Project Q s- Working With LGBTQ Youth: What You Really Need To Know Rebeca K Grande, BA ITFC Program manager The Village Family Services Culturally Competent Care Competent care involves understanding basic facts about LGBTQ youth and the issues they face What does LGBTQ mean? LGBTQ: includes all individuals and communities who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender or those who are questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity Other acronyms: GLBTQ, LGBTQQIA 1
Gender and Sex Sex: A biological marker assigned at birth usually male and female Gender Identity: Personal, deeply felt sense of being a man, woman, something else, or in between Gender Expression: Individual s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms, speech patterns and social interactions that are perceived as masculine or feminine Source: Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights. 2004. Beyond the Binary: A Toolkit for Gender Identity Activism in Schools. San Francisco, CA: Authors. [Retrieved from www.gsanetwork.org] Gender Identity One's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman (or a boy or girl) For transgender people, their birth assigned sex (male or female) and their own internal sense of gender identity do not match Gender Expression External manifestation of one's gender identity, usually expressed through "masculine," "feminine" or gender variant behavior, clothing, haircut, voice or body characteristics. Typically, transgender people seek to make their gender expression match their gender identity, rather than their birth-assigned sex. They MAY do so through medical/hormonal interventions and they MAY NOT (identity based model) 2
Sexual Orientation Three components of sexual orientation Identity: Straight/Heterosexual, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual Behavior: Opposite-sex contact, same-sex contact, both-sex contact, all-sex contact Attraction: Who is someone romantically, emotionally, physically, spiritually attracted to? Source: American Psychological Association. 2008. Answers to your questions: For a better understanding of sexual orientation and homosexuality. Washington, DC: Author. [Retrieved from www.apa.org/topics/sorientation.pdf.] Being Aware of Sexual Orientation/Identities LGBTQ people may become aware of their orientations/identities as a child or as an older adult Never too young or too old to come out Not everyone has to come out Coming out is a life long and ongoing process 3
LGBTQ identity and the Individual How do I know if I m gay? How do I know if someone else is gay? Never assume someone identifies as a LGBTQ person based on myths or stereotypes The only way to be certain is if they tell you The Experience of Being LGBTQ and Latino/Latina Goals and Objectives By the end of this module participants will be able to: Understand the role of machismo in Latino culture Describe the importance of family in Latino culture Understand the role of the church as a LGBTQ Latino 4
Being LGBTQ and Latino There are so many significant experiences in my culture that have something to do with a person s life as a heterosexual. -Sandra T., a Mexican-American activist LGBTQ Latinos and Family Support Keeping family relationships strong can be critical to an individual s identity The possibility that a LGBTQ Latino/a may lose that important family support structure can be devastating Despite challenges, more LGBTQ Latino/as are coming out Defining Basic Terms La Familia Machismo Respeto Marianismo Masculine/ feminine in every instance of the Spanish language gender issues are influences 5
Treatment of LGBTQ Latinos/as Within the world of machismo, a Latino or transgender Latina can be suspected as homosexual if his or her behavior does not match the behavior that is expected and vice versa for marianismo LGBTQ Latinos/as can be disrespected or abused for not living up to culture s gender standards Family Family is a group of people that gives us a sense of identity, belonging, and being somebody However some may experience rejection and hurtful words/actions in their families LGBT youth from a rejecting home are 9 times more likely to attempt suicide than their LGBT peers from supporting homes; for Latino/as increased to 11 times. (Ryan, 2009) Hispanic and Latino Families Family is central to their very being Being a LGBTQ youth in a Hispanic or Latino household can be a challenge for an individual, especially when deciding to come out Sexuality is perceived as a private matter, which can lead to silence 6
Concerns of Latino/a LGBTQ Individuals Fear of discrediting their family name Fear of bias against the LGBTQ community Even within LGBTQ communities there are biases against Latino/as Even after coming out, where do I go now? What is Coming Out? Coming out means something different to everyone and is always a process Attracted to people of the same sex, both sexes, all sexes Identifies as a LGBTQ person Coming out to self v. others Deciding to tell others about your feelings and attractions (sometimes without identifying themselves and remaining label free) Parental Reaction to a LGBTQ Youth Coming Out Traditional parents often feel a degree of disappointment Concern that their child will be harassed and/or discriminated Concern about contracting HIV Their child has been sexually abused Influenced by others Personal failure as a parent didn t raise them right, single parent 7
Family Acceptance Research studies have shown that the single most significant factor in predicting mental health outcomes for LGBTQ youth is the response of their families when they come out LGBTQ youth from highly rejecting families are at a far higher risk for major mental health problems as young adults Problems may include: suicidal ideation and attempts, depression, substance abuse, and higher risk behaviors (Ryan, 2009) Family Behaviors that Increase Risk for Mental Health Issues, Incl. Suicide Physically hurting a child because they are LGBTQ Verbal/emotional harassment because they are LGBTQ Excluding LGBT youth from family events Blocking access to LGBT friends, events, and resources Blaming your child when they are discriminated against because of LGBT identity (Ryan, 2009) Family Behaviors that Increase Risk for Mental Health Issues, Incl. Suicide (Cont.) Pressuring your child to be more (or less) masculine or feminine Telling your child that God will punish them because they re LGBT Telling your child that you re ashamed of them or that the way they act will shame the family Making your child keep their LGBT identity a secret in the family and not letting them talk about it (Ryan, 2009) 8
Resources for LGBTQ Latino/as PFLAG outreach programs/groups PFLAG publication: Nuestras Hijas y Nuestro Hijos: Preguntas y Respuestas Para Padres de Gays, Lesbianas y Bisexuales www.pflag.org Religiosity and Being a LGBTQ Youth In Latin American countries, the family of the church often supplants blood family Importance of supporting LGBTQ resistant families determine if their lack of support is due to their faith or using faith as an excuse to support cultural views LGBTQ youth may be treated as sexual or spiritual outcasts and church may not support differences Females seen as saints or whores Testimonio Papa, soy gay! Ruben has decided to take the plunge and finally tell his father, a devoted Pentecostal, about his homosexuality. No more arranged dates with women at the church, no more hiding or sneaking around. He knows what he must do, and the consequences that will likely follow. His father is not a violent man so the hurt will probably not be physical. Nevertheless, later Ruben will wonder if physical pain would have been a better alternative. He has to endure rejection, isolation and unbearable psychological pain in exchange for the price of freedom to be who he thought God created him to be. True to his character, Ruben s father tells him in no uncertain terms that he has only two choices: attend the church s two months of salvation classes or forever be banished from his home. Ruben s father will not tolerate a sinner under the shadow of his own roof. As his father spells out the ultimatum, Ruben can hear his mother quietly crying in the kitchen. She has dreamed of babysitting grandchildren, of a daughter in law with whom to share recipes, shopping excursions and gossip. But what she really wants is for her beloved son to be true to God. Unfortunately, for Ruben s parents the Bible is clear: Thou shall not lie with a man as with a woman. In his parents minds, Ruben is condemning himself to the eternal fires of hell. It deeply pains him to pack his bags and walk out of his home, away from his family and into the overbearing heat of a Texas day. Ruben cries for he knows God loves him, but he wonders if his parents do. Ruben 9
Lost in Translation Seven Commonly Used Biblical Versus when Discussing Homosexuality Genesis:1:1-31 and Chapters 2-3 Adam and Eve Genesis:19:1-29 The Sin of Sodom Levitcus:18:22 and 20:13 The Law Romans:1:26-27 Being True to Our Nature 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10 Exclusion of Sexual Abusers - Fish Out of Water (2009) Dir Ky Dickens and A La Familia (HRC) Religiosity and the Bible Everyone reads the Bible with our own personal biases The Bible should not be used to keep LGBTQ persons from coming out Refer to the Human Rights Campaign s A La Familia Final Curriculum to examine specific Biblical verses that opposing groups may quote Welcoming and Affirming churches ww.thevillagefs.org LGBTQ Latino/as in the Community Some Latino/as experience shame and hide their orientations because they believe being a LGBTQ person is a problem with one s gender Communities that are unaware or unsupportive ask whether LGBTQ persons can change or whether they choose to be LGBTQ 10
Challenges/ Stressors for LGBTQ Latino/as Struggle with multiple identities Difficult to access healthcare for lower income people Culture clash of LGBTQ persons within the Latino community At the end of the day I feel you shouldn t have to choose between your culture and sexual orientation. anonymous LGBT Latino/a Youth Research among Latino/a Groups Some ethnic and cultural groups (i.e. firstgeneration immigrants from Latin America) are less accepting of children who do not conform to standard gender roles than are families that have been in the United States for several generations (Ryan, 2004) California Latino LGB are 1/3 less likely to identify as LGB compared to their White counterparts (The Williams Institute, 2010) Latino Transgender Individuals Experience assault 3x more than other transgender individuals Twice as likely to experience family violence Undocumented noncitizens experience physical and sexual assault 3x more than other transgender individuals Undocumented noncitizens are 50% more likely to lose their jobs Source: The National Transgender Discrimination Survey (2011) 11
Racism Within the LGBTQ Population More than two-thirds of LGBT persons from a racial minority group say that there is as much sexism and racism among the LGBT population as among the non-lgbt community (Human Rights Campaign. 2009. At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality and Gender) Being LGBTQ and belonging to a racial minority group can be a two front battle How Latino LGBT Say They Are Treated by the LGBT Majority Latino LGBT participants were asked how they were treated by the larger LGBT community 66% said they were treated like any other LGBT person 41% said they are discriminated against 50% said they are empowered and encouraged to be a leader in the community N=261 Source: Human Rights Campaign Foundation. (2009). At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality, and Gender. www.hrc.org/equalityforward Any Questions or Comments? 12
Rebeca K. Grande rgrande@thevillagefs.org (818) 755-8786 6736 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Suite 200 North Hollywood, CA 91606 p 818-755- 8786 f 818 755 8789 www.thevillagefs.org 13