Bisexual – Page 3 – news.lgbti.org

Closing in on AIDS Cure

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.A.) maintains there is no cure for AIDS as of 2011. The CDC points encouragingly to the preventative shot in the arm which has thus far apparently eluded researchers. The prescribed course for managing the disease is a selection of drugs considered successful in prolonging the life of the patient. The established mainstream considers anecdotal evidence more harmful than useful, sometimes going so far as to bring practitioners to court on charges of fraud.

Electrified Blood

In the early 1990s, Steven Kaali and William Lyman, researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, evidently discovered a way to disable HIV by applying a specific electrical current to blood infected by the virus. They built on the understanding that everything in nature possesses its own resonant electrical frequency. Their findings were reported in a few publications, and a patent was issued on a mechanism for delivering this electric therapy. Speculation abounds, though, that their research was sealed or destroyed, and the men silenced. Robert Beck, physicist who applied their findings, continues to proclaim the veracity of their results even today. Beck and many others now consider blood electrification to be an appropriate response to the entire gamut of systemic diseases.

Are heavily capitalized pharmaceutical corporations keeping the public in the dark to everything but the drugs they peddle? It stirs the emotions to think so. To determine whether therapies are quackery or not requires impartial and accurate investigation. Whatever the facts turn out to be, it rests with every man and woman to apply themselves in due diligence, that we may be confident in the treatments we accept for managing whatever it is that ails us. More information on this and related non-conventional treatments is widely available on the world wide web.

LGBTQ Meaning, What does LGBTQ Stand for?

We use many abbreviations in our lives, one of these abbreviations is LGBTQ. So what do LGBTQ and sub expansions mean? LGBTQ stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer.

A lesbian is a woman who feels physical and / or emotional attraction to another woman. Lesbian means gay woman. Women who feel attracted to both men and women are bisexual. It may be that the person’s self-definition or the sexual identity he / she assigns on himself does not correspond to his behavior.

Gay is an adjective, term and noun meaning gay. The term generally used to denote male homosexuals is also used to describe homosexual women. From the word “gay” in English; In English, it passed from the “gai” origin in Old French. The term gay, which originally meant “cheerful, careless” and “brightly colored, flamboyant”, was first used by male homosexuals to describe themselves since the 1960s. The use of the word “gay” in its other meanings has also disappeared over time. The word lesbian, meaning female homosexual, has been used since the 1800s.

Bisexuality, romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior regardless of gender, or romantic or sexual attraction towards people of any gender or gender identity.

The term bisexuality is often used in the context of human attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings towards both men and women, and it is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with heterosexuality and homosexuality, which are part of the heterosexual-homosexual continuum. A bisexual identity does not have to feel equal sexual attraction to both sexes; People who are often more attracted to one sex also identify themselves as bisexual.

Bisexuality has been observed throughout history in various human populations and in the animal kingdom. But the term bisexuality, like hetero– and homosexuality, was coined in the 19th century.

The transgender or trans person’s gender identity is not compatible with the assigned gender. The term transgender person is used to describe people with this condition and is a phenomenon completely independent of sexual orientation; trans people are also gay, homosexual, homosexual, etc. They can be defined as; Some trans people think that traditional labels of sexual orientation are inadequate or impractical to them.

The definition of trance includes:

“Individuals clearly do not conform to traditional definitions of male or female gender roles, but move between them”

“Individuals feel that the gender they are assigned to is wrong or incomplete in identifying themselves based on the sexual organ they have at birth.

“Failure to be identified or represented by the gender assigned (and accepted gender) at birth”

Queer is an umbrella term that does not fit into a heterosexual or binary gender system, that includes gender identity, sexual orientation, or both. Repeating the definitions of LGBT; The theory that explains their social, intellectual and political expansions as well as their historical and cultural developments. Although queer is a word with negative qualities such as “weird, weird, crooked” in Turkish, its use in political and theoretical issues started in the 1990s. Especially with the activities carried out especially in the academic field with the activist group called Queer Nation established in New York, the concept became concrete.

Gay and Bisexual Men and HIV Risk

Should the Education System Feel Responsible?

The discussion of homophobia and the actual risk of HIV to the population is always a heated debate, but it becomes a muddier and more frustrating topic when words like “men who have sex with men” (MSM) and “bisexual” are used—and these words are used frequently in studies conducted by the Center for Disease control on AIDs and HIV. The statistics on diagnoses of HIV in 2010 indicate that gay, bisexual, or MSM men whom comprise about 2% of the population account for about 63% of diagnoses in the United States. But the word “about” is the confusing part. It is not exactly clear how many of these men are straight men that have engaged in homosexual acts, and perhaps one might wonder if these men are admitting to homosexual behavior because they are seeking treatment for HIV. Are we certain these men were included in the estimated 2%? Most new diagnoses of HIV occur in young men between 13-24 years of age… they comprised a jaw-dropping 72% of the gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV in 2010. Of these individuals, an incredibly large percent of them are African American male youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their reported sexual orientation is not the reason that they have contracted the disease, but rather a lack of sexual education and resources for gay men and youths is to blame.

HIV is not a consequence of homosexual behavior, but a consequence of risky sexual behavior (and in some cases drug use). Is that what men who have sex with men are doing, inflating the CDC’s estimates of homosexuals and bisexuals with HIV? Perhaps, but not because MSM are given to more wanton sexual behavior. This term can describe a situation where a man is sexually attracted to another man for any number of reasons but still identifies as straight. He isn’t bisexual because he doesn’t judge himself to be bisexual, and from a positive psychological perspective of identity this is what matters. He may think he is only capable of committing to a woman in a romantic way, or he may not feel equally attracted to both sexes, but either way he is not homophobic and in denial of his identity. In all probability these men have diverse sexual habits because of the broad category of relationships it can describe.

Obviously some high-risk sexual behaviors, particularly those occurring between men under the influence of drugs or alcohol, are being thrown into this category of men who have sex with men. These encounters would probably not meet most standards for “romantic” behaviors between men, and it is horribly unfair that they are counted among the estimates for new diagnoses of HIV in gay and bisexual men. The rampant homophobic attitudes that prevent awareness campaigns and resources from being accessed in some communities would like us to think that all gay men are having random encounters. The bitter irony is that this fear-mongering promotes carelessness, especially in younger people who need to be educated on what exactly “high-risk sexual behavior” is.

It’s an unsavory topic, but teenagers are having sex. The academic world has come a long way in its attitude towards homosexuality recently by including LGBT alliance and awareness groups in schools, but we need to take a more aggressive attitude towards sexual education in schools. Sexual education needs to be taught in every classroom, and the earlier that teens get it the better off they are. The LGBT community is not taking up enough time in classroom discussions of sexuality. The education system cannot tiptoe around topics like “men who have sex with men” and “homosexuality”. There is no end to the number of mistakes a teenager can make without appropriate guidance from the education system. We were all there once… we have to be honest with ourselves. Blaming stupidity and thinking that the actions of wayward teens don’t affect us is our right, but the astoundingly high numbers of new HIV diagnoses portray the denial of these youths by our culture—they are parallel minds that we just won’t accept responsibility for. Rather than scapegoating the underprivileged communities that raise them, efforts to raise LGBT awareness need to expand beyond home. Community effort needs to mean national effort and then global effort. Bridging the gap between LGBT communities and underprivileged communities created by HIV is the key to fighting this epidemic. If there is anything you can do, don’t hesitate.

MSM, Gay, and Bisexual Men and HIV Risk: Should the Education System Feel Responsible?
Dr. M. Mirza – lgbt health wellness .com – 2014

Understanding Sexual Orientation Amongst Young Males

When it comes to understanding sexual orientation among youth, most research focuses on health, social work and psychology. They look at the youth’s vulnerability to various types of health issues: sexually transmitted diseases, school climate and bullying, sexual assault, abuse and suicide. However, the sociological process that drives individuals to call themselves gay or bisexual has had less focus, until now.

Researcher Mary Anne Robinson of the University of Colorado at Boulder decided to analyze “sexual selfhood” and the process of sexual socialization through a qualitative method and from the point of view of adolescent males.

Her study focused on 18 life-history interviews. Robinson volunteered at Spectrum for 16 months. Spectrum is an urban center that welcomes any youth between the ages of 13 and 22 who identify with the LGBT community. It predominately serves young adults of lower socioeconomic status. Robinson decided to direct the focus of her study on male youth who were born male. The population at the center was mostly male, and she didn’t want to assume all experiences among the other genders.

Robinson’s research led her to identify four processes of sexual identity formation. They are: violating compulsory heterosexuality, seeking out an explanation for their differences, exploring sexuality and negotiating identity.

Compulsory behavior occurs in a social system where all persons are assumed to be heterosexual and heterosexuality is reinforced by gender norms, like masculine and feminine. According to Robinson’s study, the young males would recount stories of how others marked them as being different because they did not conform to typical male behavior. Once the individual was marked for their difference by either themselves or others, they sought out an explanation for why. Initially many of the participants revealed that they didn’t have a language to name how they felt.

Upon recognizing themselves as gay or bisexual, the young men took steps toward embracing their sexuality through relationships. Many of the young males had opportunities to have sex, but did not. In fact, many of the participants identified themselves as virgins. Robinson believes this is significant because it shows that being gay or bisexual doesn’t depend on having sex.

Last, although many face pressure to choose a sexual identity, many youths today are ambiguous about what that identity is. Robinson found that while the boundaries of identity are expanding, sexual identities are becoming more prominent and meaningful, even though not all sexual and gender identities are viewed with legitimacy.

Dr. M. Mirza, LGBT Health Wellness – 2014

How Many Americans Are Bisexual or Homosexual?

A recent survey (the annual National Health Interview Survey) by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention asked about sexual orientation for the first time. While the majority of candidates reported being heterosexual, of the 34,557, 1.6 percent claimed to be homosexual and 0.7 claimed to be bisexual. While many other surveys have claimed much higher numbers, it is important to keep in mind that this is a very difficult number to pinpoint.

You may be asking why. To start, the survey is more or less showcasing results for how those who have taken it identify themselves. Whether or not it factually identifies all participants based on societal definitions of sexuality is too complicated a question to test without further research. Keep in mind that many people do not care to share their sexuality, possibly due to shame, misidentification with how they feel inside, or simply not wanting to release that information. It’s a complicated subject; proclaiming you are gay or bisexual carries many social stigmas.

Questions were provided to surveyors via computer, which they personally asked participants who then answered by showing flash cards. This person to person questioning may help comfort, but still, it does nothing to encourage people to discuss their true indentity. Furthermore, the survey asked nothing regarding transexuals, whose sexuality may be very difficult at times to define.

These statistics may help narrow and target treatment for sexual minorities, which is good, but they still lack accuracy. Without societal reform, it may be impossible to get information that is, figuratively, hidden in the closet.

September 2014

Male on Male Sexual Violence

Male Survivors of Incest or other Sexual Assault

It is estimated that 5-10% of reported cases of rape or sexual assault each year involve male victims (Scarce, 1997) . Some rape crisis centers see nearly equal numbers of girls and boys up to age 12. Researchers report one out of six boys will have been assaulted by age 16. Experts believe the number of cases are under-reported because survivors are less likely to report than are female survivors. Any male can be assaulted. Survivors are gay, straight, and bisexual. Most reported perpetuators are male. Several reports stated that the majority of rapes of males are perpetrated by heterosexual males (Isely & Gehrenbeck-Shim 1997, Scarce 1997).

The identification of sexual assaults committed against males is a recent phenomenon. Previous to the feminist efforts of the last 30 years, resulting in much more comprehensive laws and growing public awareness, rape was the only “sex crime” recognized by law. Only males could be charged with rape and females were the only victims recognized by law. Rape meant vaginal intercourse. Now, the term sexual assault includes many more of the behaviors by which people could be hurt. Many, but not all, states use the phrase sexual assault. Many states are beginning to recognize the sexual assault of males as a problem.

Boys tend not to be taught to empathize. We haven’t taught boys that they deserve the right to feel safe in their bodies, that the autonomy of their body is sacred, that “no” equals “no” for everyone and that when stated it should be respected. Without teaching little boys to expect these rights for themselves, how can we expect young men to respect these rights for men (or women)? Little boys are not taught how to say”no” to abusive clergy, scout-masters, coaches, uncles, fathers, baby-sitters, and other potential male perpetrators.

Males are only beginning to recognize how many of them have experienced sexual assault. For reasons similar that female survivors, male survivors deny their victimization. Their reasons include 1) a lack of information to define their experience as sexual assault; 2) a sense that they will be disbelieved by people; 3) a fear of reprisal by the perpetuator(s); 4) an unwillingness to think of themselves as survivors of sexual assault and fearing all the potential changes in themselves that might inevitably ensue; and 5) a resentment that the behavior of the perpetuator(s) had or has the power to cause the survivor to expend time, energy, emotional and financial resources-and therefore essentially take control of their life-for an unknown length of time.

Sex or Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is commonly defined as forced intercourse or sexual contact that occurs without consent as a result of actual or threatened force (Crooks & Baur 1998). Only recently, however, have many states amended their criminal codes to include adult males (meaning sixteen years of age and older) in their definition of rape (Isely & Gehrenbeck-Shim). All sexual assault is an expression of power, hate, and control. To many heterosexuals, an assaultive male is, crudely put, manifesting “homosexual” behavior. The majority of rapes of males are perpetrated by Caucasian, heterosexual men who often commit their crime with one or more cohorts (Scarce 1997) This demonstrates, again how straight culture confuses sex with sexual assault.

Any male who has been assaulted by another male has a disincentive to report the incident because many people assume that any male assaulted by another male is automatically gay. If the survivor is gay and the perpetrator is gay then reporting the sexual assault may involve “coming out” to authorities, which can be unsafe. Living in a homophobic culture which equates the rape of males to homosexual sexual behavior; a male survivor, who is gay or presumed to be gay, may assume that he will be disbelieved and harassed by the police rather than supported.

Some sexual assaults of gay males are committed by perpetrators who self-identify as heterosexual. The motivations of these men to assault gay males is similar to their motivation to assault females-to dominate and express hatred. Some sexual assaults of gay males are committed by other gay males. Estimates of numbers of assaults are impossible to come by with the prevalence of homophobia in the United States. Consent is what separates sex from sexual assault. Consent is not adequately taught to straight, bisexual or gay teens.

Sexual assaults are not sex. When a male sexually assaults another male: 1)neither male becomes a homosexual as a result of the assault; 2) it is not the manifestation of latent homosexual behavior. There are homosexual men who commit assault but the assaults they commit are not homosexual sex acts. When a man punches another man we do not call it “homosexual battery.” “If you hit someone over the head with a frying pan, you wouldn’t call it cooking.” says Mike Lew, author of Victims No Longer: Men Recovering From Incest & Other Sexual Child Abuse.

Males Who Sexually Assault Other Males

Most of the perpetuators of sexual assault committed on male are other males. As stated before, the majority of perpetrators are heterosexual and Caucasian (Scarce 1997). The boy or young man who is a survivor can be confused, angry, blaming himself, hurt, desperate to understand. The hysteria and misinformation rampant about homosexuality makes understanding their assault very difficult for male survivors.

How Sexual Assault Affects You and Others

Some male survivors’ confusion about their sexual orientation, can hinder their recovery. While some males assaulted as boys by older males come to realize that while they don’t want to replicate the abusive component of their experience, they do want to explore consensual interactions with males. Gaining clarity about one’s sexuality is much more difficult for sexual assault survivors.

When you are dealing with survivors who you know, they may “frustrate or anger” you by not wanting to report their assault, call it assault, change behavior that you find problematic or even destructive, or other things. You may be irritated with the survivors’ rate of recovery or unwillingness to do things that you objectively know would be positive for them. Since the root of eating disorders, depression, and addictions is often incest and others sexual assault, our attention can be misdirected by manifestations of these “symptoms.”

When you are dealing with perpetrators who you know, they too may “frustrate or anger” you by not wanting to call their behavior assault, change behavior that you find problematic, etc. Their resistance may be maddening. Their alleged act may well contribute to the polarization of their circle of friends. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty can be sorely tested. Additionally, you may know or like them as people, and experience difficulty believing they could “do” this.

You don’t have to arbitrate, heal or solve this problem alone. Survivors need support not rescue. You will be helping yourself if you first look at your resistance or denial. Know your own biases and prejudices. And if you can’t/won’t listen at that particular time because you are busy/stressed, or this brings up discomfort from personal experience; you so not have to at the moment.

How to be a supportive listener for a friend/lover/relative who is a survivor of incest or other sexual assault

Most survivors never tell anyone that they have been assaulted. If someone tells you about their abuse, consider it an honor. You may not feel lucky but you are. Welcome to a very confusing, murky world.

Believe them-they are telling the truth. Tell them you’re sorry and it wasn’t their fault.
Really listen, don’t jump to solutions. Ask what help they would like.
Do not distract yourself with heroic fantasies to beat up the perpetrator.
Offer to make an appointment with them to see a counselor, clergy, police, etc.
Do not say that you know/understand how they feel. You don’t, even if you’re a survivor yourself. Your experience was not identical to his/hers.
Suggest counseling in addition to talking to you. Professional counselors are very useful.
There is no limit to how long the healing process takes. Saying things like, “You’ve got to forget about this.” won’t help and may harm recovery.
Be aware of school/local support resources and share those.
Sometimes you can’t “do” what seems to you very much, but the “little” that you do may be sufficient for survivors now. Don’t assume for them what they need.
Give them time and space. If you’re talking more than they are, you’re probably not helping.
Do not give advice, even if asked for it. Survivors of sexual assault have had their power profoundly taken from them. Making decisions overprotects them and may send a message that you think they’re incompetent. Help them problem-solve by offering all possible options. Offer to support whatever decision they make, then do it.
Get support for yourself too-the more you care, the more you are affected. Look inward; pay attention to your own feelings, your needs are valid too.
Don’t burden the survivor with your “stuff.” Males learn to expect others to “take care of” our emotional needs and want them to explain to us what we are thinking/feeling about their trauma. It isn’t wrong for us to have emotional needs. It is wrong for us to add to the survivor’s burden.
Respect their need for absolute confidentiality. Not making their secret public may be the only safe thing for them to do as they see it. If you get support for yourself as an affected “significant other,” do not tell the details of the abuse to anyone. If a person who you confide in presses you to identify the survivor, do not tell them. If you help make the details of the assault public, you will do the survivor harm.
Check-in with a person before leaping into an intense follow-up discussion. Don’t assume that the level of disclosure that you shared previously is acceptable currently or later when you talk to that person. If you want to talk further, recognize that this might not be a good time for him/her to talk.
Sometimes a friend/lover/relative will share that they were assaulted by someone. Some survivors never bring it up again. Some refuse to talk further about it. Some even avoid you. This doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with you. You might be the only person they have confided in and every time they see you they recall their abuse. Don’t punish them for your feeling of being used if that is how you feel. Similarly, you may choose approach them at a private time and ask them if they want to talk further. If they don’t, that’s fine. If they do,that’s also fine as long as you both feel comfortable and safe.
When a survivor tells you tell you that they have been abused, you may feel uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. You have the right to state that what they are telling you is too difficult for you to hear. You may help them find someone else who can be there for them.
If anything you hear or feel resonates for you as you hear their story, it does not prove that you are a survivor. If you are a survivor and you are feeling old feelings again, there are (hopefully)caring resources available in you community.
Some people will seek out a stranger to tell their story to. They may feel safer telling their story to someone they won’t see again, feeling safer with anonymity this person provides. We all deserve the right to feel safe. ( Protective Behaviors, Inc).
Remember the value you place on a friend who took the time to really listen to you.

Possible Reactions of Male and Female Incest or other Sexual Assault Survivors

Note: I include this sections to illustrate the multitude of sometimes contradictory effects that sexual assault survivors experience. This list was created from several lists that compiled responses of many survivors, both male and female. Not all survivors necessarily experience all or even most of these.

Nightmares
Swallowing and gagging sensitivity (suffocation feelings)
Alienation from the body-poor body management. Manipulating body size to avoid sexual attention.
Fear that everyone is a potential attacker
Eating disorders, drug or alcohol abuse; other addictions; compulsive behaviors
Self-destructiveness; skin carving; self-abuse
Suicidal thoughts, attempts, obsessions; Depression (sometimes paralyzing); seemingly baseless crying
Inability to express anger; fear of actual or imagined rage; constant anger
Intense hostility toward entire gender or ethnic group of the perpetuator
Depersonalization; going into shock, shutdown in crisis
A stressful situation is always a crisis; psychic numbing
Physical pain or numbness associated with a particular memory, emotion (for example anger), or situation (for example sex)
Rigid control of one’s thought process; humorlessness or extreme solemnity
Nervousness about being watched or surprised; feeling watched
Trust issues; inability to trust; trusting indiscriminately
High risk behaviors; inability to take risks
Boundary issues; control power, territorial issues; fear of losing control
Obsessive/compulsive behaviors
Guilt, shame; low self-esteem, feeling worthless, high appreciation of small favors by others
No sense of own power or right to set limits or say no
Pattern of relationships with much older persons (beginning in adolescence)
Blocking out part of childhood (especially ages 1-12), or specific person or place
Feeling of carrying an awful secret; urge to tell, fear of its being revealed
Certainty that no one will listen; feeling “marked” (“The Scarlet Letter”)
Feeling crazy; feeling different; feeling oneself to be unreal and everybody else to be real, or vice versa; creating fantasy worlds, relationships, or identities
Denial; no awareness at all; repression of memories; pretending
Sexual issues: sex feels “dirty”; aversion to being touched (especially in gynecological exam); strong aversion to or need for) particular sex acts; feeling betrayed by one’s body; trouble integrating sexuality and emotionality; compulsively “seductive” or compulsively asexual; must be sexual aggressor, or cannot be; impersonal, “promiscuous” sex with strangers concurrent with inability to have sex in an intimate relationship; sexual acting acting out to meet anger or revenge needs; sexualizing of meaningful relationships. Note: Homosexuality is not an after effect.
Limited tolerance for happiness; reluctance to trust happiness

youthresource.com/library/ygm5.htm – 2000