Written Analysis - 1

Myth Analysis

The myths regarding homosexuality and other members of the LGBT community are too high in number to count. Because of most of these myths, the portrayal of the LGBT community in mainstream media was few and far between until recently. Although there are still many people who believe most of the myths, the acceptance of the community is increasing daily.

            There are a large number of people, who claim to be deeply connected with their religion, that believe people who are not of heterosexual orientation will be “damned to hell” and that they are not practicing in “God’s way”. Now not everyone who is religious feels this way, and it is becoming fairly common that these people let it be known that they are not homophobic like others who practice the same religion.

            There are also some people, quite a bit more that I had realized, that believe that you can be cured because homosexuality is a disease (Cruz, Dr. C, & Aberle, C, n.d.). Some even believe that being gay or a lesbian is contagious and that heterosexuals will “contract” the disease if they are around them. People who claim to think people can be cured, believe that people of the LGBT community can just go to a therapist and they will walk out having feelings for the opposite sex. That is like me saying I can talk to a therapist and I will walk out of the office changed into a dog, sexual orientation is not something you can just change back and forth as you choose.

            Since there is a growing number of people who are members of the LGBT community portrayed in the media now, people may believe that what the actors are portraying represents all people. What people need to realize is that these people are actors, they are acting. Just because they show people in an exaggerated manor, does not mean that is the norm in real life.

            Just like with most other things discussed in life, not all decisions and assumptions should be made based on others views or myths that have been passed on through word of mouth. Not everything that you hear is reliable, and not everything can be trusted. It is not always the best idea to make judgments based on myths.

References

Cruz, Dr. C., & Aberle, C. (n.d.). TWU Counseling Center: Myths & Assumptions about LGB people. Retrieved from http://www.twu.edu/downloads/counseling/D-3_Myths_about_LGB.pdf.