Communication IA

Topic: ‘Psychological impact of social stigmas and
bias on LGBTQIA students’
Theme: Bias and stigmas
Candidate Name:
Candidate Number:
Subject: 6B- Communication Studies IA
Name of School:Scarborough Secondary School
Centre Number: 160185
Territory: TrinidadandTobago
Teacher:
Year: 2023
Table of Content
PREFACE 3
INTRODUCTION 4
REFLECTIVE PIECE 5
ANALYSIS 7
REFERENCES 8
PREFACE
When choosing my topic for this IA my main thoughts were whether or not I wanted to make an
impact with my topic and if I am serious about the research. As I pondered, the idea of the
“Psychological impact of social stigmas and bias on LGBTQIA students” was the one that
resonated with me. Primarily, I chose this topic to raise awareness of the factors many people
overlook when it comes to violence and bullying queer students in school. I know this is a topic
that’s a bit controversial and raises a lot of red flags in our society. However, this is why I believe
I must finally speak up and talk about it.
Most of the information I relied on was not collected in our region or country. My main
target is teachers and students as they are the first line of contact on the educational hierarchy.
Most of my information provided a clear definition of the problem, the psychological effects
of the problem and clear easy ways to help resolve the problem. My reflective piece helps to
give a simple yet emotional image of what many homosexual students go through at schools.
INTRODUCTION
The topic “Psychological impact of social stigmas and bias on LGBTQIA students” was
based on the desire to advocate against the biases and stigmas being promoted by our society.
The main purpose of this is to create awareness of these problems and help find solutions to
them.
In presenting the exposition, my focus was on trying to explain and expand on each piece of
information that I gathered using my research information to develop my theme. I wrote a
quatrain poem on my topic as an introduction, then gave a quick summary of two of my
sources with an evaluation of both the authors and their work that I used. I stated the
challenges I faced while doing this research and the effects this research had on me. When
writing the reflection using my main theme, stigmas and bias, I tried to create a piece that ties
into the emotional and psychological impact as stated in my topic, to show the emotional
dynamics of what bullying does to homosexual students. I used many poetic languages to
develop my piece, using them as humour and figurative reel in the story as development.
My academic interests relate to the subject of Sociology and social work as precursors to
becoming a Psychologist. My passion is to help students in need of a safe place. Generally
speaking, a combination of support for the homosexual community, psychology and social
issues have always been of interest to me. As such, I publicly and privately support and
advocate for the LGBTQIA community as I am a strong believer in equality, equity, social
justice and acceptance.

REFLECTIVE PIECE
‘TO THEM I AM A SIN’

The painful memories are always there, though locked in the back of my mind, they
are there, a part of my past, my childhood and my sad high school memories. To many, high
school memories are grand memories of years spent with persons they will never forget. To
me, it was years spent suffering under the pressure of family, the strain of keeping my
sexuality secret from relatives and the agony of constant bullying from classmates over my
preferences. Back then it wasn’t easy, and I can’t say that to this day it hasn’t left me with
scars but truly I can't blame them. What did we know back then at only 15?
I lived in a small Caribbean island society shaped by religion, tradition and tourism.
Everything we followed was passed down by ancestors, and whatever modern influence there
was, wasn’t always readily accepted as the elders always had to give their approval.
Looking back now, I can truly see the mistakes I had made at such a naive age. When I entered
high school, was when I started to figure out who I was. Though I always felt like a duckling
hatched among eagles, I was given the gift of observation and a talent for pretending. I had
made a few friends, but she was always special from the start. I could never understand why
but deep down I knew how much I wanted her. I thought I could trust her with my life, my soul.
She called herself my ‘FRIEND’, so I told her my deep and honest feelings. Yet trust is for fools
and fear is the only reliable way because that was the start of my steady plummet into hell. The
beginning of my five years of torment.
I was only one year into high school and I was already truly understanding what it felt
like to be alone. I was now prey. One time as I stood in the bathroom barefooted and missing
half my uniform, I saw one of them, a predator, I asked “ Why?” with trembling fists, tears in
my eyes and sea breeze sending chills across my bare shoulders ( I was only in my bra and
vest). “Wah I ever done to you fuh you and yuh friend dem to torture my already pitiful
life?”. Straight-faced and into my eyes, “Yuh a sin, a crime against God, an abomination.”
When she walked away I felt the last piece of myself crumble, her words made me realise
that this was never going to pass. It was going to continue for the rest of my high school life.
I was a sin. I cried so hard that evening that I could barely breathe., It was the start of a wet
and rainy season but it was only a season.
When I finished high school, I was successful in receiving a scholarship to travel to

Europe. I was getting off that island to further my studies at an incredible university. When I
started to live there I realised that the world was bigger than my tiny island. I wasn’t the only
duckling. I struggled to adapt to the new place, different climate, and new people, but I was
finally somewhere I didn't have to hide. I was happy.
It was nearing the end of my second year and the pressure of everything was building
up. At this point, I was no longer alone as I had made F.R.I.E.N.D.S. They were the first to
realise that I was behaving ‘off’ and distant as the stress started to accumulate on me and
recommended I see one of the school counsellors just to make sure I was alright. Of course, I
was hesitant as I thought counsellors and therapists were for crazy and broken people (that's
what the elders on my tiny island said anyway).
The first few visits made me feel better and within one year she slowly pried me open.
I spilt all my pain and hurt on her every time I sat there in her room; that room that smelled
like home smelled of the sea breeze and salt. I was neither an abomination nor a problem.
Sadly, neither were they, they didn't know better as that was where we were raised and all we
knew ( the words of my therapist, not mine). Today, I don't have any grudges against either
my people or past classmates, I am still healing and the world is still changing. I just never
want anyone to go through the pain I endured. Yet still, many children do.
ANALYSIS
‘To Them I am a Sin’ is a short story in which a homosexual adult speaks about their
experiences with bullying during high school and the physiological scars that were left on
them. In analysing this piece I will be looking at two of the communication elements,
Language registers and Communicative behaviours.
Primitively, a language register is an element of language used for particular contexts. The
casual register and language slang were repeatedly used in informal settings for speaking to
friends or family in the first person. An example of this in the story, as the speaker says
‘Today, I don't have any grudges against either my people or past classmates, I am still
healing and the world is still changing.’ and ‘Back then it wasn’t easy, and I can’t say that to
this day it hasn’t left me with scars but truly I can't blame them.’ These lines show the story
reads like a conversation between close friends, as the narrator seems to expose a part of
themself in the way they speak.
Additionally, there was the use of Communication behaviours, these are impressions made by
the speaker that communicate to the listener that the listener can be unaware of. For example
movement and facial expressions, in the line that says, ‘I asked “ Why?” with trembling fists,
tears in my eyes and sea breeze sending chills across my bare shoulders……’ the speaker
showed nonverbal communication of fear towards their classmate. Also as readers, we were
able to visualise an idea of how the speaker felt towards their bullies.
In finishing, we can understand that in the story ‘To them, I am a sin’ language register and
communication behaviour were used and they assisted in enhancing the story by adding small
but impactful detail to the story.

REFERENCES
Chan ASW, Wu D, Lo IPY, Ho JMC and Yan E (2022). Diversity and Inclusion:
Impacts on Wellbeing Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Communities.
Front. Psychol. 13:726343. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.726343
Ghisyawan, K., (2017). Bullying and Gender-Based Violence in Secondary Schools.
UNESCO ASPnet Trinidad and Tobago.
https://data.miraquetemiro.org/sites/default/files/documentos/UNESCO_Report_015.pdf
Francis, D. (2022). Schools Are Seeing More Hate and Bias Incidents. But Educators
Are Not Helpless to Address Them. EdSurge.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-02-17-schools-are-seeing-more-hate-and-bias-incidents
-but-educators-are-not-helpless-to-address-them
Russell, S. T., Bishop, M. D., Saba, V. C., James, I., & Ioverno, S. (2021). Promoting
School Safety for LGBTQ and All Students. Policy Insights Behavioral Brain Sci. 2021 Oct;
8(2): 160–166.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F23727322211031938
Scialabba, N. (2017). How Implicit Bias Impacts Our Children in Education.
American Bar Association.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/childrens-rights/articles/2017/fall2
017-how-implicit-bias-impacts-our-children-in-education/
Tutt, P. (2021). 20 Years of Data Shows What Works for LGBTQ Students. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/20-years-data-shows-what-works-lgbtq-students/

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Topic: ‘Psychological impact of social stigmas and

bias on LGBTQIA students’

Theme: Bias and stigmas

Subject: 6B- Communication Studies IA

Name of School:Scarborough Secondary School

Centre Number: 160185

I must finally speak up and talk about it.

information that I gathered using my research information to develop my theme. I wrote a

quatrain poem on my topic as an introduction, then gave a quick summary of two of my

becoming a Psychologist. My passion is to help students in need of a safe place. Generally

justice and acceptance.

‘TO THEM I AM A SIN’

When I finished high school, I was successful in receiving a scholarship to travel to

Language registers and Communicative behaviours.

themself in the way they speak.

but impactful detail to the story.

Front. Psychol. 13:726343. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.726343

Ghisyawan, K., (2017). Bullying and Gender-Based Violence in Secondary Schools.

UNESCO ASPnet Trinidad and Tobago.

Are Not Helpless to Address Them. EdSurge.

Scialabba, N. (2017). How Implicit Bias Impacts Our Children in Education.

American Bar Association.

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