Counseling Sexual Minority Groups

Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities: LGBTGEQIAP+

One important consideration to keep in mind when dealing with clients who identify on the LGBTGEQIAP+ spectrum is that not all cultures are equally accepting of queer identities. As a counselor, I have not only counseled individuals who are not heterosexual; I have many friends who identify as queer, and I have grown up in a very inclusive and accepting environment. For individuals who are from different cultural or religious worldviews than myself, such as Ramon, a queer Hispanic man with Roman Catholic parents, sunny advice to simply be yourself is not enough to fully grapple with all the issues the client is struggling with.

It is vitally important to understand identity as intersectional. For example, for Ramon, his sexuality often felt in conflict with his desire to be a good son and a fully accepted member of his cultural community. As a member of a minority group, he sometimes felt guilt at betraying the values he was raised in, even though they felt contrary to his deep identification with his gay identity. He was upset he could not bring his boyfriend to family functions, and his boyfriend, who was white, often criticized him for being, in his view, overly closeted.

Similarly, identity-development counseling models have often been criticized for being insufficiently culturally diverse and failing to take into consideration issues of sexuality which can complicate acceptance (when the client is already dealing with negative feedback from cultural outsiders). LGBT+ models of development fail to take into consideration cultural factors which can complicate identity and adjustment to adult sexual relationships (Wynn & West-Olatunji, 2009).

Clients like Ramon may be told to simply get over themselves by LGBT+ persons who are white, regarding cultural acceptance of their identity. “Ethnically diverse LGBT clients are often marginalized by racism in mainstream LGBT culture as well as by heterosexism and homophobia in their ethnic communities, leaving them at risk for isolation, estrangement, and increased psychological vulnerability” (Wynn & West-Olatunji, 2009). According to Wynn & West-Olatunji (2009), interdependence is a critical component of many Latino households. Interdependence may be viewed as a positive, in terms of the strength this can offer the individual, particularly when facing prejudice, but it can also increase the sense of guilt and stress clients feel, when dealing with demands made upon them on a familial level as well as upon members of their sexual minority community to be more out and open.

Sexual minorities already exhibit greater health disparities due to poverty, and often provider prejudice and a lack of access to adequate health services. Sexual minority status only serves to intensify racial and ethnic stigma (McConnell et al., 2018). Studies have shown that there are greater stress mediators for white versus members of other sexual minorities in the form of support from the gay community (McConnell et al., 2018). Of course, as a therapist I cannot entirely make up for such disparities, but I can be aware of them and ensure that the client understand the types of complications they may face in coming out and feeling fully integrated into both the gay community and their family’s culture. Language barriers, including speaking English as a second language, can further complicate matters, as can a desire to still be part of a church that is not fully accepting but is culturally central.

In talking with Ramon, I have better understood that coming out is a cultural experience particular to every individual, and members of historically discriminated-against groups may have a very different experience. In understanding and working with him so he can embrace the different parts of his identity, I hope to have helped him gain self-acceptance and find more positive ways to talk about his sexuality with friends and family. I have also learned not to rush him on his timetable of self-acceptance.