By now, what the LGBTQ+ acronym stands for is widely understood in Thai society. Moreover, we’ve entered a new era of wider acceptance of gender diversity. The overall situation will be even better if more parents with LGBT+ children understand that being different isn’t wrong and give all their children love regardless of their gender orientation. That way everyone can grow and be happy. As we would like to invite everyone to expand their understanding of LGBTQ+ we would also like to offer some wise advice for those raising an LGBTQ+ child.
Getting to know LGBTQ
First let’s check that we all know what LGBTQ means. The acronym refers to a group of gender diverse people who we can regard in a similar non-judgmental way to how different people have different responses to different colors, smells and tastes. To have a personal inclination is neither a disorder nor a disease; it’s just a matter of personal preference. To be more specific, LGBTQ breaks out as follows:
· L stands for Lesbian, a group of women who love women.
· G stands for Gay, a group of men who love men.
· B stands for Bisexual, a group of both men and women who love both men and women.
· T stands for Transgender, a group of people who have transitioned from male to female or female to male.
· Q stands for Queer, a group of people who aren’t satisfied with any particular gender and see no limitation in sex and love.
In recent years, the LGBTQ community has become more diverse, so in order to convey the wider gender diversity a plus sign has been added at the end to become “LGBTQ+”. Here’s what the ‘+’ covers:
· I stands for Intersex, a group of people who have chromosomes and genitalia of both males and females.
· A stands for Asexual, a group of people who have no romantic attraction to others.
· P stands for Pansexual, a group of people who love without boundaries.
· N stands for Non-Binary, a group of those who see themselves as neither male nor female.
Misconceptions about LGBTQ+
Although gender diversity is more understood by people now, it's undeniable that there are still quite a few misconceptions about LGBTQ+. Here are some examples that we can easily correct as they are disproved by the results of various surveys, studies and research.
"LGBTQ is curable" – According to the World Sexual Health Association's WAS News, homosexuality is not a disease. This is also officially documented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization has stated that homosexuality is a genetic trait of an organism.
“People can choose to be gay or lesbian” – Being gay or lesbian is caused by factors such as genes and hormones. It can be said that sexual orientation is biologically transmitted between family members. That means sexual orientation is not an option, but something inherited at birth.
Guidelines for parents with LGBTQ children
1. Be open to accepting their LGBTQ+ identity.
2. Be ready to listen and give them advice without prejudice.
3. Take your children to see a specialist doctor in case hormone treatment or surgery is needed.
4. Receive every change with understanding and respond with positive energy.
5. Try to spend time together to make them feel warmth and not alone during the transition to their innate sexuality which is an important basis for them living a happy life and having success in who they choose to be and what they choose to do going forward.
It can be seen that gender diversity is not a disease or disorder. Rather, it is largely genetic and inherited from birth. Therefore, everyone, especially families, should understand and accept diversity so that everyone can live together happily.
Customers of Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance interested in health care issues can refer to many more articles on related topics at https://www.krungthai-axa.co.th/th/health-advisories.
References
· Paolo Hospital
https://bit.ly/3wPtJlC
· Petcharavej Hospital
https://www.petcharavejhospital.com/th/Article/article_detail/LGBTQ
· Hello Khunmor website
https://bit.ly/3Rw3gkR
