Being An Ally

1. 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

2. 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

3. Session Objectives • 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

4. Agenda • 1 – Ground Rules & Definitions • 2 – The Need • 3 – Check Yourself • 3 – Sexual Identity Development Theories • 4 – Connections Between Student Development Theories and Sexual Identity Development Theories • 5 – Putting Theory Into Practice

5. Ground Rules • 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

6. Definitions • 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

7. Definitions Continued • 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

8. The Need – K-12 Climate • 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

9. The Need – College & University Climate • 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

10. The Need – No Safety Net • 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

11. The Need – Cause and Effect • GLBT Students Often Experience: • Isolation • No positive role models • Acceptance from others is based on lies • Rejection • Discrimination/Harassment/Abuse • All of Which Can Lead To: • Low Self-Esteem • Guilt • Depression/Suicide • Substance Abuse • Loneliness • Denial of Sexuality Source: Rankin, 2004

12. Check Yourself - Sterotypes • What are some stereotypes about GLBT people?

13. Knowledge & Beliefs • Survey & Discussion

14. Student Development Theory - Chickering • Two Relevant Vectors in Chickering’s Model: • Establishing Identity • Involves acceptance and integration of one’s body, appearance, sexuality and life style • Freeing Interpersonal Relationships • Developing a capacity for intimacy and differing roles as lover, friend and colleague Chickering, 1969

15. 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

16. Sexual Identity Theory - Cass • Identity Confusion • Characterized by feelings of turmoil, in which one questions previously held assumptions about one’s sexual orientation • Identity Comparison • Characterized by feelings of alienation, in which one accepts the possibility of being GLBT and becomes isolated from non-GLBT others Source: Cass, 1979

17. Sexual Identity Theory – Cass - Continued • Identity Tolerance • Characterized by feelings of ambivalence, in which one seeks out other GLBTs, but maintains separate public and private lives • Identity Acceptance • Characterized by selective disclosure, in which one begins the legitimization of one’s sexual orientation Source: Cass, 1979

18. Sexual Identity Theory – Cass - Continued • Identity Pride • 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 • 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

19. 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 psycho-social areas.” Source: Levine and Bahr, 1991

20. Theory Into PracticeBuilding Trust • 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

21. Building Trust – Continued • 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

22. Coming Out - Questions to Ask • Questions To Ask • 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?

23. Coming Out – Questions to Ask Continued • Questions To Ask • 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?

24. Coming Out – Information to Share • 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

25. Coming Out Issues – Information to Share • 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

26. Continuing Work After Coming Out • 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.

27. Institutional/Program Responses • 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

28. 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 todd.wolfe@csun.edu

29. References • 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.”

30. Resources – Higher Ed Organizations • 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

31. Resources Continued – National Organizations • 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