It is not an exaggeration to say that no one is immune to stress. At the same time, different people have been found to react differently to stressful situations. As such, it is imperative to dig deep into how stress can impact a variety of groups. Of all groups of people, I would place special emphasis upon people of different gender and sexual orientation. In particular, it is wise to make clear what sort of community resources exist to assist the aforementioned group of people in dealing with stress.

Recent studies give reasonable grounds for submitting that LGBT people, along with people who have different gender identities, have higher stress levels as compared to straight people (Zwiers, 2009). In fact, the stress that comes from everyday’s encounters of prejudiced attitudes and stigma contributes negatively to their mental state. Notably, “LGBT youth are four times more likely to kill themselves than their heterosexual counterparts” (Leon, 2012). For the prevailing majority of LGBT people and gender non-conforming individuals, being exposed to discriminatory treatment is an integral part of their harsh reality. An additional challenge facing this group of people is the reluctance of certain community resources to create a platform for them to cope with stress. In concrete terms, quite a number of religious/cultural organizations, for example, are often unwilling to give a helping hand to this vulnerable group.

At the same time, however, the last decade has seen a shift of focus by the nation to a more flexible view of these populations. As a result, many treatment centres have been opened. Both education organizations and financial assistance organizations demonstrate an ultimate commitment to advocate for equality for these people. On the whole, it can be said with certainty that attending LGBT/transgender communities has become the norm in recent years; this is what can change the situation with high stress levels faced by the given category of people for the better.