Laughed in Public but Anguished in Private: The Challenges and Ways of Coping of the Male Adolescent Homosexuals

This research on the challenges and ways of coping of the male adolescent homosexuals utilized the phenomenological approach to research. Seven (7) participants, who are all enrolled students  in the 1^st semester of 2020-2021 gave their insights about their experiences. The narratives of the participants revealed themes surrounding their challenges and their ways of coping. As for their challenges, two major themes emerged: Internal struggle, which concern about the internal experiences of the male adolescent homosexuals, whereas the external battles concern the experiences of these adolescent homosexuals involving other people in their immediate environment. Their internal struggles involve their own struggle against themselves and their attraction towards the same sex. Their external battles include their desire for acceptance from their family and from other people, their experiences of bullying and discrimination and their desire for acceptance from their church. As for their ways of coping, three (3) major themes emerged: active coping, passive copinag and self-acceptance. Their active coping involve an action for change, a direction towards a modification of something in their lives, a will to change other people’s mindset about them. The next theme for coping is passive coping, a kind of nonchalance, an indifference to other people and their reactions to them. The last kind of coping is self-acceptance, a final embracing of oneself as adequate despite the social disapproval or an internal condemnation. These results could give substantial information to CHMSC as a whole for policy-making, and to the Guidance Services office to address the needs of the male adolescent homosexuals.