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Janae Hubbard, MSW
AGENDA ◦ Learning Objective of Training ◦ The Meaning of LGBTQ ◦ Just the Facts About LGBTQ Young People ◦ Contextualizing Their Circumstances ◦ Adverse Effects for LGBTQ Young People ◦Mindful Practice ◦ Engagement Strategies ◦ Institutional Change ◦Q & A
Participants will be able to: ◦ Define sexual orientation, ◦ Gender identity or gender expression
Participants will have strategies for: ◦ Creating safe and inclusive environments
Do you have LGBTQ youth as clients? ◦ A. Yes ◦ B. No ◦ C. I don’t know
Sexual Orientation… L.G.B
◦ Sexual Orientation – One’s emotional and sexual attraction to others ◦ Sexual Orientation – Individuals are often
categorized as heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual
The L.G.B… ◦ Lesbian – A woman who self-identifies as having
an emotional, and/or sexual attraction to other women. ◦ Gay – A man who self-identifies as having an
emotional and/or sexual attraction to other men
◦ Bisexual – A person who self-identifies as having an emotional and sexual attraction to men and women
The T… Transgender ◦ Gender Identity - A person’s internal sense of being
male, female, or otherwise
◦ Transgender - A person whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth (MTF or FTM)
◦ Gender Expression – How a person represents or expresses their gender identity
◦ Gender Non-conforming – A person whose gender expression is different from societal expectations related to their perceived gender
The Q… ◦Queer – References an orientation other
than heterosexual
◦Questioning – Someone who is unsure about their sexual orientation
◦ Genderqueer – A term used by persons who may not entirely identify as neither male or female
Reference: http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/genderbread-man.jpeg and http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2011/11/breaking-through-the-binary-gender-explained-using-continuums/
Myth or Fact: Most lesbian or gay people want to be members of the opposite sex.
Myth: Most are very happy with their
gender.
Myth or Fact: You can tell if someone is LGBTQ by the way they walk or talk. ◦Myth: LGBT people are all different,
very few LGBT people reflect the stereotype.
Myth or Fact: Many transgender people hate their bodies
◦ Partial Fact: A lot of transgender individuals have problems with self-
esteem and body image.
Myth or Fact: Kids are too young to know if they are gay. ◦Myth: Most research states that sexual
orientation is innate and many young people know as early as three or four.
77.9% LGBTQ students have been called derogatory names at school ◦ 18% by faculty or school staff;
65.3% had been sexually harassed
39.1% had been physically harassed
11.5% had been assaulted on that basis
27.1% harassed due to gender expression
Reference: http://data.lambdalegal.org/pdf/158.pdf and http://www.wcadv.org/sites/default/files/resources/LGBT%20Youth%20Facts%20and%20Stats.pdf
LGBT youth are like other youth: ◦Want independence
◦Want to actualize new social normative behaviors
◦Want space to explore themselves within the context of their emerging sexual identity or gender expression
What are some of the adverse effects LGBTQ youth could face due to the stressors of discrimination and harassment?
Depression/ Suicide ◦ LGBTQ count for 30% of all completed suicides (US Department of Health and Human Services)
Academic Problems Gay youth skip school or drop out at higher rates than their peers
Substance Abuse LGBT youth more likely to abuse substances than peers
Homelessness Of the 20-45% of homeless youth identify as LGBT
Eating Disorders ◦ Gay males were seven times more likely then straight male to have eating disorders
Reference: http://data.lambdalegal.org/pdf/158.pdf’
http://www.wcadv.org/sites/default/files/resources/LGBT%20Youth%20Facts%20and%20Stats.pdf; http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Multicultural_Support1/Fact_Sheets1/MH_Risk_Factors_among_GLBT_Youth_07.pdf and http://www.wcadv.org/sites/default/files/resources/LGBT%20Youth%20Facts%20and%20Stats.pdf
Adverse Effects ◦Feelings of isolation lead to:
Self-hatred Poor coping skills
Recognize your own biases
◦ What first messages did you hear about LGBTQ people? Were they positive, negative or neutral?
◦ How would you feel if someone came out to you? First initial thought?
◦ What do you think it would feel like if your child, mother, father or sibling came out?
◦ Would you be treated by a transgender doctor?
◦ Have you ever been to an LGBT event? Why or why not?
• The Curiosity Factor: •Ask how does knowing their orientation or gender
identity impact the care you provide?
• We have to sit with our discomfort and let the young person define for us who they are and how they see themselves
• It is not their responsibility to educate us on gender identity or sexual orientation
What are the keys to creating a safe space?
Definition of Safe Space “A Safe Space is a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express, without fear of being made
to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or
mental ability.” (http://safespacenetwork.tumblr.com/Safespace)
Create a safe environment ◦The lobby of your building and your office should reflect LGBTQ friendly:
Posters Books/magazines Stickers or symbols
Steps to creating a safe space Establish Ground Rules: These are the rules that will guide all encounters
Confidentiality “What is said here stays here”
Mutual Respect “I will be respectful your perspective and will not demean your beliefs or ideas” Validate and acknowledge their self-identity : Call them the name or gender pronoun they
prefer
Accountability “I will do what I say and say what’ll do”
Be an empathetic listener Listen to be present and grounded in the conversation
Give space before you take space
http://www.bsc.coop/current-members/policies-resources/health-safety-2?id=128
Be Supportive Support should be consistent and in line with the
way you treat heterosexual youth
They should have space to: Discuss their attractions to the same sex Express themselves (hair, clothes, etc.)
Don’t equate their romantic relationships with “acting out”
What can your organization do? ◦ Does your organization provide training on LGBTQ related
topics and issues?
◦ Does your organization’s mission and value statements reflect language that is LGBTQ inclusive?
◦ Does your organization have LGBTQ inclusive literature that appears on the website and all organizational materials?
◦ Does your agency have a non-discrimination policy?
◦ Are your agency forms gender neutral?
One can’t assume everyone is straight Do not to pathologize LGBTQ as a
symptom or problem Do not to blame, condemn, scrutinize
or criticize “If you didn’t dress that way then you
wouldn’t get bullied”
CWLA Best Practice Guidelines @ http://www.lsc-sf.org/wp-content/uploads/bestpracticeslgbtyouth.pdf
◦ This is beginning of the conversation, not the end ◦ Building a safe and inclusive environment is a daily necessity.
Practice what you have learned here at every encounter with an LGBTQ youth.
“To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect
virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.” Confucius
For Youth ◦ Community Resources fro Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Question (LGBTQ) Youth by NYC
Administration for Children Services http://home2.nyc.gov/html/acs/downloads/pdf/lgbtq/LGBTQ-Youth-Community-Resource-Guide.pdf
◦ The Center: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center https://gaycenter.org/family-youth
◦ New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU): LGBTQ Youth Resources https://gaycenter.org/family-youth
◦ Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) http://www.glsen.org
For Parents ◦ NYC PFLAG http://www.pflagnyc.org/links
Therapist ◦ Practice Support
A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/files/FamilySupportForLGBTChildrenGuidance.pdf
◦ Institutional Change Georgetown University at http://nccc.georgetown.edu/documents/lgbtqi2s.pdf Downloadable Safe Zone Posters: https://www.bouldercounty.org/family/youth/pages/phfreeposters.aspx
Berkeley Student Cooperative. “Safe Space” Retrieved from http://www.bsc.coop/current-members/policies-resources/health-safety-2?id=128
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention . Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information and Resource Kit U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Lambda Legal. “Facts: Gay and Lesbian Youth in School” Retrieved from http://data.lambdalegal.org/pdf/158.pdf
LGBT Youth Facts/Statistics Retrieved from http://www.wcadv.org/sites/default/files/resources/LGBT%20Youth%20Facts%20and%20Stats.pdf
Lucksted, A. (2004). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people receiving services in the public mental health system: Raising issues. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 8(3-4), 25-42.
NAMI (2007). Mental Health Risk Factors Among GLBT Youth Retrieved from
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Multicultural_Support1/Fact_Sheets1/MH_Risk_Factors_among_GLBT_Youth_07.pdf
Poirier, J. M., Francis, K. B., Fisher, S. K., Williams-Washington, K., Goode, T. D., & Jackson, V. H. (2008). Practice Brief 1: Providing Services and Supports for Youth Who Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, or Two-Spirit. Washington, DC: National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development.
SAMHSA’s GAINS Center | Policy Research Associates, Inc. LGBTQ Youth Fact Sheet.
UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration and National Alliance on Mental Illness (2009). GLBTQI Mental Health Recommendation for Polices and Services.
Wilber, S., Caitlin, R. Y. A. N., & Marksamer, J. (2006). CWLA Best Practice Guidelines. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
