But what are they getting back at? What is there to pay back? Well, the truth is, nothing. Nothing at all.

However, people who are entrenched in misinformation, learned hatred, and perhaps internalized homophobia create false reasoning to justify retaliation. LGBTQIA+ people are doing everything right and nothing wrong by coming out and being proud. Those who punish people for simply existing as themselves are misled by hate.

Unfortunately, while LGBTQIA+ people have done nothing wrong, they still face the consequences of others' misplaced attacks. Specifically, their mental well-being takes an enormous hit.

In an article within the Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health Volume 2, Issue 3, researchers found that “greater bullying and family rejection were associated with lower LGBTQ identity pride and, in turn, greater depression.” Bullying and rejection? Sound familiar?

How so, you may ask? Well, it shows that retaliation itself isn’t what causes mental health disparities in LGBTQ people. Instead, it is the way that retaliation impacts our self-worth, esteem, and love. While we cannot stop every attack or change everyone’s mind, we can find ways to ignore them and cope with these incidents.

By not allowing misplaced hatred to bring us down, we can protect our mental health and fight off depression. To be fair, this is easier said than done. But, it means that no one is powerless and that fighting for your mental well-being isn’t pointless. The first step to protecting your mental health from retaliation is understanding the other person's motivations.

It’s a hard pill to swallow for pessimists like me, but a necessary and factual one. Overall, while retaliation is a very possible result of being and coming out as LGBTQIA+ and can badly impact your mental health, you are capable of overcoming the challenge. You can get started by exploring our resource page: a database of mental health, financial, and legal resources for LGBTQ+ people across the United States.

Sources: https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrlgbtq/2/3/203.abstract