Survey finds excess health problems in lesbians, gays, bisexuals

[rogue06]

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/survey-fin...224741845.html

I was just thinking about the previous discussions we've had where transexuals seemed to have greater problems, including suicide, and wasn't even looking for this, but here it is.

If simply being a minority is in itself a significant factor then why don't we see similar health issues among various Asian-American groups?

[rogue06]

There's not really widespread agreement on that topic. E.P. Sanders, for example, argues extensively that if Jesus was successfully causing bad people to stop sinning and turn their lives around, then the Pharisees would have praised him for it. He argues that Jesus must have been endorsing the acceptance of sinners into society while they were still sinners.

You mean like how the Pharisees were singing his praises for healing people -- at a time that illness was often thought to be associated with sin?

[Cow Poke]

If simply being a minority is in itself a significant factor then why don't we see similar health issues among various Asian-American groups?

The first thing that came to my mind.... "when was the last time you saw an Asian-American Pride Parade where a bunch of people marched through cities half naked, or in jock straps, wearing dog collars, and demanding respect?"






EDIT: I started to post some pictures, but they're not for "prime time".

[Starlight]

If simply being a minority is in itself a significant factor then why don't we see similar health issues among various Asian-American groups?

Racial Discrimination and Health Among Asian Americans:

Research shows that racial discrimination is related to illness among diverse racial and ethnic populations... [The authors of this paper] identified 62 empirical articles assessing the relation between discrimination and health among Asian Americans. The majority of articles focused on mental health problems, followed by physical and behavioral problems. Most studies find that discrimination was associated with poorer health, although the most consistent findings were for mental health problems.

Suffering any kind of discrimination or prejudice, be it about race, religion or sexual orientation, causes health problems. That's well established by hundreds, probably thousands, of studies on many different groups (62 on Asian-Americans alone). It's theoretically possible that simply belonging to a minority group is slightly stressful on average, in and of itself, even in the complete absence of discrimination, but as far as I am aware there is not solid evidence in favor of this view. But the term minority stress itself refers to "chronically high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups"... where "stigmatized" is a key word in the definition.

[Starlight]

The first thing that came to my mind.... "when was the last time you saw an Asian-American Pride Parade where a bunch of people marched through cities half naked, or in jock straps, wearing dog collars, and demanding respect?"

Well the Irish having a St Patrick's parade and getting utterly drunk and disorderly comes to mind. I was just listening to a Turkish-American commentator who was talking about gay pride parades and he compared them favorably to some Turkish pride parades he'd been to.

Here in NZ we have a reasonably annual "Boobs on Bikes" parade (pics also not postable) where topless men and women ride motorbikes through the major cities. Not sure if that tells us anything meaningful or deep about heterosexuality and the failings of the heterosexual psyche...?

Gay pride parades by their nature don't represent the silent majority of gay people who stay at home minding their own business, and who are probably doing tremendously out-there things like eating dinner or watching TV.

[Cow Poke]

Well the Irish having a St Patrick's parade and getting utterly drunk and disorderly comes to mind. I was just listening to a Turkish-American commentator who was talking about gay pride parades and he compared them favorably to some Turkish pride parades he'd been to.

Here in NZ we have a reasonably annual "Boobs on Bikes" parade (pics also not postable) where topless men and women ride motorbikes through the major cities. Not sure if that tells us anything meaningful or deep about heterosexuality and the failings of the heterosexual psyche...?

Gay pride parades by their nature don't represent the silent majority of gay people who stay at home minding their own business, and who are probably doing tremendously out-there things like eating dinner or watching TV.

So, you're equating gays with other sin and degradation - drunkenness, boobs on bikes, etc.

[rogue06]

Racial Discrimination and Health Among Asian Americans:

Research shows that racial discrimination is related to illness among diverse racial and ethnic populations... [The authors of this paper] identified 62 empirical articles assessing the relation between discrimination and health among Asian Americans. The majority of articles focused on mental health problems, followed by physical and behavioral problems. Most studies find that discrimination was associated with poorer health, although the most consistent findings were for mental health problems.

Suffering any kind of discrimination or prejudice, be it about race, religion or sexual orientation, causes health problems. That's well established by hundreds, probably thousands, of studies on many different groups (62 on Asian-Americans alone). It's theoretically possible that simply belonging to a minority group is slightly stressful on average, in and of itself, even in the complete absence of discrimination, but as far as I am aware there is not solid evidence in favor of this view. But the term minority stress itself refers to "chronically high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups"... where "stigmatized" is a key word in the definition.

And yet Asian Americans enjoy the longest life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group (87.3 years) in the U.S. today.

And what do we make of the fact that "Despite having lower income and education levels, U.S. Hispanics tend to outlive non-Hispanic whites by several years"? According to the National Center for Health Statistics, non-Hispanic Whites live on average to 78.8 years old while Hispanics live for an average of 81.2 years.

[Cow Poke]

Meanwhile, while we can close our eyes and pretend really hard that this is all about "stress" from discrimination, that would necessitate ignoring sources such as the CDC....

Source: CDC

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) have been rising among gay and bisexual men, with increases in syphilis being seen across the country. In 2014, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men accounted for 83% of primary and secondary syphilis cases where sex of sex partner was known in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men often get other STDs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. HPV (Human papillomavirus), the most common STD in the United States, is also a concern for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Some types of HPV can cause genital and anal warts and some can lead to the development of anal and oral cancers. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are 17 times more likely to get anal cancer than heterosexual men. Men who are HIV-positive are even more likely than those who do not have HIV to get anal cancer.

© Copyright Original Source

[Cow Poke]

Other contributing factors are not within our control to change.

So, let's focus on some of the factors that ARE within our (the GLBTXQPTKR Community) control to change....

Source: CDC

How can I prevent STDs?

For anyone, being sexually active means you are at risk for STDs. However, you can do many things to protect your health. You can learn about how STDs are spread and how you can lower your chances of getting them.

Get Vaccinated: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men have a greater chance of getting Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and HPV. For this reason, CDC recommends that you be vaccinated against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. The HPV vaccine is also recommended for men up to age 26.

Be Safer: Getting tested regularly and getting vaccinated are both important, but there are other things you can do to reduce your risk for STDs.

* Talk honestly with your partner about STDs and getting tested—before you have sex.
* Use condoms correctly every time you have sex.
* Think twice about mixing alcohol and/or drugs with sex. They can lower your ability to make good decisions and can lead to risky behavior—like having sex without a condom.
* Limit your number of sexual partners. You can lower your chances of getting STDs if you only have sex with one person who only has sex with you.

© Copyright Original Source

Naturally, it's SILLY to just suggest that sex be done the way God intended it.

[Adrift]

You mean like how the Pharisees were singing his praises for healing people -- at a time that illness was often thought to be associated with sin?

As far as I can tell, Sander's view on Jesus and repentance isn't exactly as Starlight has framed it (not to mention that Starlight is, again, pointing out a minority view). First of all, Sanders realizes that his view on Jesus and repentance is largely speculative, and Sanders does accept that Jesus did desire that sinners stop sinning. Sanders' main arguments are that: 1.) unlike the standard Jewish model where only the righteous could receive forgiveness, Jesus believed in unconditional forgiveness, and told sinners they were forgiven first, and then they were to repent, and change their ways. 2.) Repentance in the Jewish worldview concerned more than simple contrition and changing of ways, it also included restitution, sacrifice, and return to obedience to the law, and it is particularly this form of repentance, the "usual sense", that Sanders believes that Jesus did not impose on his followers in order to receive forgiveness. 3.) If Jesus focused on repentance, he would have been hailed as a national hero. 4.) Sanders heavily downplays certain passages like Matt 4:17, Mark 1:15; 6:12, and Luke 15:7;10, and asserts that they are editorial inventions.

As an aside, Sanders also heavily emphasizes tax collection as a sin that Jesus did not require repentance from, and it seems to me that that plays heavily into his hypothesis that Jesus did not require repentance before forgiveness. In first century Israel, most Jews believed that tax collecting for Rome was a sin against Israel, but it seems to me that Jesus wasn't nearly so myopic.

At anyrate, Bruce Chilton does a decent job in dismantling a lot of Sanders' views on this, pointing out that it would be very strange for a follower of John the Baptist, whose primary message was repentance, to ignore that theme altogether. He also points out that Sanders' view only really works if one ignores much of the scriptural evidence that Jesus did preach repentance. Wright also breaks down Sanders view in Jesus and the Victory of God, while agreeing with Sanders that Jesus did not teach repentance "in the normal sense" (that is, in the sense that 2nd temple Jews would have expected), but disagreeing that it was not a focus of his preaching.

[Adrift]

Ah, so don't even try... I mean - you claim there's a problem, but we shouldn't actually "work the problem", we should just get everybody to accept it as "normal".



Typical liberal social experimentation.

I'm not sure what liberals, specifically, have to do with this, but it does bring up an interesting question. If homosexuality is, in some large way, attributable to biological abnormalities caused by unusual levels of hormones and chemicals rather than a largely environmental phenomena (environmental being the prevailing scientific view at this time), one wonders if folks like Starlight would object to the abortion or infanticide of children by parents upon learning of their children suffering from these abnormalities.

[Cow Poke]

I'm not sure what liberals, specifically, have to do with this....

Perhaps I should have said progressives....

[Adrift]

Perhaps I should have said progressives....

Ah, ok.

[fm93]

And yet Asian Americans enjoy the longest life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group (87.3 years) in the U.S. today.

That only focuses on quantity of life, rather than quality.

And what do we make of the fact that "Despite having lower income and education levels, U.S. Hispanics tend to outlive non-Hispanic whites by several years"? According to the National Center for Health Statistics, non-Hispanic Whites live on average to 78.8 years old while Hispanics live for an average of 81.2 years.

I don't think the argument was that simply being a minority causes substantial psychological stress, but that being a minority in a certain context can cause it. For instance, there are many reports of LGBT teenagers being disowned by their parents for being LGBT. Obviously, being disowned by your parents can cause substantial psychological stress, but those who weren't disowned could also suffer from substantial psychological stress if they hear about those cases and worry that they too might someday be disowned.

On the other hand, Hispanic teenagers typically aren't disowned by their parents for being of Hispanic descent, since, you know...the parents are also of Hispanic descent.

[fm93]

Meanwhile, while we can close our eyes and pretend really hard that this is all about "stress" from discrimination, that would necessitate ignoring sources such as the CDC....

Source: CDC

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) have been rising among gay and bisexual men, with increases in syphilis being seen across the country. In 2014, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men accounted for 83% of primary and secondary syphilis cases where sex of sex partner was known in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men often get other STDs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. HPV (Human papillomavirus), the most common STD in the United States, is also a concern for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Some types of HPV can cause genital and anal warts and some can lead to the development of anal and oral cancers. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are 17 times more likely to get anal cancer than heterosexual men. Men who are HIV-positive are even more likely than those who do not have HIV to get anal cancer.

© Copyright Original Source

Those conditions weren't mentioned in the survey. No one is claiming that STDs are caused and spread by discrimination-rooted stress.

And anyhow, as usual, there are two issues worth considering:

1. Those risk factors are greatly reduced for gay couples who use protection, and are entirely eliminated for monogamous gay couples.
2. Those risk factors don't exist for women who have sex with women.