Tag Archives: Stigma

Behavioral Science, Culture, Ethics, human rights, mental health, Philosophy and Religion, Religion, Social Justice, Stigma

Pope Francis’ call for legal acceptance of same-sex relationships

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Pope Francis’ call for legal acceptance of #same-sex relationships has raised both hope and worries among #LGBTQ Catholics.

“What we need certainly to create is a civil union law,” the pontiff said in “Francesco,” an upcoming documentary from Russian American filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky. “That way, these are typically legally covered. I stood up for that.”

Image: Pope Francis delivers "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas Day message from main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica

The remarks are a departure from earlier church messaging. Inside the last book, “Memory and Identity,” Pope John Paul II suggested same-sex marriage was “part of an innovative new ideology of evil.”

In 2003, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, wrote that respect for gays and lesbians “cannot lead in any solution to the approval of homosexual behavior or even to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”

“Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on a single level as marriage will mean not only the approval of deviant behavior,” Ratzinger wrote, “but would also obscure basic values which fit in with the normal inheritance of humanity.” It has not been long ago that African Americans and Whites could intermarry. At that time, some Whites believed that Blacks would destroy the white race. Now, we see that the Pope is making a bold statement. Why are some people concerned about others’ marriage when their marriage ends in divorce because of an unfaithful partner who may be practicing deviant behavior with an individual of a different gender or that same-gender, which leads to adultery? Why get in other people’s business if your business is not perfect? Who gives a person the right to tell others who to love when your Christian bible say, “save yourself”? What would G-d say about one’s prejudice toward a sister or brother who may not share the same beliefs? Are we better than the other person because we know scriptures and many times misquote them without knowing the historial context that time in which scripture was written? If we take the scriptures literally, should we be stoning people?There are gay people in our families, pulpits, professional life who are doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, firefighter, ministers, essential workers, and in the church serving in every ministry whether known or unkown. There are just questions to think about.

Reference
Pope’s civil union remarks raise hopes, doubts for gay Catholics. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pope-s-civil-union-remarks-raise-hopes-doubts-gay-catholics-n1244337?cid=referral_taboolafeed

disease, Health

Did you know HIV from a hug is a fallacy? Misinformation persists among young Americans, study finds.

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It has been four decades since the first AIDS cases were reported when looking at the U.S., but stigma against HIV-positive people persists, among younger Americans who was not alive throughout the early — and darkest — days of this epidemic.

A survey released Monday found that over one fourth (28 percent) of HIV-negative millennials have avoided hugging, speaking with or becoming friends with someone aided by the virus. Thirty percent said they would prefer never to engage at all with individuals who possess HIV.

Sponsored by Merck plus the Prevention Access Campaign, the report also unearthed that 23 percent of HIV-negative millennials — and 41 percent of HIV-negative Gen Z respondents — admitted these people were “not at all” informed or “only somewhat” informed about HIV. Half of the HIV-negative respondents, who were all 18 to 36, said they believed a person whose viral load was undetectable could possibly transmit the HIV virus. (It cannot based on multiple studies.)

HIV can only be contracted by getting into direct contact with certain body fluids, like blood and semen, from an individual with HIV who has a detectable viral load, in line with the U.S. Department of health insurance and Human Services.

Author’s resource box: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hiv-hug-misinformation-persists-among-young-americans-study-finds-n1090556?cid=public-rss_20191126

Behavioral Science, Culture, disease, Health, Stigma

Should Employees And Companies Create Workplaces That Support Mental Health?

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Stress and overwork, that are present in virtually every in the work environment, may worsen mental health problems. But neither workers nor management can assist persons struggling with these types of difficulties in the event that they do not understand these individuals. That is where mental wellness consciousness teaching can be quite successful. But, It is essential for everybody to find out the indicators of mental health problems, particularly when individuals are working in a high-stress, high-workload enterprise. Every fifth persons encounters mental health issues, so teaching should certainly be part of every single work environment.

Management may and really should play a large part in removing stigmas around mental health at work and adopting a culture of help and support for mental health. Management may also make mental overall health important making sure the information and resources are often available on the company’s intra nets and at health gatherings, and by particularly featuring mental coverage of health and services within their organization health programs.

Comment for the author: 

I believe that having mental health information readily available for workers is essential. These can consist of worker assistance, mental health insurance coverage in health plans and affinity organization, co-workers having a shared awareness who want to support each other. Businesses also needs to inspire the application of, or subsidize the price of, digital wellness applications, which include apps meant for meditation, mindfulness and sleep monitoring.

Stigma

Stop the Stigma of HIV

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HIV and AIDS StigmaThis link give more information on HIV. HIV-related stigma and discrimination can be described as prejudice, negative attitudes and abuse directed at people existing with HIV and AIDS. In 35% of countries with available data, over 50% of men and women report having discriminatory perceptions towards people existing with HIV.


The consequences of stigma and discrimination are wide-ranging. Some individuals are shunned by family, peers and the wider community, while others face poor treatment in healthcare and educational settings, erosion of their total an an rights, and psychological damage. These all limit access to HIV testing, treatment and other HIV services.


The People Living with HIV Stigma Index suggests that roughly one in every eight people existing with HIV is being denied health services because of stigma and discrimination.

Reference

 http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/stigma-discrimination#sthash.BFXVH18V.dpuf