WHY ASK ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY?
There is a growing body of evidence showing that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) youth suffer from potentially traumatic events (PTEs) at significantly higher rates than their straight and cisgender peers. Among the most prevalent PTEs affecting LGBTQ+ youth are parental rejection, bullying, physical and sexual harassment, and hate crimes. Consequently, LGBTQ+ youth experience a wide array of health disparities, such as increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and attempts, drug and alcohol misuse, sexually transmitted diseases/infections, homelessness, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The alarming rate at which LGBTQ+ youth are victimized in the United States urges us to identify LGBTQ+ youth in order to assess for safety and risk of self-harm or suicidality, prevent exposure to trauma via psychoeducation, and refer to evidence-based trauma-focused treatment when they have been exposed to trauma. Nevertheless, discussing and acknowledging sexual orientation and gender identity—with or without the aforementioned PTEs—has not been common practice in child-serving systems and organizations.
Often LGBTQ+ youth’s increased risk for trauma is partly due to societal stigma and prejudice. As a trauma treatment provider, you have an obligation to provide safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth to express themselves honestly—without fear of judgment, ridicule, or having their identities outed. Additionally, you must ask about essential and basic information such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and PTEs. Without asking these important questions, you cannot provide trauma-informed services that truly meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ youth and their families. It is essential that as a provider, you actively acknowledge and validate youth who hold marginalized identities and seek to understand the ways in which these identities and PTEs may intersect.
Share This Post!
School exclusions are on the up – but training teachers in trauma could help
By The Conversation After years of decline, school exclusions are on the rise again, according to official figures for the Department for Education. The Timpson review, carried out by former children’s minister [...]
How Trauma Affects Kids in School
By Caroline Miller We tend to think of trauma as the result of a frightening and upsetting event. But many children experience trauma through ongoing exposure, throughout their early development, to [...]
10 Things About Childhood Trauma Every Teacher Needs to Know
By Starr Commonwealth With grief, sadness is obvious. With trauma, the symptoms can go largely unrecognized because it shows up looking like other problems: frustration; acting out; difficulty concentrating, following directions, or [...]
Music Therapy Addresses Trauma – Careers That Change Lives
By Barbra Weidlein Trauma settings Music therapists have been called upon to support the recovery of individuals and communities following horrific events as well as natural disasters. Settings have included New [...]
Healing from Childhood Trauma
By: E.B. Johnson When you experience childhood trauma, your life and your soul are altered forever. Those who suffer loss, abuse or neglect early-on in life can often suffer from serious psychological and [...]
The Effects of Childhood Trauma
By Amy Morin, LCSW Although adults often say things like, “He was so young when that happened. He won’t even remember it as an adult,” childhood trauma can have a lifelong [...]