long friends, family and relationships behind when I finally decided to really get serous about following God and giving up a lot of sins that I wallowed in for most my life…

And the GREAT news is that the Lord is faithful and good and eventually those experiences and relationship fade and seem like dull memories in the rearview mirror.
I look back on myself in that time and do not recognize that person anymore.

Thank you Jesus!!! 😍

That is not to say temptation does not rear it’s ugly head every so often…that is why it is important (at least for me) to recognize it is wiser not to put myself into a situation of occurrence and to not try and stay to fight sin but run like hell from it.

M
 
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It’s always good to be connected to people who have similar experiences as you do, even if you might have to bite the bullet and tolerate aspects of other LGBT people’s lives you don’t favor.

I’m gay and Catholic, and I find myself in a similar situation. Take Instagram. I follow a lot of other gay men, some are friends, a few acquaintances, some just random. At worst, I am led to sinful attitudes when there are suggestive posts. But of course, this isn’t restricted to LGBT people – a lot of people on social media fall prey to the “selfie” lifestyle and try to appear attractive in their pictures.

Another way I’m led to sinful attitudes is when I become envious (at same-sex couples, at others’ appearances or lives, etc.). I have a problem with jealously. And I begin to feel sorry for myself — a problem, I suppose, that is relevant to social media in general.

Maybe start with unfollowing those people that lead you to sinful attitudes like envy. Even lust – but note, sexual attraction is human, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed simply to have those feelings.
 
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