REVIEW OF LITERATURE

LGBT is now a widely accepted label for minorities based on sex and
gender orientation. Almost all members of these subgroups are subject to similar
biases rooted in sexuality and gender beliefs and traditions. This chapter aims to
investigate journals, published and unpublished material, local, national, and
international dailies, websites, and other LGBT- related sources in order to
provide thematic history and timeline of research work and critical ideas in
available literature. The current study focuses on their self-perception, sociogenic
need satisfaction, and alienation. As a result, a review of studies from around the
world provides a more comprehensive picture of overcoming the psychological
challenges of change.

Arlene Istar Lev (2004) wrote a book titled, “Transgender Emergence:

Therapeutic Guidelines for Working with Gender Variant People and Their
Families”. It addresses the stages of transgender emergence, coming out
transgendered as a normative process of gender identity development, the
difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as the
convergence, overlap, and integration of these parts of the self, underlying causes
and typographies of transgenderism, and treatment models.

Sherry Wolf (2009) wrote a book titled, “Sexuality and Socialism:

History, politics and theory of LGBT liberation”. It examines many of the most
difficult questions about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
These essays discuss the origins of LGBT oppression, the construction of sexual
and gender identities, the history of the gay movement, and how to unite the
oppressed and exploited in order to achieve sexual liberation. The author
examines various oppression theories, including Marxism, postmodernism,
identity politics, and queer theory, and debunks myths about genes, gender, and
sexuality.

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 Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai (2021) wrote a book titled, “Same-Sex Love in
India”. It illuminates the undeniable history of same-sex love and desire in the Indian
subcontinent. The book spans over 2000 years, from the Mahabharata to the late twentieth
century, and includes excerpts from stories, poems, letters, biographies, and histories written
in fifteen different languages. The editors' introductions to each period and text trace the
changing depictions of and debates about same-sex relationships, shedding light on their
social, political, and literary contexts. This classic work helps to see Indian culture and
society through new eyes, with essays and writings ranging from romantic to analytical,
playful to thoughtful. It presents empirical evidence from our own past about the celebration
of same-sex love throughout India.

Ashley Mardell (2016) wrote a book titled, “The ABC's of LGBT” The twenty-first
century has seen very positive movement for LGBT+ rights. As we live in a post-binary
world where gender fluency, gender identity awareness, and a genuine understanding of
LGBT is essential the book provides information and understanding of the fundamental
concepts of LGBT. It pays explores the many nuances of sexuality and gender identity, and it
serves as a powerful tool those seeking a deeper understanding of the many, varied identities
that exist in relation to our attractions, desires, and personal understandings of self.

Ketki Ranade (2018) wrote a book titled, “Growing Up Gay in India: A Critical
Psychosocial Perspective”. It examines gay and lesbian individuals' growing up
experiences in their homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and among friends, as well as their
journeys of discovering themselves and their communities while living in a
heterosexually constructed society. It employs a life course perspective and is based on
an exploratory, qualitative study with young gay and lesbian people in two cities in
Maharashtra, India. The author has provided insights into the lives of children who grow
up feeling 'different' from their siblings, peers, and friends, and who receive constant
messages about correct ways of being and expression from their parents, teacher s,
friends, and counsellors/doctors, through layered narratives and psychosocial analyses
of experiences that are simultaneously attentive to subjectivities and social and
interpersonal processes; the unique challenges of growing up gay or lesbian. The author
takes a critical approach to mainstream life span development studies, developmental

psychology, child development, and childhood studies that make universal assumptions

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about heteronormativity and gender binarism

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 Kaustav Bakshi & Rohit Dasgupta (2019) wrote a book titled, “Queer Studies:
Texts, Context, Praxis”. It talks about sexuality and LGBTQ+ studies in India (and South
Asia). It serves as an excellent introduction to queer studies as well as critical insights into a
variety of issues and aspects. For example, the section on 'the rural queer' is one of the very
few such outputs in contemporary queer studies criticism. Furthermore, the sections on
literary and cinematic discourses are crucially providing not only informed analyses but also
broader nuances. It helps in understanding and delving into the various socio-political,
cultural, and textual-contextual issues surrounding 'Queer Studies' today.

Sam McFarland (2018) wrote an article titled, “How psychology has helped society
accept homosexuality”. In 1977, 41% of Americans believed that gay or lesbian relationships
should be legal. By 2015, 68% agreed. In 1996, only 27% supported same-sex marriage. By
2016, 61 percent had done so (Gallup, 2016). There are numerous reasons for this shift, but
psychological science has made three significant contributions. First, psychological studies
proved that homosexuality is not linked to mental illness or criminality. Until the 1950s, the
majority of homosexual people studied by psychologists and others were either prisoners or
mental patients, making it easy to conclude that the two were linked. The discovery that
homosexuality is largely determined by heredity rather than free will is a second contribution
made by psychology. This discovery is significant because support for homosexual rights is
strongly linked to the belief that homosexuality is something that people are "born with"
(Gallup, 2007). Most gay men and lesbians believe they have "absolutely no choice" about
their sexual orientation (Herek, Norton, Allen & Sims, 2010). A third major way that
psychology has advanced homosexual rights is by focusing on those who have strong anti-
homosexual attitudes. Weinberg coined the phrase "homophobia" (1972). Weinberg
concluded from his work with therapy patients that anti-homosexual attitudes are frequently
based on a repressed fear that one is unconsciously homosexual. However, because there is
little evidence that anti-gay attitudes are a true phobia, most psychologists use the term "anti-
homosexual prejudice." Psychologists have discovered a great deal about its correlates and
dynamics. Psychologists have demonstrated that homosexuality is not linked to mental
illness or

criminality, that it is largely determined by heredity, and that anti-homosexual prejudice is

linked to other prejudices and authoritarianism

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 Jaime Anzalotta (2017) did PhD research titled, “I Am Human, too! An Analysis of
Conflict Resolution Theories and Their Applicability to the LGBTQ Community”. Members
of the LGBT community have historically faced various degrees of marginalisation and
alienation. Incidents such as the Stonewall Riots, pride marches, and manifestos, among
others, have allowed the LGBTQ community to try to take a stand against the systems that
perpetuate inequality. Identity and gender have had a direct impact on the degree to which
individuals are shunned by their families, communities, and social networks. It investigates
how identity and gender influence a sense of integration in the LGBTQ community.
Furthermore, it examines the relevance of three conflict resolution theories to the LGBTQ
community: structural violence, social cubism, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The history
of the LGBTQ community, identity formation theories, gender expectations in society, and
factors that lead to alienation and marginalisation are all examined in this study. It is a
qualitative study that analyses the existing literature on the aforementioned topics using case
study methodology. Here a detailed explanation of the three theories' applicability in this
study, including the role of factors such as identity, gender, and integration versus tolerance
in the LGBTQ community is discussed.