Gay male participants rated how much they agreed with the following statements on a scale of “disagree strongly” to “agree strongly:” This is called internalized homophobia.Ī summary of this study by UC Davis illustrates how gay men process internalized homophobia. When gay men spend years exposed to homophobic rhetoric, stereotypes and myths, there are a portion of them who internalize this negativity and - consciously or subconsciously - believe it is true. If you are a gay man, this article might be an opportunity to better understand your issues and consider a path to treating them. Keep reading if you are interested in supporting gay men by helping them improve their mental health and spread awareness about the challenges they face. All of these issues make gay men more likely to develop a mental illness or die by suicide. To fully understand how their sexual orientation impacts their mental health, we need to examine existential crises, family problems, stereotypes, the effects of the LGBT community and much more. The mental health issues gay men are more likely to deal with go beyond discrimination and stigma.
