THE EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE SELF-WORTH OF

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT)

INDIVIDUALS

An Undergraduate Thesis Proposal Presented to

The Faculty of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
School of Arts and Sciences
Aklan State University

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Subject
Nursing Research 1

Lourenz S. Bontia

February 28, 2017

 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people continue to

experience various forms of oppression and discrimination throughout the world,
despite the social, legal, and political advances that have been launched in an
attempt to grant LGBT people basic human rights. Even though LGBT people
and communities have been actively engaged in community organizing and
social action efforts since the early twentieth century, research on LGBT issues
has been, for the most part, conspicuously absent from the very field of
psychology (Harper, 2003).

According to Gallup (2016), the proportion of Americans who identify

themselves as a member of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) is
4.1%. In the Philippines, the gay population has really skyrocketed. Experts are
not sure about this growth but it is estimated that there are more than 804,000
gay men in the country. In other words, one out of every 16 men is gay (Insider
Monkey, 2015).

A 2009 study on transgender employees found that 97% of those surveyed

experienced harassments or mistreatment in their workplace. Up to 43% of LGBT
employees say that they've experienced discrimination in the workplace because
of their sexual preferences, even though of them haven't made their sexual
preferences known. Up to 41% of LGBT employees say that they've either been

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School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
physically or verbally abused by their co-workers or had their workplace
vandalized (Gaille, 2015).

The only bill directly concerning the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) community in the Philippines is the Anti-Discrimination Act.
This bill seeks that all persons regardless of sex or sexual orientation must be
treated the same as everyone else, wherein conditions do not differ in the
privileges granted and the liabilities enforced.

This study will be conducted because there is currently no law protecting

individuals from discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation.
This means that at any time, someone can be discriminated against, fired or not
hired simply because he/she is or is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender. Being discriminated may affect the individual life and personality,
thus if the individual perceived it as negative it will affect his self-worth that may
lead to other psychological problems. Thats why this study would like to identify
the effects of discrimination in the self-worth of the LGBT people.

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School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Statement of the Problem

The main objective of this study is to identify the effects of discrimination in

the self-worth of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

Specifically, this study would like to answer the following questions:

1. What are the situations that put lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) individuals to discrimination?
2. What are the different types of discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals?

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Intervening Variables Dependent Variables

Situations that put Types of Effects of
LGBT Individuals to Discrimination Discrimination to
Discrimination Experienced by the Self-worth of
LGBT Individuals LGBT Individuals
Coming out
Same-sex Harassment Suicidal thoughts
relationship Victimization Social isolation
Homophobia Direct sex Fear of being
Heteronormativity
discrimination judged
Religion and Indirect sex Low self-esteem
homosexuality discrimination

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for the study The Effects of Discrimination

in the Self-Worth of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
Individuals

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework for the study The Effects of
Discrimination in the Self-Worth of LGBT People. In this conceptual framework,
the situations that put LGBT individuals to discrimination were the independent
variables, the types of discrimination experienced by LGBT individuals, such as
direct and indirect sex discrimination, were the intervening variables and the
effects of discrimination like suicidal thoughts and social isolation were the
dependent variables.

For any phenomenon, the independent variable is the cause while the
dependent variable is the outcome. With these variables, we can say that the
effects of discrimination will not happen if there were no situations that triggered
discrimination, such as coming out and heteronormativity. These variables are
inter-connected to each other, the different types of discriminations serve as the
method by which the discrimination is being taken to action.

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Theoretical Framework

Labelling Theory1

Labeling Theory is sometimes referred to as 'social reaction theory'

because of its emphasis on society's reactions to the deviant rather than on the
deviant as an individual. Becker (1963) makes the point: 'the central fact about
deviance [is that] it is created by society Social groups create deviance by
making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance and by applying those
rules to particular people and labeling them as 'outsiders'. This tells us that the
ability to define another person's behavior as deviant stems from the differences
in power certain groups exercises in society.

Becker illustrates this through the example of the work of anthropologist

Bronislaw Malinowski who describes how a youth in the Trobriand Islands killed
himself because he had been publicly accused of incest. Islanders expressed
their disgust, yet upon further investigation, Malinowski found incest was
relatively widespread and not frowned upon providing it was discreet. The rule
that was broken was that the youth had been indiscreet about his behavior. This
case study illustrates the basis of labeling theory; it is not the act that is
significant but the social reaction.

Becker is thus putting forward an alternative approach to the structural

explanations of deviance (such as functionalist, Marxist or subcultural theory)
where the focus is on the deviant or the system as the problem. Instead, he
focuses upon how those who commit acts of deviance - those who become seen
as 'outsiders' are labeled deviant, not because of the act, but because of the
reaction that defines them as deviant. Deviance is thus viewed as relative
depending upon who commits it, who sees it and what the response is, not some

1 Labelling Theory and Howard Becker. (2012, October 06). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from NORTH WALES GOGLEDD CYMRU:
http://www.14-19nw.org.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=8801

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School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
universal category. Even with crime, labeling theorists would argue the law often
is seen to apply to some rather than others. It may be seen to be enforced more
strongly on those with the lowest status in society and applied more liberally to
those in higher social positions.

So the central questions for understanding the labeling process are how
individuals become labeled as deviant and the consequences for that person of
being so labeled. In addition, we need to understand how certain acts come to be
defined as deviant in the first place. Although labeling theory (unlike Marxism)
does not have a coherent theory of power to explain why some groups are more
successful than others in getting laws passed, Becker saw the poor and
powerless, whose behavior is most likely to be labeled as deviant, as
'underdogs'. Becker gives the example of how 'moral entrepreneurs' managed to
get cannabis outlawed in the USA in 1937. A campaign by the Federal Bureau
supported by Readers Digest magazine adopted a 'moral crusade' that 'plugged
in' to values commonly held in a society that drug-taking was wrong.

Becker noted that deviance can easily become the 'master status' of an
individual. Past and present actions become defined in terms of the deviant label
that is a major feature of a person's identity. The significance of master status is
that this can be internalized by the individual as their key defining characteristic
too. When this happens there is a danger of an individual embarking upon a
'deviant career' whereby deviance is central to their experiences.

This theory explains how the individual's behavior influenced by the terms
use to describe or classify them. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
individuals are often labeled as gay, faggot or homo, these labels along with
harsh remarks may affect how are they going to behave in the society. If LGBT
individuals took it as negative and start to live with it, it will affect their lives and
can lead to mental health problems.

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Social Identity Theory2

Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory explains that part of a person's
concept of self-comes from the groups to which that person belongs. An
individual does not just have a personal selfhood, but multiple selves and
identities associated with their affiliated groups. A person might act differently in
varying social contexts according to the groups they belong to, which might
include a sports team they follow, their family, their country of nationality, and the
neighborhood they live in, among many other possibilities.

When a person perceives themselves as part of a group, that is an

ingroup for them. Other comparable groups that person does not identify with are
called outgroups. We have an us vs. them mentality when it comes to our in
groups and their respective outgroups.

There are three processes that create this ingroup/outgroup mentality:

Social Categorization. First, we categorize people in order to understand

and identify them. Some examples of social categories include black, white,
professor, student, Republican, and Democrat. By knowing what categories we
belong to, we can understand things about ourselves, and we can define
appropriate behavior according to the groups that we and others belong to. An
individual can belong to several groups at the same time.

Social Identification. We adopt the identity of the group that we belong

to, and we act in ways that we perceive members of that group act. For example,
if you identify as a Democrat, you will most likely behave within the norms of that

2 Turner, J. C., & Tajfel, H. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. Psychology of intergroup relations, 7-24.

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School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
group. As a consequence of your identification with that group, you will develop
emotional significance to that identification, and your self-esteem will be
dependent on it.

Social Comparison. After we categorize ourselves within a group and

identify ourselves as being members of that group, we tend to compare our
group (the ingroup) against another group (an outgroup). To maintain your self-
esteem, you and your group members will compare your group favorably against
other ones. This helps explain prejudice and discrimination since a group will
tend to view members of competing groups negatively to increase self-esteem.

In social identity theory, LGBT individuals may view themselves as an

outgroup. They view themselves as an outgroup because societal norms said
that there is only two genders in this world. With this, the personality of LGBT
individuals may change along with his or her view in life.

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Significance of the Study

This study can benefit not just the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) individuals but many personalities and organization as well

LGBT individuals. The results of this study will give them awareness
about the discrimination they received and they themselves would know what
appropriate actions they will take to cope with discrimination.

LGBT Party. To pass a law, there is a need to have an evidence. This

study can provide the party necessary information that they may need to pass a
law.

LGBTs families. It will give them awareness about how their LGBT family
member is doing. With that, they will go to have an understanding and be more
sensitive to them.

Government agencies (DSWD and DOH). This study might help the
government to see the numbers of discrimination and the effects of it to the self-
worth LGBT people, with that they can formulate an action to stop it.

Philippine Mental Health Association, Inc. PMHA can help LGBT

individuals suffering from effects of discriminations to recover and adjust their
way of living. And also with these data gathered, it may help them to strengthen
up their programs like counseling and mental health education to the youth to
educate them about the effects of discrimination.

Aklan State University. With this study and data gathered, it will help the
school to become aware of the effects of discrimination in the self-worth of LGBT
individuals and with that, they can make a necessary action if discrimination is

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School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
present in the campus. And also it will help them to make a discrimination-free
campus.

Future Researchers. This study will benefit students who would conduct
future thesis about this research. The knowledge that they will be able to extract
will serve as a foundation for their study.

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study identifies the effects of discrimination in the self-worth of LGBT

people. It would also show the cause why discrimination is still present. This
study would cover the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender perception about
the effects of discrimination in their self-worth and how it affects their daily lives,
especially in their workplace, school, household, and in public places. And this
study would like also to explore the different types of discriminations and how the
discrimination is being triggered.

The study would be in a qualitative form of research wherein the data

gathered were in descriptive form. This study is limited only to lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender people, it does not cover any male or female
respondents. There is only a limited number of respondents. The respondents
were all within the province of Aklan.

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Definition of Terms

Bisexual a man or a woman who is sexually attracted to both men and women
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to a man or a woman who is attracted to both men

and women

Coming out in this study, it refers to the process which an LGBT person
accepts their gender identity as part of their overall identity

Direct sex discrimination in this study, it refers to treating someone less

favorably because of their sex than someone of the other sex would be treated in
the same circumstances

Gay a man who is sexually attracted to another man (Merriam-Webster

Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to a man attracted to other men

Gender the state of being male or female (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to the sex of the respondent (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
or transgender)

Harassment the act of annoying someone in a constant or repeated way

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1998)

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
In this study, it refers to any repetitive acts, such as making of harsh remarks,
which bothers LGBT people in their daily lives

Heteronormativity relating to the attitude that heterosexuality is the only

normal and natural expression of sexuality (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to any lifestyle norms that persuade people to act
according to their gender designated at birth

Homophobia irrational fear or discrimination against homosexuality or

homosexuals (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to a feeling of strong aversion against homosexual

individuals

Indirect sex discrimination in this study, it refers to the policy or practice

which someone of a particular sex is less likely to be able to meet that and this
places them at a disadvantage to the opposite sex

Lesbian a woman who is sexually attracted to another woman (Merriam-

Webster Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to a woman attracted to other women.

Low self-esteem in this study it refers to unfavorable impression of ones self

Religion and homosexuality in this study, it refers to any doctrines, such as

Mosaic Covenant and homosexuality, of the religion against gay people

Same-sex relationship in this study, it refers to the relationship between

persons of the same sex

Social isolation in this study it refers to any act of avoidance of any social
interaction

Suicidal thoughts in this it refers to any thoughts of ending ones life

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 Aklan State University
School of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Transgender a person who identifies with a gender identity that differs from the
one which corresponds to the persons sex at birth (Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
1998)

In this study, it refers to people whose gender identity differs from that
which they were designated at birth

Victimisation treating someone cruelly or unfairly (Merriam-Webster

Dictionary, 1998)

In this study, it refers to causing someone to be treated unfairly or made to

feel as if he is in a bad position

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