Lesbians, gays and bisexual people are more likely to consume and abuse drugs. A third of gay people admitted to have taken one or more illegal drug during the last month of investigation against the five percent of the rest of the people. Regarding these findings, gay movement leaders have a lot to say. Kitty Richardson, a 25 years old woman who runs a blog for lesbians, said it is all about labels. People tend to label gay people as troubled or needy. The fact is that the easiest way to socialize among gays involves alcohol and drugs because they are isolated from society.
David Stuart, outreach and education manager of London Friend, stated that the use and abuse of drugs has to do with different feelings such as rejection and fear.
Beyond drug addiction itself, this study shows the hard reality that part of the population lives given discrimination and prejudice. Do you think it is fair for gay people to live hiding?
(Clicking Here you can find the testimony of Brendon, a gay man who was addicted to crystal meth)
I don't think that consuming drugs or alcohol has to do with the sexual orientation of people. It's a reality that gay people are still been rejected from society and they may feel outcast of the process, but what about the "straight people"? Do not they suffer from depression and aren't likely to drugs? I'm strongly convinced that those "studies" are developed by homophobic people who are not concerned about their own defiencies!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important not to generalize. It is true that homosexuals are likely to consume drugs, but not all of them are drug addicts. As Pablo say, "straight people" may also feel rejected by the society, which can make them likely to drugs or depression. It is sad, but our world is getting more discriminator and prejudiced every day. That is the main reason that leads homosexuals and people in general to feel rejected and have the necessity to hide their real life. Maybe, consuming drugs is the only alternative they have for being who they really are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Pablo and Paulina. I think that most people relate homosexuality with neediness, and therefore alcohol and drugs as their means of creating bonds of affection. I feel that this is the result of a society that suffers from ignorance: if we cared a bit more about this issue, we would realize that not only lesbians and gays are likely to be drug or alcohol addicts.
ReplyDeleteFrom my personal experience, I've seen more heterosexual alcoholics than homosexual alcoholics, and the same happens with drugs. I can't deny that there are homosexual addicts, but I'm afraid that this kind of study only tries to isolate gays and lesbians, as if they were a different group of people.
I think that this is a clear case of a segment of population being determined by society. Any person who identifies with the "gay" label and reads that study could easily relate his/her condition with an addiction; hence, its tendency would be to follow the model.
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