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Question: Option G: Sexual Orientation: What are some of the obstacles that gay people
face in society? How are those obstacles similar to other "out-groups"? How are they dissimilar?
Answer: Everyday, people all around the globe are facing their own obstacles, and going
through life struggling, with their own personal struggles. Its different for everyone, and each
individual person handles these situations in their own way. Needless to say, those of whom are
gay, also experience issues, just like all people in our society. Our society has grown an extreme
amount in the last decade, and I would say people are a lot more tolerable, and accepting towards
those who are gay. Being bisexual myself, I have first handedly experienced my own set of
issues within our society throughout my lifetime, both positive, and negative.
For one, being gay can put a real target on your back during adolescence. In no way am I
implying that being gay is a bad thing, but during the young years of life, children dont quite
understand what it means to be gay. They may understand its literal definition, but they lack the
ability to understand exactly whats going on inside the mind of a gay person. Quite frankly, in
my childhood, it seemed as though many heterosexual adolescence viewed being gay, as
something far outside the social norm. Which is why I, myself, didnt even come out of the
closet till I was 18, and graduated from High School. Mainly I was focused on my peers, and
what they might think once they found out, I didnt want to lose friendships over something as
ridiculous as my sexual orientation. I wanted to fit in, and be just like many of my friends in my
peer group, which ultimately lead to making people believe I was straight.
By definition, an out-group is a social group in which an individual does not identify
with. And its opposite the in-group, is a social group in which an individual psychologically
identifies themselves as being a member. Its obvious that one would want to find, and be a part
of a group of some sort, people innately group themselves with people of similar tastes, interests,
and so forth. Sometimes though, sticking with your in-group isnt always easy. In my personal

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experiences, while coming out to my peer group, I also felt as if I was singling myself out from
the group. Because I didnt know very many people that were gay, I felt as if the second I told
my friends, I would then be looked at differently. Its sort of like the Us vs Them mentality, the
second I become one of them, I would no longer be a part of my peer group, no longer would I
have an us. I believe many gay individuals probably experience similar ideologies of the
subject matter; being different can give the feeling that youre being ostracized from your group.
There are many other group types in the world we live in, and in fact everyone is apart of more
than one type. There are groups within all kinds of social settings, including your family, work,
school, and even recreational settings. Everyone, not just those whom are gay, are going to feel
as if they arent a part of another group. Whether its feeling like an outsider within your own
family, or being afraid to be seen as different from your peers at work. Its these tendencies to
hide our difference, and push towards reflecting cultural norms, that has many people feeling like
outsiders amongst those closest to them.

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References:
Kathleen Berger (2013) Invitation to The Life Span.
R. Crooks, K. Baur (2008) Our Sexuality, 12th Edition.

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