Lesson 12: STEREOYPE, PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this topic, you should be able to:

 Differentiate stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination; and
 Understand the manifestations of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination on gender.

Indicative Content:

 Stereotypes
 Prejudice
 Discrimination
 Freedom and Equality

Discussion:

There are 7.7 billion people across 195 countries and every race has their own belief systems,
religion, culture, and tradition. Yet, each individual is a unique mix of their own. That is why appreciating
diversity is very important to fully understand the human experience and for us to coexist peafully.

However, understanding diversity requires us to broaden our appreciation of the many facets of the
human race and recognize that we have our own stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination too.

STEREOTYPES

Stereotypes are an “over-generalized belief about a particular group or class of people” (Cardwell
1996). It can be helpful in simplifying thins, after all, there 7.7 billion people in the planet. When we meet
someone for the first time, we associate with them certain characteristics and abilities that we usually base
on the group they belong to.

While some stereotypes convey positive examples (like a student from Ivy League schools would
be stereotyped as very intelligent or matalino, Filipinos being known for our hospitality), most stereotypes,
however, are drawn from negative generalizations like equating our Muslim countrymen as terrorists and
viewing framer and blue-collar workers as lazy and less educated.

It reflects our expectations and beliefs and is largely based on the social circle we belong to as we
try to conform or agree to the standard way of thought. However, these stereotypes change through time
depending on social and political condition.
 A stereotype can be categorized as “explicit”, meaning the person is aware that they have these
thoughts towards a group of people and they can say it out loud. It can also be “implicit” wherein a person
does not know if they have these stereotypes since it lies in their subconscious. When the stereotype is
explicit, a person can choose not to turn their stereotypes into actions. While with an implicit stereotype, a
person has no control or awareness of it, and it may manifest into actions or behavior.

PREJUDICE

Prejudice is an “unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based

solely on the individual’s membership of a social group” (McLeod 2008). Prejudice represents our
emotional response upon learning of persons’ membership to a specific group (like age, skin color, race,
disability, generation, nationality, religion, sex, sexual expression, gender expression, and so on).

This negative attitude (prejudice) can be dangerous since it often leads to negative actions and
behaviors. For example, a sexist person is someone who has negative attitude towards the other sexx and
sees them as the lesser sex. This negative attitude could manifest into action such as bullying,
discrimination, or violence.
DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination refers to actions or behaviors towards an individual or agoroup of people.

According to the United Nations, “discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some
form exclusion or rejection”.

People who are discriminated on are treated worse than thewat people are usually treated just because
they belong to a certain group or they have certain characteristics. Here are a few examples of
discrimination:

 Genocide is the action of recognizing someone as different so much that they are treated
inhumanly and degraded.
 Apartheid (means separateness) is a form of racial discrimination wherein one race is
viewed as less than the other, resulting into the separation of black and whites and the mass
murder of Jews in concentration camps.
 Gender discrimination is another common form of discrimination. Statistically, women
earn less than men and are often relegatde to be solely responsible for child-bearing and
house chores. Men, on the other hand, are discriminated in household responsibilities such
that they become stay at home husbands.
 LGBT discrimination happens when LGBT people are treated as lesser than straight
people. Discrimination happens early in their childhood as they get bullied when they act
differently or dress differently than other kids. During adolescent, they get judged, bullied,
or physically assaulted as they explore and express their sexuality.

Restricting opportunities or privileges that may be available or other groups is discrimination, like the
right to vote in national elections. In the Philippines, women only gained the right to vote 1927 and before
that, Filipino women had no legal rights even to own properties. That form of institutional discrimination
was based on illogical or irrational judgment that women are weaker than men.

FREEDOM AND EQUALITY

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “all human beings are born free
and equal in dignity and rights”. This declaration was drafted by member countries of the United nations,
including the Philippines, in 1948. This monumental document outlines the fundamental rights of every
human being that should be protected by everyone at all times.

Its preamble recognized that the “inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of
the human family is the foundation for freedom, justice, and peace in the world.
While discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices, and laws exist in many countries, many have
shifted towards making opportunities and privileges accessible to everyone. In many countries, people of
the same sex can now get married and create their own families while enjoying the same rights as straight
couples. In the Philippines, all establishments are now required by law to have an access ramp for people
with disabilities.

Appreciating diversity of the human race is key to making safer and more inclusive environments for
everyone, regardless of race, sex, religion, sexuality, gender, or creed.

Evaluation/Assessment:

 Differentiate stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Provide five examples of each.

 Look for TV or newspaper advertisements which you think are promoting stereotypes, prejudice
or discrimination. Print this advertisement on bond paper. Write down an essay explaining why you
think so and how to make the advertisement more inclusive.

CONTEMPLATE: Reflect about the following questions.

I. what stereotypes can you think about the following:

a. Filipino men

b. Filipino Women

c. Bisaya, Bicolano, Ilocano

d. Bakla, Tomboy, Transgender

e. Senior citizens

II. Are these negative or positive stereotypes?

References:
  Peralta, E.P. et al (2019): Course Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approach

Lesson 13: LGBT Psychology

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this topic, you should be able to:

 Discuss the variety of sexual behaviors in humans;
 Tackle atypical sexual variations; and
 Show appreciation of the diversity of human sexual expression.

Indicative Content:

 Views on LGBT in History

 The ABCs of the LGBTQIA+
 Understanding Transgendernism
 The Transitioning Process

Discussion:

Labels are so powerful it can be used to discriminate and oppress people. Like how tha German
Nazi’s used the word “Aryan race” to mean superior and “Jews” and “homosexual” to justify their mass
murder of what they called as “inferior” race.

However, labels can also empower people to claim their space in our society, especially in the
politacl sphere. Language can be used to avoid offense or disadvantage of certain groups of people like
using “persons with disabilities” instead of disabled,” African American” instead of ‘blacks’, and ‘LGBT’
instead of ‘homosexuals’.

VIEWS ON LGBT IN HISTORY

Sexual and emotional attraction towards the same sex has been recorded throughout history of
mankind. In China 600 BCE, they use the terms ‘pleasures of the bitten peach’ and ‘brokeback’. In Japan,
they have ‘shudo’ or ‘nanshoku’.’Kathoey’ is used in Thailand to refer to lady boys. In the Philippines we
have the ‘babaylan’ and the ‘catalonan’ who were mostly women priests, but some are male who lived their
lives aw women.
 Society’s attitude towards homosexuality and other gender variants change through history. In
ancient Greek, all males are expected to take on a younger male lover in a practive called pederasty. Some
societies, like the indigenous Native Americans, accepted and celebrated what they called ‘two-spirited’
person ina dance to the ‘Berdache.’

However, later cultures see it as a ‘sin’ following the Abrahamic Religion which branded is as
sodomy, a crime against nature. As these cultures colonized other countries, ti enforced its belief systems
fo viewing same sex attractions as a sin through violence such as killing homosexuals through burning,
stoning, or being fed to the dogs.

Homosexuality was classified as an illness in the 19th century as a basis for them to legally persecute
homosexuals, imprison, and commit them to a mental institution. An example of this percussion is that of
Alan Turing, the father of modern computing, who was persecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts. He was
sentenced with chemical castration treatment, and he later died through cyanide poisoning.

As science advance through years of extensive research, the APA removed homosexuality as a
psychiatric disorder or a sickness in 1973. This decision was after, many years of struggle from the gay and
lesbian liberation movement. APA finally declared that being attracted to people of the same sex is a natural
variation of the human experience, and it does not make anyone any less of a healthy and functioning human
being. Now that society is more accepting towards the LGBT, new terms and labels have been used to cater
to everyone.

THE ABC’S OF THE LGBTQLA+

In an effort towards visibility and inclusion, a few letters were added to the LGBT. The term
“homosexual” sounded too clinical and it no longer adequately represents the diversity within the LGBT
community. These labels are changing, some you may be familiar with, but others may be very new to you,
so let us try to explain is as simple as we can.

 Lesbian – Women who are emotionally and sexually attracted to women.

 Gay- men who are emotionally and sexually attracted to men.
 Bisexual – man or woman who are emotionally and sexually attracted to men or women.
 Transgender – when your gender identity(how you feel) is different from your physical sex
(male/female).
 Queer- used by people who celebrage all gender identities, can alse mean someone who do
not want to restricted as Lesbian, Gay, or Bi.
 Intersex – people who were born with sex genitals or chromosome patterns that do not fit
the typical male or female body.
 Asexual/Ally – asexual are people who do not fell sexual attraction to anyone, but it does
not mean that they do not engage in romantic or sexual relationships.Allies are straight or
heterosexual people who are fighting for LGBT rights.
  Plus +- the plus sign refers to all sexualities that do not fit int eh LGBTQI spectrum.

Knowledge on the human sexuality is still evolving so there many terms that pops up. Here are a few
more to help us become more inclusive.

 Androgynous – people whose gender expression (their physical appearance) may or ma be

distinctly male or female.
 Gender – your internal sense of being masculine of feminine or neither.
 Gender Identity – how you feel, man, women, or neither.
 Gender expression – how you express your sense of being male or female or neither, maybe
through hairstyle, clothes, etc.
 Sexual Orientation – your emotional and sexual attraction to a person.
 Sex assigned at birth – your given sex when were born based on your sex organ.
 Cisgender – when your gender identity matches with the sex you are assigned at birth.
 Non-binary- people who do not fell like a boy or a girl; they may feel like they are both or
neither, so sometimes they use the pronouns they, them, and theirs.

There are many other terms that we have not discussed here but these are the basics of the ABC’s of
the LGBTQIA+.

UNDERSTANDING TRANSGENDERISM

Society attaches a lot of meanings to our biological sex or physical sex. Parents unknowingly set
up a gender-based pattern of raising their children upon knowing the biological sex of their babies. Pink for
girls and blue for boys is a reflection of our heteronormative culture wherein we expect females to be
feminine and males to be masculine.

This limited view on sexuality makes it harder for those who do not fit in the box of masculinity
and femininity, like the lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. However, it makes it so much more difficult for the
transgender people, those who fell like they were born in wrong body or given the wrong biological sex.

This limited view on sexuality makes it harder for those who do not fit in the box of masculinity
and femininity, like the lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. However, it makes it so much more difficult for the
transgender people, those who fell like they were born in the wrong body or given the wrong biological
sex.

Who is a transgender?

The APA defines transgender as “an umbrella for persons whose gender identity, gender
expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were
assigned at birth.”
 This means that a transgender person does not feel comfortable in their biological sex like a person
who is born make but feels like a female, and a person who is born female may feel like he is male. This
“feeling” or gender identity is not something that changes through time, but is a feeling that they have since
childhood. This create a problem for a heteronormative society wherein everyone is expected and forced to
fit in the boxed of male masculinity and female femininity.

However, history tells us that in different cultures across the world and in different times in our
history, there are people who lived their life expressing a gender that is different from their biological sex.
This gender nonconformity or gender crossings were celebrated by the Native Americans through the
“berdache” or the two-spirited people. We also have our own “babaylan” or “catalonan”, precolonial priests
who are mostly females but some are males who lived their lives as female priests.

The word transgender is also used as an umbrella term; this means that there are many identities
under this term. Transsexuals, for example, is often used in the medical field to refer to people whose gender
identity is different from their biological sex and they may want to change their body, so it resembles how
they fell about their gender identity. A biologically male person may feel like she is a woman since she was
just a child and in adulthood, she may choose to have a “hormonal replacement therapy or sex reassignment
surgery”. Medical advancements have helped transgender people live a full life; however, it can be along
difficult and expensive process.

Other sexualities under the transgender umbrella term include:

 FTM- female to male, a person whose biological sex is female and has transitioned to living
his life a s male;
 MTF – male of female, a person whose biological sex is male and has transitioned to living
her life as a female;
 Cross dressing – some people want to dress as the opposite gender from time to time,
however, unlike the transsexual, they are comfortable identifying with their biological sex;
 Drag kings and queens – these are people who dress as the opposite gender for
entertainment which they do out of passion or for work; and
 Gender queer- these are people who fell like their gender does not fit the gender binary
view that is limited to the male or female category because they fell that these are too
restrictive.

THE TRANSITIONING PROCESS

When a person realizes that he or she may be a transgender, a psychologist can guide the person
through the transition especially when a person wants to go through permanent changes like sex
reassignment surgery. In some countries, transitioning is covered by their medical insurance, and they get
support from their employers and families which is very crucial during transitioning because it takes years
to fully transition.
 There are transgender people who cannot have or do not want to have hormonal replacement
therapy or sex reassignment surgery cause of personal, economic, or cultural reasons and that it okay.
Transitioning to another gender is a very challenging process for many transgender people because of the
social stigma, discrimination, medial cost, accessibility of medical treatment and support, oppressive laws
in each country and the threat of violence form prejudiced people.
Some countries allow for transgender people to change their legal gender from male to female or
female to male. This recognition is a product of decades of collective effort of the transgender community
and the LGBTQ+ community. However, Philippines still lack the laws and the medical capacity to
support transgender people in living their full potential.
The proper use of pronouns, he or she, should be observed when talking to a transgender person
to shows respect as a decent human being. Often, when a person is clearly presenting herself as a female
by the way they dress and carry themselves., it is safe to assume that they want use “she” and “her”. The
same goes for the transgender men who is clearly presenting himself as a man, you may use “him” or
“her”. However, it is always good practice to ask them for their preferred pronoun instead of assuming
but do so in a polite way.

Evaluation/Assessment:

 Write a reflection paper on what do you think and how you feel about how the LGBTQ+ is
portrayed in your favorite TV Show or series. Share why you think or feel that way.
References:
 Peralta, E.P. et al (2019): Course Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approach