CWLA Child Welfare League of America

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Working with GLBTQ Children, Youth, and Families
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• Working with GLBTQ
• Children, Youth, and Families

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Tools for Exploring

• Basic Knowledge
• Language/Symbols
• Coming Out/Found Out
• Adaptations for GLBTQ Persons
• Assessment Interventions
• Feedback

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• Basic Knowledge

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Heterosexual Privilege

• The assumption that all people are heterosexual,
  or that heterosexuality is the only legitimate
  way to live ones life.
• Being a heterosexual in society carries with it
  power and privileges.

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Who is, and who isnt?

• The question of who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual
  is itself controversial
• Frequently people confuse sexual behavior and
  life styles with sexual identity

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The Definition and Scope of Sexual Orientation

• Shivley De Cecco (1977) have developed a useful
  distinction in dividing sexual identity into four
  parts
• Biological Sex
• Gender Identity
• Social Sex Roles
• Sexual Orientation

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Biological Sex

• The genetic material encoded in chromosomes
• When the sperm fertilizes the egg, a gender is
  assigned

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Gender Identity

• The psychological sense of being male or female

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Social Sex Role

• The adherence to the culturally created behaviors
  and attitudes that are deemed appropriate for
  males and females

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Sexual Orientation

• A combination of all three previously mentioned -
  biological, psychological, and social
• The commonly accepted, scientific term for the
  direction of sexual, erotic, and romantic
  attraction, and its expression to the same and/or
  opposite gender

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Examples of Sexual Orientation

• Heterosexuality
• Homosexuality
• Bisexuality

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Why are some people gay or lesbian?

• We dont exactly know, but there are two
  theories
• Biological Essentialism
• Social Construction

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Why are some people gay or lesbian?

• The re-frame of this question is why is it
  important?
• The real question is why do some people still
  have such a problem with GLBTQ persons?
• GLBTQ persons are not going to go away because
  some people dont like them.

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At what age can one know they are gay or lesbian?

• Most experts (Bell Weinberg, Green, Le Vey)
  agree that sexual orientation is set by early
  childhood - age 4 or 5 years. In adolescence,
  identity becomes solidified in a sexual way

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Basic Knowledge

• It is not possible to know if a person is gay,
  lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning,
  unless they tell you.
• There are no outward signs that a person is
  GLBTQ.
• There is no such things as gay tendencies - only
  gay stereotypes.

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• Language

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Homosexual
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HomoSEXual
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Homosexual

• A medical term first developed in 1859 by
  German Physician Ulrich
• An outmoded term used by others to define the
  GLBTQ community
• The word has pathologically-based overtones and
  associations, even though it was deleted from DSM
  in 1973

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Appropriate Terms

• Gay
• Lesbian
• Bisexual

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Gay

• A double meaning word that comes from hiding,
  oppression, and management of a stigmatized
  identity.
• This is a term used by mostly males in the
  community to define itself after Stonewall riots
  of 1969

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Bisexual

• 1. A normal variation of sexual orientation with
  affectional, romantic and erotic attraction to
  either genders- but usually NOT at the same time.
• 2. A transitional period which acts as a bridge
  from heterosexuality to a gay or lesbian
  identity, or vice versa.

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Lesbian

• An older term derived from the Greek island of
  Lesbos where the poet Sappho wrote about her love
  for women.
• An emotionally charged term, no double meaning.
  Not a term that all homosexually identified women
  use.
• Differentiates the experience of sexual identity
  by gender- gay males are very different from
  lesbian females.

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• Gay
• Lesbian
• Bisexual

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• Questioning
• Transgendered

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Questioning

• 1. Those who are going through a phase, i.e.,
  experimentation, situational homosexuality
• 2. Those who have survived sexual abuse,
  without treatment, especially same-gendered abuse
• 3. Those with some types of serious
  psychiatric illnesses

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Transgendered

• An umbrella term for several groups of
  individuals
• 1. Transvestites
• 2. Transsexuals
• 3. Drag Queens/ Kings
• 4. Cross Dressers

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Transvestite

• Remains a diagnostic category in DSM IV -
• Heterosexual orientation, usually, though not
  always, associated with fetishism
• Not many youth in child welfare settings are
  transvestites

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Drag Queens/Kings

• Its about performance/illusion
• Drag Queens Ru Paul Geraldine (Flip Wilson)
  Dame Edna (Barry Humphreys)
• Drag Kings Lily Tomlin, Tracey Ullman
• Heterosexual or Gay/Lesbian

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Cross Dressing

• Its about costuming, make-up, jewelry, hair
  styles
• Stretching the boundaries of sex roles
• Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual youth
  cross dress
• If its more than costuming, it may be about
  gender identity

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Transsexuals

• DSM IV Diagnostic Category Exists
• Gender Identity Disorder
• Gender Dysphoria
• Its about Gender Identity, ones sense of
  maleness or femaleness
• Do not focus on genitalia
• The sex change operation

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• Symbols

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Rainbow Flag/Stripe

• Flag with six colors red, orange, yellow, green,
  blue, purple is a symbol of unity and pride.
• Rainbow rings - Freedom rings are multi-colored
  aluminum oxidized rings on a chain, symbol of
  pride
• Stripe on a car decal

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Pink Triangle/Black Triangle

• Pink Triangle is a symbol adopted from Nazi
  Germany, where homosexuals were interred along
  with Jews, and other stigmatized populations
  chosen for annihilation.
• Black Triangle is another symbol adopted from
  Nazi Germany, where never married women, women
  with no children, presumed to be lesbian, were
  interred.

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Colors Purple and Lavender

• Combination of pink and blue makes lavender or
  purple.
• Gay colors of pride

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Other Symbols

• Lambda, 11th letter of the Greek alphabet
• Labarys, double edged axe
• Intertwined genetic symbols for male
• Intertwined genetic symbols for female
• Combination of male, female and a blended symbol
  for transgendered persons

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• Coming Out
• Being Found Out

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Disclosure

• The point at which a lesbian, gay or bisexual
  person openly acknowledges their sexual
  orientation to another.
• It is not appropriate to use terms such as-
  discovered, admitted, revealed, found out,
  declared, to describe this phenomena. These are
  pejorative terms which suggest judgment and
  should be avoided by helping professionals.

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A Process of Coming Out

• 1. I am NOT gay or lesbian.
• 2. I think I might be different- but I am
  definitely NOT gay or lesbian.
• 3. Suppose I was gay or lesbian, what would that
  mean?
• 4. I think I might be gay or lesbian or
  bisexual.

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A Process of Coming Out

• 5. I think I need to tell someone that I might
  be gay or lesbian or bisexual.
• 6. I think I need to tell some other people that
  I trust that I am gay or lesbian or bisexual.
• 7. I know I am a gay or lesbian person.
• 8. Being gay or lesbian is an integrated part of
  my identity.

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A Process of Being Found Out

• When a person is not prepared to come out
• A surprise/unplanned disclosure
• This can occur via phone calls, letters, glbtq
  related materials
• This is a family system in crisis
• Do family preservation workers know how to
  preserve this type of family?

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• Adaptations
• to a GLBTQ Identity

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An Ecological Approach to Adaptation

• Change Self
• Change Environment
• Migrate to a More Affirming Place

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Adaptations to a GLBTQ Orientation

• Repress same-gender feelings and identifications
• Sublimate same-gendered feelings
• Harm Self
• Accept Self

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Repression

• Push it down
• Hide, hyper-monitor behavior and expressions
• Neurosis is indiscriminate, it will pop out when
  you least expect it
• Energy Draining and Maladaptive

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Sublimation

• Positive or Negative
• Positive - clubs, academics, overcompensation
• Negative - drugs, alcohol, school drop out,
  accidents
• Both are maladaptive and harmful in the long-run

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Harm Self

• At-risk behaviors
• Substance abuse (numbs the pain) prostitution,
  homelessness
• Suicidality, GLBTQ youth 3x more likely to
  attempt suicide
• Low self esteem, sense of self worth and
  estrangement from family

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Accept Self

• Finding a peer group
• Identifying services
• Integrating identity into life
• Resiliency Issues

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• Assessment

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Major Clinical Issues

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Issues Around Coming Out
• School Problems
• Family Problems

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Formulating the Assessment

• Where is the youth at in their own process of
  sexual identity formation?
• What are the cultural/religious/racial/class/age
  issues?
• Is the youth at risk for violence at school, in
  the community, or at home?

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Formulating the Assessment cont

• What are the salient family issues?
• What is your own comfort level/skill as a
  practitioner?
• How can you facilitate/impede this process?

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Intervention

• Assume a neutral stance
• Make sure you have a good working knowledge of
  the issues
• Allow for ambiguity - be where the client is at
• Assure confidentiality

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Intervention cont

• Individual and group interventions are both
  effective strategies
• Use bibliotherapy (in office)
• Be prepared to work with families

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• Feedback
• What do GLBTQ Youth Need?
• What do Families Need?

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What Do GLBTQ Youth Need?

• The same things that all youth need
• Caring adults who will listen and guide them
• Competent professionals who will do their own
  homework
• An array of health and mental health services
  that are GLBTQ friendly

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What Do GLBTQ Youth Need? Cont

• Opportunities to date and to be a developmentally
  age-appropriate gay or lesbian teenager
• Safe schools that are harassment/violence free
• Families that will continue to love them after
  disclosure

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What Do GLBTQ Affected Families Need?

• Opportunities to process shame, guilt,
  embarrassment, hopefully pride
• Individual and group interventions
• Time to recover from the crisis of initial
  disclosure

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What Do GLBTQ Affected Families Need? Cont

• All family members (grandparents, sibs, cousins)
  need opportunities to process feelings
• Bibliotherapy - accurate information to replace
  myths and stereotypes
• Time to reframe what it means to have a GLBTQ
  family member

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• Conclusions

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What Should Social Workers/Health Care
Professionals Do?

• Do not focus on identifying a GLBTQ youth
• Focus on creating safe and affirming environments
• Focus on providing many opportunities for the
  youth to disclosure
• Accept that no matter what you do, some GLBTQ
  youth may opt not to disclose to you

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What Should Social Workers/Health Care
Professionals Do?

• Work to create organizational change
• Work to insist that you are trained in this area
• Remain open and use GLBTQ cultural guides
• Continue to do your own work in this area

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Green Chimneys GLBTQ Services

• Gramercy Residence
• SILP Apartment Program
• TLP Apartment Program
• AOBH Program

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Green Chimneys GLBTQ Services

• Audre Lorde High School
• Mentoring Program
• Triangle Tribe Training Technical Assistance
  Services

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• Gerald P. Mallon, DSW
• Associate Professor and Executive Director
• Hunter College School of Social Work
• 129 East 79th Street
• New York, New York 10021
• 212 452-7043 - phone
• 212 452-7051 - fax
• mrengmal_at_aol.com - email
• www.hunter.cuny,edu\socwork\nrcfcpp