Response to Stuart Stevenson’s paper — ‘The impact of homophobic trauma on gay men’

Abstract

Stuart Stevenson’s paper (Stevenson, 2022b) is a powerful and persuasive statement of the damaging impact of growing up gay in our society, even in these more enlightened times. He suggests that for many people the experience is nothing short of traumatic, the impact of which can have lasting and corrosive effects. The explicit linking of the homosexual experience to trauma is relatively new in the literature and commands the readership of all those who not only share this experience themselves but psychotherapists and others who ‘treat’ gay people, as well as trainers and educators. The paper is a reminder that while there appears to have been considerably greater social acceptance of homosexuality in recent decades, there remains widespread prejudice and discomfort about homosexuality in sections of society, reflected in continuing pockets of rejection and repudiation. A telling example is the visit in May 2022 to the UK of Franklin Graham, the American evangelist preacher, son of the famous Billy Graham, who takes a strong, vocal anti-homosexuality stand on the grounds that it is an unquestionable sin in the name of God. Although Graham was allowed access to the UK on condition that he tempered his public statements, the fact that he was allowed to visit and received the overwhelming support of many thousands of followers, reflects either shared intolerance or turning a blind eye to the problem. While there is now a very substantial, open gay community at various levels of society, often making valuable contributions in all spheres of life, many homosexuals 1136068 GAQ0010.1177/05333164221136068Group AnalysisNitsun: Response to Stevenson research-article2022