Learning from the Past: How Therapy Can Support LGBTQ+
As Pride continues to be celebrated each year, it’s not just a party — it’s a remembrance of past struggles and a continued call for equality, dignity, and love. My hope is that you can read this blog and know that at Tamarasa Therapy we see you and we don’t want to make the same mistakes of the past.
The history of the LGBTQ+ community is a long and complex journey marked by struggle, resilience, and remarkable progress. Same-sex relationships and gender diversity has existed across cultures for thousands of years, however, societal acceptance has varied widely over time and place.
Not long ago, identifying as LGBTQ+ was not only socially stigmatized — it was considered a mental illness by much of the medical and psychological establishment. This harmful belief contributed to decades of discrimination, mistreatment, and trauma for so many individuals.
In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) included homosexuality as a mental disorder in its first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I). At the time, LGBTQ+ identities were seen through a clinical lens — something to be "treated" or "cured." This led to widespread use of so-called "conversion therapies," including electroshock treatment, institutionalization, and other practices now deemed as unethical and abusive.
LGBTQ+ people and supportive professionals pushed back! By the 1960s and ’70s, ongoing research showed that same-sex attraction and diverse gender identities were not signs of mental illness, but natural variations of human experience. LGBTQ+ activists protested APA meetings, demanding for change!
In 1973, the APA finally removed homosexuality from the DSM, a landmark decision that helped shift public and medical opinion. It wasn’t until 2013 that "Gender Identity Disorder" was replaced with the more affirming term "Gender Dysphoria" in the DSM-5 — emphasizing distress from societal treatment, not the identity itself.
Today, all major medical organizations affirm that being LGBTQ+ is not a disorder. Still, the legacy of medical pathologization lingers, especially in places where outdated beliefs persist.
Understanding this history is crucial — not just to acknowledge past harm, but to ensure that mental health care supports, rather than stigmatizes, LGBTQ+ people moving forward.
At Tamarasa Therapy, we offer a safe space for you to heal, feel seen, and understood. You may have had other people (even therapists) dismiss, misunderstand, or minimize your experiences before, but at Tamarasa Therapy, we’re different. We offer a space that celebrates your unique identity—where you can feel truly understood and supported.
If you have experienced any of the following and want to speak with one of our therapists, please reach out! Ru Paul once said “Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.” So what are you waiting for? You deserve to feel better-fully and completely.
Feeling unsafe to be open about who you are
Feeling out-of-place when you’re being yourself
Feeling like you’re minimizing parts of yourself to please others
Maybe you’ve been questioning your gender expression, identity or sexual orientation
Struggling with family, friends or community that makes you feel like you’re “weird”
Does your queer identity make it harder to work through depression, anxiety or emotional well-being?
You’ve experienced trauma due to stigma or discrimination
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References
American Psychological Association. (2025). American Psychological Association. Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/
American Psychiatric Association. (1952). DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL MENTAL DISORDERS The Committee on Nomenclature and Statistics of the American Psychiatric Association PUBLISHED By AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION MENTAL HOSPITAL SERVICE. https://www.turkpsikiyatri.org/arsiv/dsm-1952.pdf
