Gsa Research Model

Research Model

According to Valenti, & Campbell, 2009, creating a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) could be a viable solution to the dilemma that this at-risk population faces in their daily lives. GSAs have been created in schools to counteract homophobia. GSAs are extracurricular clubs for LGBT students who are either themselves questioning their sexuality of have a family member that are LGBT allies. According to Luke, & Goodrich, 2015, LGBT youth need friends, allies and supporters to thrive. A lack of diversity and cultural competence training for educators towards student dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity diminishes quality of the “soil” in today’s school system (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2013).

Creating a sense of belonging is critical to the evolution of any community. It creates a safe haven in which to explore the various aspects of dealing with the challenges that they face in a manner that promotes self-acceptance and self-discovery in a “safe space”. It will also allow others to deepen their humanity towards LGBT youth; thereby bridging the gaps between gay and straight youth in the various communities in which they interact with each other.
The Pennsylvania Fairness Act, as it is detailed in Pennsylvania House Bill No. 1510, Currently prohibits discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and accommodations based on an individual’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, education status, handicap, or disability. Recent surveys reflect that over 70% of Pennsylvanians support amending state law to protect members of the LGBT community from discrimination. From a legal perspective, Frankel, & Ross, 2015, propose that (if passed) the bill will expand the non-discriminatory laws to include people under the LGBT spectrum. If the bill is passed it would do the following:
• Add sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to the existing categories of
individuals already protected under the Pennsylvania public non-discrimination law.
• Prevent LGBT individuals from being discriminated against when applying for public housing, applying for government employment, and seeking out many other services.
• Currently, state employees and those employed by state contractors are protected. Passage of this bill would extend similar protections to all Pennsylvanians.
Adulthood for transitioning LGBT youth can be awkward. The fact that they had such
challenging experiences in school and with their families may have impeded upon
their ability to find safe acceptable work environments. Subsequently they may need
professional support and programs that will assist them with issues of finding employment and
higher education options (Youth.Gov, 2017) Professionals who support
transition age LGBT youth should be informed of the resources that they can access when
seeking employment in order to assist them with policies, entitlements and, civil rights in the
state in which they live.

Youth.Gov, 2017, states that a recent survey shows that 71 percent of

LGBT adults prefer to work in states where there is marriage equality.

Proposal Objectives

By the end of this presentation participants should be able to do the following:

1. Increase your self-awareness, regarding LGBT resilience, and the foundations of working effectively with the LGBT population.

2. Develop a basic understanding of appropriate terms and concepts pertaining to biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation in order to communicate and provide culturally competent services to LGBT youth

3. Comprehend the importance of power of language in order to identify relative terminology to apply when addressing and completing assessments with LGBT youth

4. Assess the impact of family inclusion on the LGBT youth population.

Conference

Summary
As human service professionals we must be educated about the laws and implications associated with the LGBT youth population along with their unique needs.

Professionals must be heedful when supporting LGBT youth by taking their cultural norms and backgrounds into consideration when attempting to provide them services (Poirier, 2015). It is also imperative that professionals seek opportunities to empower the youth by training and educating LGBT peers to work with and support each other to overcome the adversities. This interactive conference presentation will introduce and define diverse new terminology; while initiating relevant discussions about the spectrums for biology, gender identity, gender expression and attractions. It will also address questions and concerns associated with social norms that elicit bias towards this population. Utilizing icebreakers, interactive solution oriented role plays, and educational group activities; to engage the attendees in an effort to shift their perception of life from the perspective of an LGBT youth (Killerman, 2017). New trends have also emerged as it relates to providing therapy to LGBT youth who grapples with such issues as HIV infection, and changing issues associated with changing one’s identity. In addition there are different dynamics for youth who are transsexual or transgendered as they attempt to find their voice and place to work on identity and relationship concerns (De Angelis,

2002).
The objective for the presentation is to have professionals enhance their ability to identify with LGBT youth in a manner that reflects professionalism, non-judgmental, respect for diversity. According to Robertson, 2013, negotiating identity can be daunting as youth also faces dealing with so many other transitions in their young lives. There is a much to learn about the distinctive differences between sexual and gender identity labels. Furthermore, membership within this spectrum is contingent upon the youth’s primary and secondary gender identities. With that said, it is important to note that the boundary of identity that an LGBT youth may experience is constantly expanding as the youth transition into adulthood (Youth.Gov, 2017).
Despite their exposure to the obvious negative stressors; human service professionals must identify protective factors that can promote healthy development of LBGT youth. It is our job to focus upon resilience and find ways to ultimately eliminate the victimization that they experience (Mustanski, Andrews, & Pucket, 2016). LGBT youth are considered minority populations. No matter what their race or ethnicity they experience disproportionate rates of discrimination, harassment, and marginalization. This creates minority stress and providers must be adept at assisting with the development of effective coping strategies Kuper, Coleman, & Mustanski, 2014). Service providers who are educated about biological and cultural factors associated with the plight of LGBT youth, along with terminology, mental health implications, and resources that will be better equipped to assist them in their transitions through the life cycle. With this intention, a sociological understanding of the processes that drive an individual to identify as LGBT will deepen professional’s ability to understand and serve this at risk population (Robertson, 2014).