HOMOSEXUAL CLIENTS STRAIGHT ALLIES

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HOMOSEXUAL CLIENTS ? ? STRAIGHT ALLIES ?

• Knowledge
• Responsibility
• Advocacy

Sally Day, MA, LPCI University of Texas at San
Antonio Chester Robinson, PhD, NCC Texas AM
University-Commerce
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Todays Menu

• Presenter introductions
• What do you know?
• Why are LGBT allies needed?
• Identity Development Models
• Ally attitude check
• Considerations for ally counselors
• Ally or adversary?
• Trading places
• Q A
• How do you feel?

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What do you know ?

• Children raised by lesbians, gay men, and
  bisexuals are more likely to become gay.
• False
• The majority of child molesters are gay men
• False
• Most trans people identify as lesbians or gay
  men.
• False

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What do you know?

• "Homosexuality'' is unique to humans and is not
  found elsewhere in nature.
• False
• There are few actual bisexuals most people will
  eventually identify as either completely
  lesbian/gay or heterosexual.
• False
• Being lesbian or gay is a type of mental illness
  and can be cured with appropriate psychotherapy.
• False

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What do you know?

• Most trans people seek gender reassignment
  surgery.
• False
• Bisexual men are largely responsible for the
  spread of HIV/AIDS to heterosexual women.
• False
• Being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is a personal
  choice that people make.
• False

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What do you know?

• Most transsexuals are trans women (biological men
  who see themselves as female).
• False
• Bisexuals are equally attracted to men and women.
  
• False
• Bisexual people are more promiscuous than
  heterosexuals or gay men and lesbians.
• False

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What do you know?

• Bisexuals need at least one partner of each
  gender.
• False
• Providing a young person with information about
  LGBT people may harm them or coax them to change
  their sexuality.
• False
• Places of worship do not allow openly LGBT people
  to become members of their congregations.
• False

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Why allies are needed

• No PDA
• Cannot publicly acknowledge partner
• Cant legally marry no spousal benefits
• Social, legal, government agency discrimination
• Severely scrutinized child rearing
• Must choose religion/church carefully
• Uncomfortable/hostile neighbors
• Workplace discrimination
• Must exercise care when talking/teaching about
  LGBT issues

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Model of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Development
DAugelli (1994)

• Assumptions
• Social Construction.
• Life-long process.
• Development is phenomenological.
• Multiple processes addressed simultaneously.

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Model of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Development
DAugelli (1994)

• Process
• Exiting heterosexual identity
• Developing a personal LGB identity status
• Developing a LGB social identity
• Becoming a LGB offspring
• Developing a LGB intimacy status
• Entering a LGB community
• Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido-DiBrito, F.
  (1998). Student development in college Theory,
  research, and practice. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass. (pp. 94-99)

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Gay and LesbianIdentity Development Model
(Cass, 1979, 1984, 1990)

• Stage Model
• Identity Confusion
• Identity Comparison
• Identity Tolerance
• Identity Acceptance
• Identity Pride
• Identity Synthesis

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Heterosexual Identity

• Heterosexual Therapist
• and the LGB Client

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Ally Counselors

• Negative attitudes and biased, misinformed
  clinical practice still common despite support
  for LGB-affirmative treatment (Phillips, 2000).
• Heterosexual Identity Model Can be used to
  understand allies ability to work effectively
  with LGB clients (Mohr, 2002).

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Overview

• Heterosexual Identity Model
• and Counseling Applications
• Two Case Examples

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Heterosexual Identity Model(Mohr, 2002)

• Two Determinants of Identity
• 1. Four Working Models
• 2. Two Core Motivations

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Four Working Models

• Democratic Heterosexuality
• Compulsory Heterosexuality
• Politicized Heterosexuality
• Integrative Heterosexuality

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Democratic Heterosexuality

• View people of all sexual orientations as
  essentially the same.
• Perceive sexual orientation as an expression of
  individual differences that are natural but not
  of fundamental significance.
• Consider sexual orientation not to be an
  important area of focus.

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Compulsory Heterosexuality

• Heterosexuality is the only morally and/or
  socially acceptable sexual orientation.
• Homosexuality threatens core value systems.
• Sexual orientations are viewed mostly as forms of
  behavior

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Politicized Heterosexuality

• View LGB individuals as oppressed and courageous
  survivors of a hostile sociopolitical culture.
• Interpret own heterosexuality in terms of
  privileges, and are driven by anger at an
  oppressive society and guilt related to
  participation in heterosexist practices.
• Perceive people as either LGB affirmative or
  homophobic.

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Integrative Heterosexuality

• All people participate in an oppressive system
  and no person is all good or all bad with regard
  to stance on sexual orientation issues.
• Sexual orientation is a complex construct that is
  viewed as being on a continuum, with discrete
  categories.
• Sexual orientation is only one of many important
  considerations in clients lives.

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Two Core Motivations

• Fit in with and be accepted by ones social
  reference groups.
• Have a well-defined, internally consistent sense
  of self.

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Working Models/Core Motivations Function
together to provide heterosexual individuals
with a stable sense of who they are in terms
of their sexual orientation identities.

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Why and How Might Identity Change?

• Change in Identity
• Moment-to-Moment Identity Dynamics

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Case Example

• Case 1 Cathy a 42-year-old, heterosexual-identi
  fied therapist trainee in a counseling doctoral
  program.
• Client Beth is a high school teacher with 2
  children. Divorced 6 months and reports her
  marriage was not emotionally satisfying. Has a
  woman friend from work and is sad because the
  friend left for a 2-month stay out of town. Beth
  is feeling depressed, lonely, and cant
  concentrate at work.

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Case Example

• Case 2 Allen a 24-year-old, heterosexual-identi
  fied therapist trainee in a counseling doctoral
  program.
• Client Jerry is a 23-year-old college senior.
  Feels depressed and unmotivated to complete his
  degree program is socially isolated and lives
  alone in the dorm. Has been going on dates, but
  admits they have been with men. He is confused
  about his sexual orientation.

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Ally Counselors

• Things to think about..

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Ally Attitude CheckExamples

• I would not mind having an LGBT friend.
• LGBT individuals are not a danger to young
  people.
• I would not mind living next door to an LGBT
  individual.
• If I were a parent, I could accept my child being
  an LGBT person.

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Attitude Scales

• 1. Homosexual Attitude Scale
• 2. Components of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality
• 3. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and
  Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH)
• 4. Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG)
  Scale

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Transgender Identity Development Models

• 1. Witnessing and Mirroring (Devor, 2004)
• 2. Transgender Age-Stage Development Model
  (Reicherzer, 2005)

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Considerations for Ally Counselors

• Do not assume clients are heterosexual.
• Ask if client has significant other or partner -
  not boyfriend (husband), girlfriend (wife).
• Do not assume all LGBT client problems or
  concerns are related to their sexual orientation.

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Considerations

• Take into consideration to what degree your LGBT
  clients are out.
• Understand your LGBT client may suffer internal
  homophobia, but does not mean the client desires
  to be heterosexual.
• Take a serious look at where you are in your
  heterosexual identity development.

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Considerations

• Understand many LGBT clients do not have a good
  support system.
• Try to have referral information of LGBT-friendly
  professionals and community helpers.
• Consult with fellow counselors and other mental
  health professionals if questions arise
  concerning treatment.

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Considerations

• Understand that some LGBT clients have
  difficulties being congruent with their religion
  and their sexual orientation.
• Put yourself in your LGBT clients shoes and
  understand the minute they leave your office they
  are subject to discrimination and oppression
  because of their sexual orientation/gender
  identity.

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Considerations

• One time LGBT individuals can feel safe,
  accepted, and understood is during your
  counseling session.
• Take into consideration LGBT clients can be of
  various racial and ethnic minorities, which may
  cause them to be even more marginalized.

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Considerations

• Understand reasons (different from heterosexuals)
  why LGBT clients may be involved in domestic
  violence.
• When working with transgender clients, address
  them with the gender pronoun and name they
  prefer.

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Considerations

• Be familiar with LGB and Transgender identity
  development models.
• Keep in mind that sexual orientation is different
  from gender identity. A transgender individual
  can be any sexual orientation.

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Considerations

• With every client, try to be
• Genuine
• Flexible
• Nonjudgmental

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Are you an ally or an adversary?

• Ally
• Interrupt offensive jokes
• Dont assume that you know anothers experience
• Show empathy instead of sympathy
• Acknowledge power, utilizing it for social change
• WALK YOUR TALK!!

• Adversary
• Tell offensive jokes
• Believe you know what oppression feels like
• Show pity and sympathy for oppression targets
• Fail to acknowledge power, privilege, and role

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Trading Places

• What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
• When and how did you first decide that you were a
  heterosexual?
• Is it possible that your heterosexuality is just
  a phase that you will grow out of?
• Isnt it possible that all you need is a good
  same-sex partner?
• Why do you people feel compelled to seduce others
  into your heterosexual orientation?

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Trading Places

• How can you enjoy a deep emotional bonding with
  persons of the opposite sex when the obvious
  physical, biological, and temperamental
  differences between you are so vast?
• The majority of child molesters are heterosexual
  (according to FBI statistics). Do you really
  consider it safe to expose your children to
  heterosexual teachers?
• With all of the societal support Marriage
  receives, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are
  there so few s table relationships among
  heterosexuals?
• There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals.
  Techniques have been developed with which you
  might be able to change, if you really want to.
  Have considered trying aversion therapy?