Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities

Abstract

Psychology has a long history of pathologizing LGB identities. Although decades of sociolegal change and advancement of LGBTIQ+ psychology have afforded LGB people the right to self-determination, much of psychology continues to ignore the ways in which the power of LGB people can only exist within the framework of heteronormativity. Even in the western world, the inclusion of LGB people is not universally experienced. The existence of continued victimization, and more subtle forms of discrimination including the appropriation of "gay" culture, indicates that the privileging of heterosexual identities and "lifestyles" is still very much present. Interfacing with constructs such as heteronormativity, liberal humanism, and homonormativity this chapter explores the way in which LGB identities are impacted by politics and power. It also explores the way in which the constituent groups under the LGB identities umbrella are differentially affected by gendered politics, and the ways in which some ways of being LGB are privileged over others under heteronormativity.