Sarah Spellman
Teaching & Learning
November 8, 2010
Health Integration Paper
We are losing too many of our precious children. It seems like it is the top
story in the news lately. Suicide. What a heart-breaking choice for someone to make.
They have reached their limit, and see no other way out, except for death. How does
this happen? How can we allow our children to feel so alienated or ostracized that
they see no other option than killing themselves?
It is deep-seeded discrimination that allows this horrible avenue to thrive.
Much of the teen suicide that we hear about in the news seems to be connected with
homosexuality. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to say that because
someone is homosexual they will commit suicide. All the issues that go along with
being gay though do have effects on a teenager’s self-esteem and self-efficacy. When
they struggle with feelings of liking someone of the same-sex, when they “come-out”
to their family and friends, and when they deal with all the after-effects of now living
a gay lifestyle, teenagers are stricken with monumental stress that leads to the high
association of suicide with homosexuality.
My question is, how can we put a stop to this? Foucault would have described
how power is having a major impact on these children. In this country currently,
same-sex relationships are still not accepted. Most states have anti-gay marriage
laws, and we just had a president who was very publicly against the entire topic of
homosexuality. This is where the discussion of power comes into play. While this
country still lives under the ideology of negativity towards gays, there will be
discrimination and hate towards them. No matter who or what is being talked about,
there is always someone out there who doesn’t like them. But, if the government
was to take a more progressive stance when it comes to homosexuality, I believe
there would be a great reduction in these types of awful tragedies. Getting the
country’s acceptance is the first step. Then we can begin to work on the individuals.
However, we are nowhere near that point yet.
It is stated how even currently in the medical field it is not ok to be openly
gay. If a doctor “comes-out” it may have a negative impact on their career. It is also
discussed how gay teenagers experience more violence than non-gay teenagers (Li
Kitts 2005). Again Foucault would talk of power and discipline. People seem to
believe that be acting violently towards someone that is different it may cause a
change in behavior. The people who are acting violently and the government are
showing these traits. By denying homosexuals the same rights as other citizens, they
are in fact handing out a type of punishment. We will not allow you to be happy by
making it ok for you to get married. We will not allow you to be happy by making
your everyday life scary and unsure.
Kohlberg would stress how the children’s moral were affecting their
decisions to hurt those that are different. Those that would hurt people just because
of their sexual orientation would be categorized in the early stages of moral
development. They were taught a certain viewpoint by their parents, and never
developed their own ideas. These individuals only recognize that homosexuality
disgusts them; they show no thought for the feelings of others or the greater
community at large.
One aspect of this topic that I found to be interesting was the discussion of
how risk markers for suicide may be different between gay individuals and non-gay
individuals. This may be due in part to the idea that gay people see suicide
differently than non-gay persons (Silenzio et al, 2007). This means a lot for suicide
prevention. If there are differences in how people view suicide based on their
sexuality, then different methods of prevention may be needed for each.
This is related to Foucault’s idea of freedom and control. People believe there
is a certain viewpoint when it comes to suicide. They have not begun to question
whether or not there really is a difference for those that are gay. Homosexuals may
be searching for the one way that they can have some resemblance of control in
their lives, when every aspect of their personal relationships is being controlled.
Ultimately they may be finding freedom when they take their own lives. This is truly
devastating for me to even think about. I cannot imagine myself in the same
situation. I don’t know if I could deal with it either.
Kohlberg would classify this under stage five of his moral development. Here
individuals are not so worried about whether society approves, they are more
interested in overall principles and values that are right. They may look at society
and think of not so much the continued flow of the everyday life. Instead there
would be a focus of what is the right thing. Those who have reached their end
though, would have seen how the democratic procedures in this country have failed
them, and therefore there is no hope.
People continue to disappoint as well. Of course there are the patriots that
stand up for what is right, and scream it at the top of their lungs. There is also the
media. Their portrayal of the situations that are currently at the forefront can be
extremely impactful.
For instance, when a teenager commits suicide, and the immediate reaction
is, it was because they were gay, does not help the overall situation. Instead they
should focus on why being gay caused this person’s life to spiral out of control to the
point where committing suicide seemed to be the best choice. The media could focus
on how current society effects gay teenagers and how it can cause them to become
depressed and eventually suicidal. However they do not. They just keep a running
tally of how many children are taking their own lives, and how again it is connected
with being gay. The media likes to make big statements saying they have “proved”
something without having enough data to back it up. They also make generalizations
from studies that may not have shown those findings at all (Saewyc 2007).
It all stems back to control. Foucault could have described how the media is
trying to have sway over the minds of the public they are airing for. They don’t want
to help find a solution for the problem; they just want to escalate the issue by
making it more public. Public attention can be useful if treated carefully. However
that is not the case in today’s society.
Kohlberg would be urging us as people to see through the veil that the media
has thrown over us. He would argue for people to develop their own moral
viewpoints on the issue, and to take into consideration other people’s feelings and
how they would be affected. This would be in his final stages five and six. Believing
that people, all people, are born with certain rights that cannot be taken away is
fundamental. The institution of marriage is one of those rights. Being able to love
whoever you want, and not be discriminated for it. You don’t have to think its right
for you personally, but you should be able to accept that a person is entitled to love
anyone. And a country should not be able to dictate who a person is allowed to love
based on gender. It is just not right.
Love is something that is deeply personal to each individual. It is beautiful
and scary all at the same time. We should not be adding to the burden of love by
telling some people that whom they love is wrong. Love is tough enough without
having to deal with the loss of family and friends, career options and overall social
status. I hope for a future when it doesn’t matter who people love, and children
won’t feel like suicide is the path they need to choose. Maybe then there won’t be a
tally of how many children have killed themselves because of the repercussions of
being gay.
Works Cited
Li Kitts, R. (2005). Gay adolescents and suicide: understanding the association.
Adolescence, 40(159), 621-628. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier
database.
Saewyc, E. M. (2007). Contested conclusions: claims that can (and cannot) be made
from the current research on gay, lesbian, and bisexual teen suicide attempts.
Journal of LGBT Health Research, 3(1), 79-87. Doi: 10.1300/J463v03n01_09
Silenzio, V., Pena, J., Duberstein, P., Cerel, J., & Knox, K. (2007). Sexual orientation
and risk factors for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents
and young adults. American Journal of Public Health, 97(11), 2017-2019.
Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database