Surviving Health Disparities

We have all been given the same Mission:  To survive life’s journey as we carry the Male Label.  Some of us will run with it, taking the Male Label as our own.  Others eschew the Label, identifying with a different Gender Identity.  And some will struggle to reconcile all that this Male Label represents, and how it intersects with their sexuality or ethnicity.
 
So the Mission is the same, but the paths we take along this Mission may differ considerably.  As a psychotherapist, I have a particular interest in the Male Labelled and how they Survive Health Disparities.

In 2018 the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a report on the Health Disparities of Male Labelled Persons of Color and Male Labelled members of the LGBTQ+ community (APA Report 2018 - a copy is attached to this article).  The APA chose these groups because of their long history of marginalization.  The APA’s report did not include people who are Gender Diverse, but I would argue that much of their findings are equally applicable to people who are Male Labelled and Gender Diverse.
 
When I started Beyond the Blue, I met quite a bit of push-back.  People (who should have known better) claimed that the Male Label was not a priority because (they claimed) 'the Male Labelled hold all the power, and they have done for centuries’.  This is a gross over-simplification.  The Male Labelled may have all been given the same Mission (to survive life’s journey carrying the Male Label), but some may experience a more dangerous path than others.
 
The APA highlighted this in the 2018 report, claiming Male Labelled Persons of Color and Male Labelled members of the LGBTQ+ community experience the more dangerous path, because of their significant health disparities.  I would argue that there are also significant health disparities for the Male Labelled who are Gender Diverse. 

People who are Male Labelled and who are Gender Diverse, and Male Labelled Persons of Color, and other Male Labelled members of the LGBTQ+ community (because of their Sexuality) have to straddle the vast ravine of:

• Presumed power and privilege, because of the Male Label they have been given, and  
• Oppression and marginalization, because of their true Gender Identity, Sexuality or Ethnicity. 

 
What do we mean by Health Disparities?
Here are some striking facts to illustrate the Health Disparities amongst the Male Labelled -

• Male Labelled Persons of Color are more likely to experience stressors such as poverty, threats (and acts) of crime, a poor education, and discrimination (APA Report 2018).  Again, all of this can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental health.
• Male Labelled people who are Gender Diverse, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to experience stressors such as discrimination, assault, higher rates of smoking, and childhood trauma.  Again, all of this can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental health.

 
The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
In their report, the APA chose to focus on four main areas of Health Disparity.  These are four critical threats to the Male Labelled who are Persons of Color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.  I would argue that these are also four critical threats to the Male Labelled who are Gender Diverse –

• Depression
• Substance Abuse
• Trauma
• Violence

 
These are so lethal that I have called them the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.  They ride alongside the Male Labelled, picking them off one by one.  The APA chose to focus on these issues because of

• Their prevalence
• Their impact on health
• Their high association with other chronic diseases, and
• Their high association with psychological problems

(APA Report 2018)
 
I have dedicated several articles to each of these Four Horseman, and you can find these here –

• Surviving the Dark Void of Depression
• Surviving Substance Abuse
• Surviving Trauma
• Surviving Violence

 
So what do you think?
Does any of this resonate with you?  Get in touch by sending me a message privately via the Contact Page, or add a public comment below, and engage in the debate
 
Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC 
Pronouns: (they/them/theirs)
Therapist, writer, educator, and LGBTQ+ advocate
https://www.chriswarrendickins.com/
#beyondtheblue #beyondthebluebook


References

1. APA’s Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Boys and Men, 2018 (APA Guidelines, 2018)
2. American Psychological Association, APA Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men. (2018) (APA Report 2018)