Assignment+3+-+Generation+Y+=+NOH8!

Name: Rachel Hendrick Student Number: N7301197 Tutor: Colleen Nilland

= //Love |ləv|// = noun

**1. an intense feeling of deep affection **
• a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone • a great interest and pleasure in something • affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one's behalf. • a formula for ending an affectionate letter
 * 2. a person or thing that one loves **

//Love is not defined by that between a man and woman, it is between two people no matter the colour, age, race, religion or sexual orientation.//



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On November 4, 2008 Proposition 8 passed in California, amending the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The defeat provoked an initiative within the GLBT community, with many new political and protest organizations being formed in response.

The NOH8 Campaign is a photographic silent protest created by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and partner Jeff Parshley in direct response to the passage of Proposition 8. Photos feature subjects with duct tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices being silenced by Prop 8 and similar legislation around the world, with "NOH8" painted on one cheek in protest.

The images are widely used on various social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to spread the message of equality.

Public Health Issue

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The public health issue that is being focus on is the equality for homosexuals with the rights to marry or form a civil union as a same-sex couple, similar to that of a heterosexual couple, that will be legally recognized and respected. There is an increase of mental health issues such as depression, suicide and drug dependency as a result of stigmatization and discrimination against gay men and lesbians based on their sexual orientation. Prejudice against homosexuality differs from that against race or sex, as it is often regarded as unnatural and morally perverse and is having damaging effects on the homosexual population. =====

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We refer to basic human rights, like the freedom of speech and association, liberty, and equal treatment in court as civil rights, because they are fundamental rights that each and every person should not be denied on the basis of their sex, race, or religious belief (Nguyen, 1999). Although whilst forming this constitution of rights, homosexuality - the sexual desire for those of the same sex as oneself - was not included as discrimination against those on the basis of sexual preference, thus, making this discrimination perfectly legal. So over time this discrimination and lack of equality has had damaging effects on the homosexual population. =====

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With long history, Homosexuality had been a diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) since the manual’s first edition in 1952, and its classification as a disease was rooted back to the nineteenth century medical model (Herek, 2004). In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association Board of Directors voted to remove Homosexuality from the DSM, declaring that a same-sex orientation is not inherently associated with psychopathology (Minton, 2002). Earlier to this in Australia, on August 13th, 1959, in the midst of debating Australia’s first Marriage Act there was an outrage at the news than an aboriginal woman had been denied permission to marry a white man, with the basis of discrimination by the colour of her skin (Croome, 2011). At the same time in the depths of a war on racial discrimination and civil rights ignited by African Americans, a German-American philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt declared: =====

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// “The right to marry whoever one wishes is an elementary human right compared to which ‘the right to attend an integrated school, the right to sit where one pleases on a bus, the right to go into any hotel or recreation area or place of amusement, regardless of one’s skin color or race’ are minor indeed. Even political rights, like the right to vote, and nearly all other rights enumerated in the Constitution, are secondary to the inalienable human rights to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, and to this category the right to home and marriage unquestionably belongs” // (Arendt, 1959). =====

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So you would think that since then things would have changed, in light of these anti-discrimination groups being formed by African American civil rights movement in stance of racial discrimination gave further motive for Homosexuals to stand up and be heard with the gay rights movement (Avery et al., 2007, Hicks & Lee, 2006). Exactly 45 years on from this outrage, on August 13th 2004 the Senate passed a Howard government amen =====

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Now in the year 2011, and in question whether or not as a generational shift or as individual acceptance, we have further progressed, with over 10 countries around the world allowing same-sex couples to marry, and in three States in Australia same-sex couples have access to domestic partnership registries. Still on the agenda today, as in August 2009, a same-sex marriage bill was introduced by a member of the Australian Greens who pleaded with the government to take into consideration that the majority of Australians support same-sex marriage. =====

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The trend in attitudes towards gay marriage mirrors in direction, if not in magnitude, a change in the public’s opinion on homosexuality (Herdt & Kertzner, 2006). In the 1990’s it was evident there was an increased acceptance of homosexuality (Porche & Purvin, 2004). Views on the legality of ‘homosexual relations between consenting adults’ and the acceptability of homosexuality as an ‘‘alternative lifestyle’’ have shown a good deal of liberalization since the late 1970s and early 1980s and continue to increase yearly (Gallup Poll News Service, 2007 as cited in Baunach, 2011). While many lesbians and gay men of previous generations did not consider civil marriage a possibility in their lifetimes, 74% of lesbian and gay respondents said in a 2001 survey that they would consider marriage if it was legally available (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2001). =====

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Now with almost daily media coverage of same-sex couples wanting to marry, of homosexual advocates who claim that the denial of marriage is harmful, and of conservative opponents and anti-homosexual lobbyists who resist the extension of marriage. (Herdt & Kertzner, 2006). Many gay men and lesbians have expressed their interest in being legally married, this realization of civil partnership would translate into an enhanced sense of well-being and mental state given the possibilities for increased support, and as for heterosexuals, will have variable meanings, desirability, and mental health significance for specific individuals. =====

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An increasing body of evidence implicates stigmatization and discrimination based on sexual orientation as a cause of the excess risk of increased mood and anxiety disorders observed among lesbians and gay men (Mays & Cochran, 2001). There are findings of psychological damage caused by social exclusion and suffered by lesbian and gay individuals and families (Kitzinger & Wilkinson, 2004). More recent research (Mays & Cochran, 2001) focuses on the negative psychological effects of being discriminated against, and reports that discrimination and oppression causes anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, suicidal thoughts, and other stress-related mental health problems. (King M, McKeown, 2006) =====

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LGBT psychology boasts literally thousands of studies comparing lesbians and gay men with heterosexual women and men, the vast majority of which, demonstrate at least comparable levels of psychological functioning between heterosexuals and homosexuals (Kitzinger & Wilkinson, 2004). Recent debates about the links between human rights and health, highlight the need for recognition of sexual orientation as a part of humanity that must be respected, and that societies that recognize their relationships as valuable and become more accepting of them as respected members of their communities may diminish gay and lesbian’s vulnerability to mental disorders (Miller, 2001). Improved acceptance and greater visibility of same sex family units may lead to a better understanding of the complex relationship between health, social and economic status, gender roles, and gay and lesbian identity (King & Bartlett, 2006). =====

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Cultural and Social Analysis

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As can be seen in the literature review above, society and culture has the impact to heavily influence equality for homosexuals. Over time and the change of generations, it has seen many landmark events unfold. The African American civil rights movement – to stop racial discrimination and for integration of black and white; the women’s right to vote due to feminist activists, and more recently, from the gay rights movement for equality of Homosexuals. This battle for equal rights for gay men and Lesbians may be the greatest civil rights battle of the 21st century. =====

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Negative attitudes towards same-sex marriage are generally related to the degree to which a person is homophobic. Homophobia is described as an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people. These negative stereotypical thoughts about homosexuals usually are served in the heterosexual-homosexual dynamic as a safety mechanism used to enforce group superiority and normalcy (Moskowitz, et al. 2010). =====

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The more recent media attention over the past decade to the controversial legal battles between same-sex couples and state law, towards civil unions and same-sex marriage may have contributed to the shifting balance of more support for legal recognition of same-sex relationships (Avery, et al. 2007). In the 2011 Gallup Poll; 53 Percent of respondents agreed that same-gender couples that enter a civil union should have the same rights as a heterosexual married couple; 45 percent of respondents opposed this idea. Although not an indication of overwhelming support for same-sex marriage, they demonstrate an increase in support for gay and lesbian couples compared to surveys conducted in the late 1990’s. Below is another Gallup Poll over the period of 1977-2008 – Do you think gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should or should not be legal. =====



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As can be seen above there is an increase over the 30-year period from 43% to 64% for the motion that relations should be legal and a decline for the opposing from 43% to 32%, indicating a shift in attitude towards homosexual relations. These increases correspond respectively with equality in job opportunities, serving in the military, adoption rights and acceptance (Gallup, 2011) =====

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The impact of societal or cultural events may explain why gay marriage attitudes have changed over time, reflecting the effect of cohort succession (younger generations being exposed to different socializing experiences replace older generations) or intracohort change (individuals change their minds about an issue, possibly in response to cultural shifts) (Baunach, 2011). Although results have shown the increasing approval of gay marriage is due more to accumulation of individual change (intracohort) and less likely a product of demographic (cohort succession), even though both contribute to the liberalization of gay marriage attitudes. =====

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There is a rising importance of the awareness of homophobia amongst the heterosexual population, although the gay rights movement has had some success presenting the issue of same-sex marriage as one of equality and rights, they still have a long way to go to stop the discrimination against the homosexual population. With that being said the attitudes toward same-sex marriage may become progressively more positive— much in the same way that homophobic attitudes, over the past few decades, have attenuated (Newport, 2001). All of the above suggests that the acceptance of gay marriage is likely to continue to grow, and with that, laws hopefully will change giving homosexuals equality and their civil rights to same-sex marriage. =====

Artifact Analysis and Reflection

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The artifact I have chosen represents an inequality for a population that walk beside us everyday. It depicts a woman with duct tape over her mouth with the symbol NOH8 Painted on her cheek and the sign that reads “How Long Must L B G Q T I Wait for civil rights?” in silent protest to show that they want to be heard and things to change and the discrimination against them must stop! It provokes many different thoughts for every person who looks at it, whether they are in favor of same-sex marriage or opposed to it. =====

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With the extensive history behind the issue, and the hardships the homosexual population over generations have had to endure, it makes me personally question what type of humans we are if we can discriminate against someone because of their sexuality, and revoke this human right to love and be loved and legally acknowledged that bond, no matter who they are. =====

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Throughout the research and in-depth look into this topic, it has given me further guidance and insight to the struggles and discrimination against the homosexual population, which has increasingly damaging effects on their mental health. Not only the daily fight for equality among peers, co-workers and the wider community but against the law and a constitution that is meant to support their freedom. =====

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Although through the years to date, due to the changes of opinion of individuals, we have seen a positive increase for support of same-sex marriage, I believe that with the generational shift in years to come we will hopefully ALL (myself included), be more accepting of this alternative lifestyle and grant them this equality as humans to love and marry whom ever they shall choose. =====

Links: The NOH8 Website: [|http://www.noh8campaign.com]

An Australian Gay And Lesbian Site: []

Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby Australia: []

Australian Marriage Equality: []

References Arendt, H. (1959). Reflections on Little Rock: A reply to critics. //Dissent// (Spring), 179–181. Reprinted in A. Sullivan, (1997). //Same sex marriage: Pro and con//. (p. 144) New York: Vintage

Avery, A., Chase, J., Johansson, L., et al. (2007). America’s changing attitudes toward homosexuality, civil unions, and same-gender marriage: 1977-2004. //Social Work//, 52, 71–79.

Baunach, D. (2011). "Decomposing trends in attitudes toward gay marriage, 1988–2006". //Social science quarterly//. 92. 2. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00772.x

Croome, R. (2011). A History of Marriage in Australia. The Drum Opinion – ABC, June 11th, 2011.

Gallup Organization. (2003). //Poll topics and trends: Gay and Lesbian.// Washington, DC: []

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2001). //Inside-OUT: A report on the experiences of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in America and the public’s views on issues and policies related to sexual orientation//. Publication No. 3195. Menlo Park, CA.

Herdt, G., Kertzner, R.(2006). "I do, but i can’t: The impact of marriage denial on the mental health and sexual citizenship of lesbians and gay men in the United States". //Sexuality research & social policy//. 3 . 33.

Herek, G. (2004). "Beyond “Homophobia”: Thinking About Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century". //Sexuality Research & Social Policy//, 1 (2) , p. 6.

Hicks, G., Lee, T. (2006). Public attitudes toward gays and lesbians: Trends and predictors. //Journal of Homosexuality//, 51(2), 57–77.

King, M., McKeown, E., Warner, J., et al. (2003). Mental health and quality of life of gay men and lesbians in England and Wales: controlled, cross-sectional study. //British Journal of Psychiatry//. 183:552–8.

King, M., Bartlett, A. (2006). "What same sex civil partnerships may mean for health". //Journal of epidemiology and community health.// 60. 3 . doi: 10.1136/jech.2005.040410

Kitzinger, C. (2004). "Social Advocacy for Equal Marriage: The Politics of "Rights" and the Psychology of "Mental Health"". //Analyses of social issues and public policy//. 4 . 173.

Mays, V., Cochran, S. (2001). Mental health correlates of perceived discrimination among lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in the US. //American Journal of Public Health, 91//. 11.

Meyer, I. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and Bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. //Psychology Bulletin//. 129: 674–97.

Miller, A. (2001). Uneasy promises: sexuality, health, and human rights. //American Journal of Public Health//. 91:861–4.

Minh T. Nguyen (1999) Enemy Gates is down. Civil Rights - The History of Gay Rights.

Minton, H. (2002). //Departing from deviance: A history of homosexual rights and emancipatory science in America//. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Moskowitz, D., Rieger, G., Roloff, M. (2010) Heterosexual Attitudes toward Same-Sex marriage. //Journal of Homosexuality.// 57. 325-336 doi: 10.1080/00918360903489176

Newport, F. (2001). American attitudes toward homosexuality continue to become more tolerant. []

Porche, M., Purvin. D. (2008). “ “Never in Our Lifetime": Legal marriage for same-sex couples in long-term relationships". //Family relations//, 57.

Simon, R. (2002). "Revisiting the Relationships among Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health". //The American journal of sociology// //,// 107 (4)

Learning Engagement and Reflection:

Response to: **Glenn Donaldson - N7529554**

**“ How well does Australia Deal with Mental Health in 2011”**

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your piece; it was very interesting reading your literature review to find out the current statistics in Australia and globally in comparison, even the differences between cultures I had never really given much thought to before how they could differently address such issues as a group or individually.

It is quite alarming to see that Japan who is deemed to be one of the most technologically advanced and cultural countries spends 5% of their 50 Billion dollar health budget towards mental health aid yet has a higher rate of suicide compared to the United States. Makes you question, although with a lacking health care system, is the United States doing something right?

On the other hand it’s really good to see that the Australian government has put so much emphasis on mental health as it is such an increasing health issue within our communities, largely influencing peers around our ages, defiantly is something positive coming from an older generation led government.

Response To: Samuel Bianchi - N8097844

“ Chlamydia, MTV and Pornography – Generation Y’s Sexual Revolution”

Reading your critic has been very thought provoking, educational and alarming. It is absolutely phenomenal to be reading those kinds of statistics of Chlamydia in Australia with such a large increase, doubling over a five-year period. Although with other studies showing the increase in adolescent alcohol consumption, the connections somehow, are quite rationale. So really makes you question whether the education should be on safe sex, safe drinking or making change to legislation.

To see that the objectification of women has led to an increase in a “hook up culture” and there for increasing unprotected sex and transmitting of STI’s, then the many opposing affects sexual objectification normally could undertake such as; depression and eating disorders, it is really interesting research to delve into, as this is something governments should really be working towards changing with so many negative outcomes. It has provided the exact evidence that this is still a major health issue going to be facing the generations to come.