Are Lesbians Okay? Let’s Dive In…
LGBTQ begins with Lesbians, but the group is often the least discussed in terms of oppression and discrimination.
There seems to be a double standard there.
Gay men are often ridiculed in the public eye, while lesbians are either fetishized or ignored. That can lead people to believe that lesbian people are not as much at risk for hatred and scorn as gay men. In reality, both groups face inequality. It just presents differently.
Mental Health Disparities
Lesbians get degraded by society and turned into sexual symbols – similar to straight women – but not the same. Lesbians are not sexualized as much as they get fetishized. Often seen in adult content and targeted at gay men. It is dehumanizing and unacceptable. No one’s sexuality, gender identity, race, ethnicity, or ability should be sexualized. It is a part of who we are, and by minimizing it to a sexual image, society equates our very being to an object to be bought and sold.
All that, plus inequality at work, school, and government can cause lesbians to wind up under mental stress.
This type of stress can lead to devastating mental health conditions. A study of LGBTQ youth in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology found that “almost 18% of lesbian…participants met the criteria for major depression and 11.3% for PTSD.”
These percentages are much higher than the national rates for Major Depression and PTSD in youth, which are 8.2% and 3.9%, respectively. As for suicidal behavior, the national rate among youth was 4.1%. As for LGBT youth? A shocking 31% of them reported suicidal behaviors.
Youth Mental Health Rates
Substance abuse is another mental health issue that unequally falls onto lesbians. The Annual Review of Clinical Psychology study mentioned earlier that “lesbian…female youth are more likely to exhibit substance use problems when compared to heterosexual females.”
To simplify those facts, we can say that, at the very least, lesbian youths have poorer mental health than straight youth.
But what specific social issues are contributing to these facts? People who are lesbian are born with a sexual preference toward women. They are not born predisposed to mental health conditions that correlate with their sexuality. It is a combination of environmental factors, genetics, and experiences.
This is not a 23 And Me blog, so let’s only focus on their environment and experiences.
The Answer
At society’s core, our systems are built for inequality. People in the LGBTQ community went unconsidered – or considered negatively – when our systems got constructed.
This lack of integration is deeply embedded in our society. It exposes the lesbian community to discrimination and hateful prejudices that drive mental health problems.
For example, anti-lesbian violence often goes unreported or unpunished thanks to prejudice in the legal system.
Similarly, schools do not address bullying the same way for all students. LGBT students are less likely to receive support from their school after experiencing bullying.
As of 2021, 26 states had little to no LGBTQ-specific anti-bullying protections. A few states ban the very idea of having such protections (I am looking at you, South Dakota, and Minnesota).
Ultimately, lesbians in the US do not have near as much protection from violence and discrimination as straight women. Of course, it is not a competition. In theory, everyone should receive equal treatment in a fair and free society, but here we are.
A common theme in almost all issues plaguing the lesbian community and worsening their mental health is the lack of accurate visibility. Portrayals of lesbians in media are better now when compared to the early 1900s when most LGBTQ characters were either the butt of the joke, delinquents or simply absent. However, the situation is far from fixed.
Lesbian characters on TV “are mostly white, middle class, typically desexualized, generally existing outside of any gay or lesbian social context and friendship circles, not threatening to heterosexuals, and usually free from oppression,” as stated by The Encyclopedia of Communication and Information.
Lesbians in the media represent what media giants – mostly white rich straight men – think a lesbian should be. It is as if they are mythical creatures these writers, producers, and casting agents heard of in a bedtime story. Lesbians in media are rarely people with substance, complex experiences, and diverse backgrounds.
Being invisible to the very systems that are supposed to uplift you is an awful experience. Put best by Robertson MM in a research article titled Lesbians as an invisible minority in the health services arena, “it is the invisibility of lesbians in society that lends to the continued negative experiences” that lesbians face.
So, to answer the question “Are Lesbians Okay?”, no. They are most certainly not. But we can change that.
Solutions
As previously mentioned, many states lack basic protections for lesbian people. Living in an environment that refuses to help you is quite a big obstacle to quality mental health. We need to advocate for state and federal laws that engrain protections for LGBTQ people in our society.
You can start by voting for representatives who will fight for equality. Volunteering for organizations that fight for LGBTQ rights is also a good choice.
For those in school, stand up to bullying when you see it. Report the incident and support the bullying receiver. Teachers and staff should do the same.
One way everyone can help is by joining our team of dedicated volunteers! We’re searching for volunteers to assist with research, blog writing, podcast production, and outreach efforts. Students are highly encouraged to join, but all are welcome.
