Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

one's own possible homosexual behaviour. Due to such self-centred homophobia, many
homosexual and bisexual people suppress own homosexual desires and thus experience
different negative emotions, including guilt complex, compunction, depression, etc.
Some authors believe that it is not correct to define such people as latent homosexuals,
because an individual is something that he or she wants to be, and he/she does not want
to be a homosexual. Meyer and Dean 1 suggest the following definition of internalized
homophobia: “negative social attitude towards one's self by the homosexual person,
which leads to devaluation of one's own self, development of internal conflicts and low
self-esteem”.
Internalized homonegativism describes emotional, moral and intellectual nonacceptance
of specific aspects of one's own homosexuality (see Internalized
homophobia). This condition causes internal conflicts and self-stigmatization; it leads
to reduction of one's self-esteem, provokes risky behaviours and prevents from receiving
psychosocial assistance of LGBT/MSM/WSW projects.
Institutionalized homophobia stands for expressions of homophobia by social
institutions (educational facilities, workplace, health care, sports, tourism, cinema/
theatres, armed forces, courts, mass media, etc.) in relation to lesbians, gays and
bisexuals.
LB — lesbians and bisexuals.
LG — lesbians and gays.
LGBT — lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. Globally adopted
abbreviation.
LGBT movement stands for public and political movement of LGBT organizations. The
goal of the movement is to achieve positive legislative changes, aimed to secure the
rights of sexual and gender minorities. The concept of rights of sexual and gender
minorities does not imply the existence of special rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals
and transgender people, different from the rights of heterosexual majority. It concerns
the rights, granted by modern society to every individual or social group, such as the
freedom of assembly, the right to establish public associations or organizations, freedom
of occupation and employment, freedom of receiving and dissemination of information,
the right to create family and to bring up children, etc.
Lesbian is a woman who links her psychoemotional and sexual sphere with other
women, and who acknowledges being a lesbian.
Low-threshold services mean basic, key services that are provided to the client to
ensure his/her everyday survival, and help to prevent deterioration of client's physical
condition (e.g. provision of shelter and food, opportunities to satisfy hygienic needs).
They do not need particular motivation among clients; they can be limited to crisis
interventions, support in acute psychological problems, provision of primary medical
aid, and opportunity to use the shower, wash clothes or exterminate lice. Low-threshold
principle envisages maximum simplified procedure of access of target groups to such
services.
Mass media, or as it appropriate to say, “means of mass communication”. They include
printed publications (the press) and electronic media (radio, TV and Internet).
MSW — male sex workers, who provide commercial sex services.
MSM — men who have sex with men. This term has been used by HIV-servicing
organization since 1990s to describe the group of men, vulnerable to HIV, who have sex
with other men but do not identify themselves as gays or bisexuals. For the first time
the term “MSM” was used by the American scientists in an attempt to shift attention
from identity cliches towards behavioural aspects of sexuality in the area of public
health.
MCSW — men commercial sex workers.
Motive — an incentive to action or inaction; gives the answer to “Why?” question.
1 Meyer, I. (1995) Minority stress
and mental health in gay men.
The Journal of Health and Social
Behaviour, 36, 38–56
123