Transcript Being An Ally

Being An Ally
Effectively Working with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender
Students
Presented by Todd Wolfe
at the
EOP 40th Anniversary Conference
March 9, 2009
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Presenter: Todd Wolfe
Director, College Based EOP Satellite
Approximately 6,000 students in
College, 10% EOP
M.S. in Counseling
15 Years in Student Services
Staff Sponsor for Campus GLBT Student
Group for 12 Years
Session Objectives
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Gain an understanding of issues facing GLBT
students
Explore your own beliefs re: GLBT issues
Examine relationship between sexual identity
development and student development
Learn individual techniques for working with
GLBT students
Discuss Institutional/Program Responses to
GLBT student needs
Agenda
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1
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3
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Ground Rules & Definitions
The Need
Check Yourself
Sexual Identity Development
Theories
4 – Connections Between Student
Development Theories and Sexual
Identity Development Theories
5 – Putting Theory Into Practice
Ground Rules
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Only share if you feel comfortable
Speak from your own experience,
whenever possible
Keep personal information discussed
during this session confidential
Be open to others’ thoughts or feelings,
even if they differ significantly from my
own
Definitions
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GLBT = Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or
Transgender
Gender – Biologically Male or Female
Gender Roles – Social roles linked with being
male or female – masculine or feminine
Homosexual – A person who is sexually
attracted to persons of the same gender
Bisexual – A person who has is sexually
attracted to persons of both genders
Source: Fassinger, 1991
Definitions Continued
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Heterosexual – A person who is sexually
attracted to persons of the opposite gender
Gay – Another term for homosexuals
Lesbian – A female homosexual
Sexual Orientation – Describes what gender a
person is attracted to for intimate partners
Straight – Another term for heterosexuals
Homophobia – Fear and/or hatred of gay
people
Source: Fassinger, 1991
The Need – K-12 Climate
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7.5 percent of middle and high school students in California are
targets each year of harassment based on actual or perceived
sexual orientation – 200,000 students
These students are 3 times more likely to miss school because
they feel unsafe, twice as likely to be depressed or consider
suicide
Harassed students are also more likely to have low grades and
to use drugs, tobacco or alcohol
2 of every 3 GLBT students reported harassment at some point
during their school careers with 47 percent reporting repeated
incidents
91 percent of GLBT students reported hearing their peers use
slurs about sexual orientation and 40 percent reported hearing
the same from teachers
Source: California Safe Schools
Coalition, 2004
The Need – College &
University Climate
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More than 36 percent of GLBT undergraduate students have
experienced harassment within the past year
20 percent feared for their physical safety because of their
sexual orientation
51 percent concealed their sexual orientation to avoid
intimidation
61 percent felt GLBT students were likely to be harassed
43 percent rated their campus climate as homophobic
10 percent would avoid areas of campus where GLBT people
congregate for fear of being labeled
Source: Rankin, 2004
The Need – No Safety Net
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50 percent of all GLBT youth reported that their parents had
rejected them for being GLBT1
One in four GLBT youths are forced to leave home on account
of conflicts with their family about being GLBT1
88.7 percent of “Christians” expressed opposition to
homosexuality on religious grounds1
GLBT people of color are more likely than white GLBT people to
conceal their sexual orientation to avoid harassment because
they did not feel comfortable being out in predominantly
straight people of color venues, but also felt out of place at
predominantly white GLBT settings2
“As a chicana, I felt ostracized even more. Forget about feeling a
sense of community when you’re a member of two minority
groups.”2
Sources: 1. Singer & Deschamps,
1994 2. Rankin, 2004
The Need – Cause and Effect
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GLBT Students Often Experience:
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Isolation
No positive role models
Acceptance from others is based on lies
Rejection
Discrimination/Harassment/Abuse
All of Which Can Lead To:
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Low Self-Esteem
Guilt
Depression/Suicide
Substance Abuse
Loneliness
Denial of Sexuality
Source: Rankin, 2004
Check Yourself - Sterotypes
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What are some stereotypes about GLBT
people?
Knowledge & Beliefs
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Survey & Discussion
Student Development Theory Chickering
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Two Relevant Vectors in Chickering’s
Model:
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Establishing Identity
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Involves acceptance and integration of one’s
body, appearance, sexuality and life style
Freeing Interpersonal Relationships
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Developing a capacity for intimacy and differing
roles as lover, friend and colleague
Chickering, 1969
Sexual Identity Theory –
Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey in his pioneering 1948 study of human sexuality, proposed that
an individual’s sexuality can rarely be concretely labeled. Rather, it usually
falls somewhere on a continuum. Sexuality is often an evolutionary process,
over time an individual may move back and forth along the continuum.
The concept of the sexuality continuum can be helpful for a student who is
struggling to identify him/her self as either homosexual or heterosexual, the
continuum can graphically illustrate that is okay to be somewhere between
the two.
Exclusively
Homosexual
Exclusively
Heterosexual
Source: Kinsey, 1948
Sexual Identity Theory - Cass
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Identity Confusion
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Characterized by feelings of turmoil, in which one
questions previously held assumptions about one’s
sexual orientation
Identity Comparison
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Characterized by feelings of alienation, in which
one accepts the possibility of being GLBT and
becomes isolated from non-GLBT others
Source: Cass, 1979
Sexual Identity Theory – Cass
- Continued
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Identity Tolerance
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Characterized by feelings of ambivalence,
in which one seeks out other GLBTs, but
maintains separate public and private lives
Identity Acceptance
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Characterized by selective disclosure, in
which one begins the legitimization of
one’s sexual orientation
Source: Cass, 1979
Sexual Identity Theory – Cass
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Identity Pride
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Characterized by anger, pride and activism, in
which one becomes immersed in the GLBT sub
culture and rejects non-GLBT people, institutions
and values
Identity Synthesis
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Characterized by clarity and acceptance, in which
one moves beyond a dichotomized world view to
an incorporation of one’s sexual orienttion as one
aspect of a more integrated identity
Source: Cass, 1979
Relation of Chickering & Cass
Individuals in early stages on Cass model
ranked high on Chickering’s vectors
 Those in the middle stages on Cass model
placed low on Chickering’s vectors
 Students at the end of the Cass model placed
highest on Chickering’s vectors
“The great expenditure of energy required in
the development of identity as a gay person
seems to delay development in other psychosocial areas.”
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Source: Levine and Bahr, 1991
Theory Into Practice
Building Trust
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Never make assumptions about a student’s
sexual orientation
Always use gender neutral terms when
talking about relationships with any student
If a student comes out to you, don’t
immediately refer them to a GLBT staff
member or other resource – show acceptance
and affirmation
Display literature for campus or community
GLBT resources/events/organizations
Building Trust – Continued
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Do not tolerate anti-GLBT remarks by
students or staff in your presence – students
may be watching for this as a sign of safety
and acceptance
Attend a meeting of the GLBT group(s) on
your campus to let them know about your
office’s services
Conduct an in-service training for other staff
members
Display ALLY sticker or sign
Coming Out - Questions to Ask
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Questions To Ask
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Is the student coming out of his/her own free will
or have they been “outed” by someone else?
Is the student being pressured to come out by
friends or others that already know?
What kind of emotional support network does the
student have (friends, family, religion, etc.)? How
does the student expect them to react?
Is the student involved with any campus or
community support groups?
Coming Out – Questions to
Ask Continued
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Questions To Ask
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Has the student already come out to anyone else?
What kind of reactions did they get?
Is the student financially dependent on their
parents? Have they made plans for supporting
themselves?
Has the student thought about how they might
emotionally cope with rejection from: friends;
peers; co-workers; religion or parents?
Coming Out – Information to
Share
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Models of Sexual Identity Development
Kinsey Continuum
Coming out is often not a linear
process, the student may stop and
start, make advances and have
setbacks
How to get in touch with
campus/community organizations
Coming Out Issues –
Information to Share
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The student should make a plan for whom to
tell and when
The first people should be those whom the
student knows will be supportive, this will
help them build confidence and a support
network as they move towards telling those
who might not be supportive
A strategy for coping for rejection is the
consideration of whether a person who
rejects the student is worthy of their
friendship/love
Continuing Work After Coming
Out
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Discuss stereotypes and negative experiences
related to sexuality that the student has
experienced in the past. Attempt to help
them break free of negative self-images
Affirm your willingness to discuss further
issues related to the student’s sexuality
and/or coming out process – harassment,
career choices, relationship issues, etc.
Institutional/Program
Responses
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Actively recruit and retain GLBT students and staff, faculty and
administrators
Include sexual orientation in nondiscrimination clauses
Provide housing for same-sex partners
Provide gender-neutral restroom facilities
Develop visible scholarships targeting GLBT students
Respond visibly and expeditiously to acts of intolerance directed
at GLBT campus members
Include sexual orientation issues in new student orientation
programs and faculty/staff training
Create GLBT groups for under-represented populations
Create and identify a designated safe, social GLBT meeting
space
Source: Rankin, 2004
Conclusion
Thank you
 Please fill out the evaluation
 My contact information:
Todd Wolfe
Director, Student Services Center/EOP
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
California State University, Northridge
(818)677-5278
[email protected]
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References
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California Safe Schools Coalition and 4-H Center for Youth Development, University of
California, Davis. Consequences of Harassment Based on Actual or Perceived Sexual
Orientation and Gender Non-Conformity and Steps for Making Schools Safer: 2004.
Cass, V.C. (1979). Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of
Homosexuality. 4(3). 219-235.
Chickering, A.W. (1969). “Education and Identity,” San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Fassinger, R. (1991). The hidden minority: Issues and challenges in working with lesbian
women and gay men. The Counseling Psychologist: Research and Practice. 15. 482-496
Kinsey, A.C. (1948). “Sexual behavior in the human male.” Philadelphia, PA: Saunders
Levine, H. & Bahr, J. (1991). Relationship between sexual identity formation and student
development. Unpublished manuscript in W.J. Evans & V.J. Wall (Eds.), “Beyond tolerance:
Gays, lesbians and bisexuals on campus.” (pp. 25-38). Alexandria, VA: American College
Personnel Association Publications.
Rankin, S.R. (2003). Campus Climate for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: A
National Perspective. New York: The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.
B.L. Singer & D. Deschamps (Eds.), (1994) “Gay and lesbian stats: A pocket guide of facts
and figures.”
Resources – Higher Ed
Organizations
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American College Personnel Association Standing Committee on
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Awareness www.sclgbta.org
Association of College Unions International Campus Hate Crime
Prevention Program www.stophate.org
Campus PrideNet www.campuspride.net
Lambda 10 Project – National Clearinghouse for GLB Fraternity &
Sorority Issues www.lambda10.org
National Academic Advising Association Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and Allies Concerns Commission
www.nacada.ksu.edu/commissions/LGBTA/index.html
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators GLBT Issues
Network http:/personal.ecu.edu/luciera/naspaglbt.html
National Consortium of Directors of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Resources in Higher Education www.lgbtcampus.org
Resources Continued –
National Organizations
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California Safe Schools Coalition www.casafeschools.org
Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere www.colage.org
Family Pride Coalition www.familypride.org
Gay and Lesbian National Hotline www.glnh.org (888)THE-GLNH
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network www.glsen.org
Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.org
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund www.lambdalegal.org
Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force www.lgirtf.org
LLEGO: National Latino/a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization
www.llego.org
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs www.avp.org/ncavp.html
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force www.ngltf.org
National Youth Advocacy Coalition www.nyacyouth.org
OutProud www.outproud.org
Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays www.pflag.org
TransGender Guide www.tgguide.com