Creating%20Welcoming%20and%20Affirming%20Services%20for%20Persons%20Who%20Are%20LGBTQ%20or%20I

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Creating Welcoming and Affirming Services for
Persons Who Are LGBTQ or I
B
G
I
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T
Q

• Providing safety, support, and affirmation
  through knowledgeable and caring programs and
  practices

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Sex, Sexuality, Gender

• SEX male, female, intersex, indeterminate not
  simply binary
• SEXUALITY sense or expression of ones sex
  multiplicity of possibilities
• GENDER internal sense of, and external
  expression of, ones sexual identification

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Difference What Do We Mean?

• Do you appreciate difference in the world
  around you?
• Are you uncomfortable around people you perceive
  as very different from yourself?
• Can you imagine what the world would be like if
  everyone in each species were all the same?

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Appreciating Difference/Diversity

• Nature encourages biologic diversity as
  protection and survival.
• There are sexual and gender differences in many
  mammalian species.
• People come in a diverse range of sexual and
  gender expressions.
• Lack of knowledge can contribute to discomfort
  and denial of difference.
• We sometimes fear what we do not understand.

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Sex and Gender

• We are all born with some combination of them.
• Many of us take these things for granted or are
  not well-informed about the processes that
  created our gender ID and sexual orientation.
• More people in the overall population are clearly
  male or female identify with being that gender.
• More people in the overall population are
  predominantly heterosexual in orientation
  (attracted to/desire to have emotional and sexual
  connections with the opposite sex).

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Remembering the Kinsey Scale
0
6
3
1
2
4
5
0 Exclusively heterosexual 1 predominantly
heterosexual, incidentally homosexual 2
predominantly heterosexual but more than
incidentally homosexual 3 equal heterosexual
and homosexual 4 predominantly homosexual, but
more than incidentally heterosexual 5
predominantly homosexual, incidentally
heterosexual 6 exclusively homosexual
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Minority Status

• Compared to all of the people in the world, we
  all have minority status (often unrecognized)
• What does it feel like to be a minority?
• What are the potential risks?

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Minority Status (continued)

• What happens when different is translated as
  inferior or wrong or bad or dangerous?
• What happens when a persons minority status is
  obvious?
• What happens when it is not obvious to others?

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What Are Our Own Issues?

• Stereotypes and Strangeness How Can We Affirm
  Our Willingness to Learn and Question Our Own
  Biases and/or Lack of Knowledge

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Heterosexual Privileges

• Publicly holding hands, show of affection
• Dancing with my partner in bars or halls
• Talking freely about my relationships
• Discussing personal issues in job interviews or
  at my workplace
• Joining membership organizations that examine
  ones personal connections
• Walking the streets without fear of verbal or
  physical attack based on perceived sexual or
  gender identity

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First Steps in Welcoming and Affirming

• Educate ourselves about ourselves
• What are our current biases? How do we identify
  them? How do we discuss them with others?
• How has our own cultural upbringing and history
  contributed to our current beliefs and biases?
• What do we need to do to deal directly with our
  own biases, blind spots, potential prejudices?

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First Steps (continued)

• What knowledge and support do we need to become
  more effective and authentic practitioners?
• Is there any place in ourselves where we are in
  need of healing regarding these issues?

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What Are All These Initials About?

• Learning the Vocabulary and Affirming the Person
  Represented by These Terms

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What Do We Know-What Do We Say?

• Use of language
• Words can be used as balm or bullets
• Our language may give us away
• Learning appropriate language
• Checking out preferred use of language with others

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Some General Terms to Consider

• Sex your biological sex at birth (male, female,
  or intersex)
• Gender your internal sense of yourself on a
  malefemale continuum
• Orientation your attraction to sexual/emotional
  partners (this may change over time)
• Identity how you define yourself in a number
  of ways, including gender
• Behavior your actions (may/may not match the
  above considerations)
• Perception by others how you are viewed (may
  differ from how you view self)

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Current Terminology

• Bisexual
• Coming Out
• Gay
• Gender Expression
• Gender Identity
• Heterosexism
• Intersex

• Lesbian
• Questioning
• Sexual Orientation
• Transgender or Gender Variant Person
• Transphobia
• Homophobia
• Two-spirit

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Other Terms

• Cisgender
• Androgynous
• Peeps
• Cross-dresser
• Drag Queen/King
• Pansexual
• In the life
• On the down low
• (or DL)

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Issues in Coming Out - Benefits and Barriers

• Choice is about wisely affirming what is true
  for us about our gender and sexual orientation
  and personal identity

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Coming Out

• Coming out point at which the person decides to
  affirm sexual or gender identity to self/others
• Usually a process from internal to external
• May be to only a few or more public
• May involve some real risks to consider

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Barriers to Coming Out

• Heterosexism assumption that partners are always
  of the opposite sex. May include belief that any
  other sexuality is inferior/wrong/bad or that
  that person is confused or immature. Generally
  unconscious superiority and non-recognition of
  any other possibility exclusionary to many
  people.
• Homophobia going toward fear and hate

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Barriers to Coming Out

• Transphobia negative attitudes and feelings
  based on ones expression of their internal
  gender identity may range from violence and
  malice to misunderstanding and discomfort.
• Cultures that have a strong bias toward male
  superiority often show particular rage toward
  biological males who identify as female and may
  rape females identifying as male to display their
  contempt

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The Complexity of "Being"
Primary Dimensions Age Race Ethnicity Sexual
Orientation Gender ID Social Class Language Physic
ality
Secondary Dimensions Educational
Background Geographic Location Relationship
Status Hobbies/Recreational Interests Work
Experiences Military Experiences
Religion/Spirituality
Diversity
Tertiary Dimensions Historical Moments/Eras
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Ethical and Caring Responses

• Environments and Behaviors That Welcome and
  Affirm Persons Who Are LGBTQI

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Addressing the Need

• History of adverse perceptions and treatment for
  persons perceived as sexually or gender variant
• Current negative stereotyping, bias, and violence
  verbal and physical

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Addressing the Need (continued)

• History of homosexuality classified as mental
  illness (until 1973)
• Transgender people still encounter problems with
  diagnostic criteria in DSM hard to avoid

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Addressing the Need

• Some religions still create bias and rejection
• Many people are still unknowledgeable about
  differences within these populations

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Three Levels of LGBTQI Competence

• Non-discrimination
• expected
• Cultural Competence
• Expected or Refer
• Clinical Competence
• Specialty

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Strategies to Combat Social Context of
Discrimination in Practice

• Policy
• Visibility
• Inclusive Assessment / Forms
• Training
• Specific Outreach
• Knowledge of Resources
• Diverse Staff
• Confront discriminatory remarks / jokes

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Policy

• Written in non-discrimination policies of agency
  in clear, specific language
• Affirmed in welcoming statements publicly posted
  in waiting rooms and other spaces
• Discussed in staff orientation for new staff and
  reiterated during staff refresher trainings
• Put into action by all levels of the organization
  and by hiring practices that encourage diversity
  of every kind

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Visibility

• Welcoming information in public places posters,
  brochures, art, etc.
• Self-assessment intake forms and questionnaires
  (see assessment) that ask questions in gender/sex
  neutral ways
• Staff who do not hide their orientation while
  still presenting a professional appearance as
  appropriate to the particular service offered

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Inclusive Assessment - Forms

• Our paperwork gives us away re heterosexism
• Legal status vs. who is considered family
• Use of inclusive language may include
• Do you have a spouse/partner/significant other?
• Are you in a romantic relationship?
• Whom do you consider your family?
• Do you live with someone?
• Who are your most important support people?
• Gender identity female?___ male?___ other?____

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Staff Training

• Language what is friendly and inquiring
• Reasons for service (without assumptions)

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Staff Training

• Information about human sexuality in general
• Information about LGBTQI facts and myths
• Information how legal, religious, and social
  discrimination impact everyone negatively

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Staff Training

• Perspective how discrimination hurts
• Strategies how to help, welcome, affirm,
  advocate, and continue to self-educate
• Enforcement how policies will be monitored and
  respectful language and behavior expected

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Knowledge of Resources

• Staff training manuals include a wide range of
  interdisciplinary LGBTQI policies and materials.
• On-line resources are named and used by staff and
  clearly available for service users.
• Local resources (organizations, bookstores,
  gay-friendly self-help meetings, publications,
  etc.) are sought, identified, and used.

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Knowledge of Resources (continued)

• Safe legal and law enforcement resources are
  identified, cultivated, and used as referrals.
• Safe health providers and other needed service
  providers are identified as collaborative helpers.

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Confronting Discriminatory Remarks

• Language used as violence
• Cruelty excused as humor
• Widespread use of intolerant language aimed at
  many kinds of people

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Confronting Discriminatory Remarks

• Confronting our own isms
• Dealing with our own discomfort
• Clear and simple responses
• Healing language

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Finally

• Learn all you can from multiple sources
• Stay open and teachable
• Dont presume that one persons life journey is
  like anothers because of surface similarities
  (such as diagnosis or sexual or gender labels)
  listen deeply to their stories
• Refrain from judging seek to understand
• Work to have love overcome your fears
• Continue to grow and care for yourself and others