Differences in sexual orientation: How people can react

When a person identifies with being gay, lesbian, transgender, queer/questioning they can be treated unfairly and unkindly by other people. This may be because:

• They do not like people with a different sexuality from themselves

• They do not understand

• They have religious beliefs that they use to justify their thoughts

• They fear a social stigma from others who may not want to be friends with them if they were seen to be supporting people of a different sexual orientation.

A minority of people in society find it difficult to accept others who are different from them and this can lead to the following:

Homophobia

This is when a person treats another person who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender unfairly because of that person's sexual orientation.

Hate Crime

This is the action people take to targeted a person or group of people and physically or emotionally abuse them because, in this instance, of their sexual orientation.

Discrimination

This is the action taken to treat a person differently because of their gender or sexual orientation.

Bigotry

This is when a person faces intolerance and verbal abuse from another person; in this case, based on their gender or sexual orientation.

Bullying

This is when a person, persistently and over a period of time, is mean, humiliates and embarrasses a person in front of others because of the perceived differences, in this case differences in sexual orientation.

Rejection

Family and/or friends may not be able to accept that a member of their family or friendship group who find it hard to accept people for who they are.

Check out the CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work Second Edition Textbook to find out more or check out: My Revision Notes: CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work: Second Edition

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