The Myth of “Affirmation”
Greater ‘affirmation’ of LGBTQ identities does not lead to improved mental health.
04/30/24
John Stonestreet Jared Hayden
For years, activists have claimed that greater social acceptance and affirmation of LGBTQ-identifying individuals would lead to better mental health outcomes. Implicit in the claim is the idea that “widespread prejudice against homosexual people causes them to be unhappy or worse, mentally ill.”
However, according to a soon-to-be-published paper by researcher Amy Hamilton, the science does not support this claim. Research from three different continents—Australia, Europe, and the U.S.—reveals that a more accepting social environment does not bring improvement in psychological distress or suicidal behavior. In fact, it’s the opposite. One study found that younger LGBTQ-identifying people raised in more affirming social environments “were worse … than the older cohort.”
We’ve been lied to. The “science” was never settled. In fact, the research trend right now is to show just how ideologically corrupted the medical, educational, psychological, and scientific “experts” have become on questions of sex, gender, and identity. And the kids are the victims.
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