challenges adolescents face in a gender and sexuality confused world
Challenge 1: Nosy relatives
It’s not entirely uncommon for our relatives to start getting antsy about the state of our love affairs once we enter young adulthood. This is even more so evident now that relationships among the young generation is becoming increasingly more common. Of course, we can’t necessarily blame them for being curious, however, it’s important for adolescents to be able to draw a line that prevents other people from intervening and meddling with their gender and sexuality. After all, it’s all in their power to determine which gender and sexuality they have. This also involves how one wants the world to view them as, evident in the way they wear clothes or the words they use when he speaks. No one should be forced to be someone they don’t want to be just because the relatives expect it from them.
Challenge 2: Gender confusion
A lot of terms have started to come up as more researches that center towards defining various gender and sexuality. And for most people, these terms can be a bit confusing and ambiguous if a thorough reading is not done on the subject. According to reading 10.2, there are four elements that make up gender, which are interrelated but are independent of one another, are gender identity and expression, biological sex, and sexual and romantic attraction.
In this day and age, it’s easy to just go with the flow with what the people around you identify themselves with. It’s easier to become confused and get lost in the moment. Gender and sexuality isn’t exactly what you say you have, it comes after moments of introspection and deliberation. People shouldn’t identify with a gender just because it’s in, or to become popular. Adolescents should not let themselves be affected by the people around them in order to know what their gender and sexuality should be.
Challenge 3: Being ashamed of one’s gender and sexuality
Because of fear of rejection from one’s parents and sometimes peers, adolescents conceal their true identities behind facades and masks. They prefer to bottle their true selves inside, refusing to even let their parents know about how they truly feel. They don’t come out to their relatives for they don’t want to feel unwanted and receive inquisitive or pitying looks, worse be disowned just for expressing a gender and sexual orientation different from his biological sex.
However, suppressing one’s gender and sexuality may end up hurting the person. While it is not easy to come out as anything other than what was expected, finding other people that may be able to understand and sympathize with the situation can help a great deal.











