Part 5 Putting it all together: Addressing the issues.

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Chapter 19

• Part 5 Putting it all together Addressing the
  issues.
• How do community psychologists use the
  conceptual, action and research tools to create
  change regarding issues facing disadvantaged
  people?
• Chapters utilize the main conceptual tools to
  frame the problems experienced by different
  disadvantaged groups for example oppression.
• Social intervention strategies proposed to bring
  about liberation and well being.
• Social marginalization
• Globalization and poverty
• Colonization racism
• Immigration adaptation
• Gender power
• Heterosexism Homophobia
• Ableism
• Psychiatric consumers/survivors
• Disadvantaged children families
• Environmental degradation

2

• Dominant cultural narratives shared stories
  communicated through media popular symbols,
  words phrases to describe a particular group of
  people in a stereotyped fashion.
• Used by dominant group to oppress people who lack
  power.
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual sexual orientation
  defined by the identity of person to whom an
  individual is physically and emotionally
  attracted.
• Transgender focus on gender identity
  represents a range of people who do not conform
  to traditional societal expectations roles for
  each gender sexual orientation is not defined
  by gender non-conformity and therefore attracted
  to either females, males or both.
• LGBT to represent a group who experience
  oppression marginalisation do not share the
  same basic civil rights as other citizens.
• Homosexuality 1800s to categorize those
  engaged in same-gender sexual behaviour as sick
  or deviant.
• Diagnostic Statistical Manual not until 1987
  that all references to LGB sexual orientation
  removed.
• Homosexual associated with criminal behaviour,
  uncleanliness mental illness.

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• Term homosexual perpetuates the power of the
  majority rule of symbolic opposites hetero
  powerful homo the more negative opposite
  negative cultural narratives.
• LGBT must be careful not to homogenize is
  diversity within this community - Multiple
  levels of oppression.
• Cultural diversity e.g. American Indian culture
  two-spirited identity is determined by
  social roles and spiritual powers rather than
  physical sex.
• Self-reflection we are not imposing our own
  cultural conceptualizations of sexuality, gender
  and sexual orientation onto other groups
  especially when we come from a position of
  relative power and privilege.
• Homophobia describes heterosexual peoples
  fear, contempt hatred for LGBT (individual
  level of oppression).
• Internalized homophobia reduces issue to
  micro-level victim-blaming (NB to consider the
  power of terminology).
• Heterosexism focus on multiple levels of
  prejudice and oppression experienced the
  ideological system that denies, denigrates and
  stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of
  behaviour, identity, relationships or community
  (societal level of oppression).

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• Heterosexism as a form of oppression because of
  the pervasiveness of heterosexism GLB are
  oppressed in almost every aspect of their lives
  personal, relational collective.
• Cultural heterosexism through societal customs
  and institutions
• Manifested in belief in promotion of the
  inherent superiority of the heterosexual
  orientation.
• Major powerful systemic institutions reinforce
  heterosexist attitudes military, medical,
  psychiatric, schools, religions.
• Invisibility Elton John cancelled trip to
  Caribbean
• Discrimination US prohibiting same-sex
  marriages, employers the right to terminate
  same-gender couples, prohibiting military
  service.
• Psychological heterosexism individual attitudes
  and behaviour
• Prejudice, harassment, violence
• Multiple membership layers of oppression -
  LGBT people who are members of one or more other
  marginalized communities.
• Compare the experiences of
• White, heterosexual, able-bodied, employed, man
• Black, homosexual, disabled, unemployed, woman.

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• Consequences range of threats to well-being and
  liberation.
• Differentiate between surface manifestations and
  the root causes of these manifestations.
• Issues and problems experienced by LGBT people
  are multi-dimensional and typically a result of
  societys negative reaction to them not because
  of anything inherent to being gay.
• Range of interrelated experiences fragmented
  identity, living a double life, social isolation
  rejection.
• Internalized oppression an individual from an
  oppressed group accepting the negative societal
  views of the oppressor and experiencing
  self-blame and shame.
• Heterosexism increases risk of unsafe sexual
  practices.
• Towards liberation well-being
• First principle of CP Ecology interventions
  at individual, relational and collective.
• Health promotion and prevention (all three
  levels)
• Building community LGBT families friends
  mobilize to increase social support improve
  collective wellbeing. Support groups networks

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• Collective power gay rights liberation.
• Gay and lesbians have
• Identified empowerment deficits
• Promoted empowerment awareness
• Mobilized economic, social and political power
• Attempted to change levels of equity in society
• Legal issues public policy serve as a major
  oppressive forms e.g. marriage, children etc.
• Commitment through research listening to the
  changing voices of LGBT people