LGBTQ Youth Research Articles

57.1 Addressing Barriers in Access to Care

Attendees will develop a more thorough understanding of barriers to care for LGBTQ youth at institutional, regional, and national levels and develop strategies for improving access to care in their local communities.

57.2 Teaching Resilience Skills to Depressed Youth Through Individual and Group Interventions

Attendees will learn how skill-based, strength-focused therapeutic interventions can be delivered to LGBTQ youths in both clinical and low-resource settings. Attendees will be able to apply concrete brief interventions to their own mental health practices.

57.3 Nurturing Resilience: The Power of Family for LGBTQ Youth

Attendees will understand the powerful and central role of family acceptance and/or rejection in mental health outcomes for LGBTQ children and adolescents and develop strategies for increasing family support using a case-based format.

Tumbling Into Queer Utopias and Vortexes: Experiences of LGBTQ Social Media Users on Tumblr

ABSTRACTDrawing on one year of fieldwork with LGBTQ youth, I explore the ways Tumblr, a microblogging and social networking site, has become a vibrant center of queer discourse and collectivity. I argue that for LGBTQ users, Tumblr simultaneously generates the specter of a “queer utopia”—a space where queer potential flourishes and more expansive ways to think about the future materialize—and queer “vortextuality”—an experience of being sucked into an online black hole with severe limitations. Furthermore, the user experience on the site underscores the profound vulnerability of queer individuals and communities in digital, corporatized space.

Countering the Norm, (Re)authoring Our Lives

Counterstorytelling, a methodology that is rooted in critical race theory, is undergirded by principles that are beneficial to understanding the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) young people from an intersectional perspective. Counterstorytelling holds promise as a method that creates opportunities for individual transformation and resistance to dominant narratives among young people facing systemic oppression. This article outlines the design and implementation of a counterstorytelling study with LGBTQ youth and reflects on the value and associated challenges of counterstorytelling as a participatory research method.

Queer gender performance and media in school: Dissident reading, bullying and the word ‘gay’

Abstract This article explores the potential of youth to learn about gender performance and sexual identity in school, framing the vulnerability of LGBTQ youth and issues of bullying. Exploring the significance of ‘dissident reading’ as the ability of a student to independently read or interpret media representations that may involve an analysis of stereotyping and irony, this article foregrounds research from five schools in the United Kingdom involving responses from 82 school children. Offering both a theoretical examination of dissident reading as a process to challenge hierarchies of gender performance and sexual identity, and an analysis of the discourse of school children themselves, a mixed-methods approach is involved in this research, framing limitations in school environments in the education of sexual diversity. This article argues that individual teachers have not only historically embarked on personal strategies of education outside the curriculum on the needs of LGBTQ youth but also that with the contemporary rise of populism, there is an increasing need for this.

Bullying Victimization among LGBTQ Youth: Current and Future Directions.

This paper examines recent research on bullying victimization among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth to identify critical issues and advocate for future research priorities. Recent studies have begun to document the importance of bullying in general, and bias-based bullying (rooted in stigma) in particular, on the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable subgroup of adolescents, as well as drivers of disparities. Current research demonstrates the role of multiple identities for and important differences among LGBTQ youth and has begun to identify protective factors for youth who are the targets of bullying. Researchers, clinicians, and those working with and on behalf of LGBTQ youth must measure and acknowledge the multiple reasons for which LGBTQ youth are the targets of bullying. Intervention and prevention efforts should focus on improving the supportiveness of the climates within which LGBTQ youth live.

An Intersectional Feminist Perspective on LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care: Implications for Service Providers

LGBTQ children are overrepresented in the foster care system in the United States. These children are also at higherrisk for homelessness and suicide. While there are some legal protections for this population, more research andadvocacy are needed to help these young people thrive despite their situations. An intersectional feminist perspectiveon advocacy and queer theory could change the landscape of political activism and training for child welfareprofessionals. In this article, three activist approaches to training are discussed as ways to revolutionize advocacy andtreatment of LGBTQ youth in child welfare. The authors propose 1) providing intersectional and feminist principles inchild welfare diversity training modules, 2) including the exploration of self-identity in these trainings, and 3)developing a better understanding of how heteronormative bias and perceptions of deviance can be perpetuated.

Queer youth, intoxication and queer drinking spaces

ABSTRACTResearch on intoxicating substances and gender has developed considerably in the last 30 years, especially in the social sciences as feminist scholars highlighted the contradictory discourses about young women’s intoxication. Nevertheless, there still remain significant gaps if we are to fully understand the role and meaning of intoxication for all young people and not merely for heterosexual, cisgender young people. As a way of exploring the possible limitations of this legacy, we will examine the qualitative data from 52 in-depth interviews with self-identified LGBTQ young people. Our analysis explores the relationships between meanings of intoxication and sexual and gender identities, drinking spaces, and the extent to which notions of masculinity and femininity influence alcohol consumption and drinking practices among LGBTQ youth. As gender expressions among young people, especially those who identify as LGBTQ, become increasingly nuanced and fluid, understanding the role of social and cultural practices of alcohol consumption in the performance of sexual and gender identities may increase our understanding of the ways in which sexuality and gender influence alcohol consumption.

‘You can see their minds grow’: identity development of LGBTQ youth at a residential wilderness camp

ABSTRACT There is a substantial literature on the meaning of residential wilderness camps for youth and the benefits that they experience as a result of these camps. However, there is little work that details the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) youth at camps that are specifically designed for them and run by LGBTQ staff. Two focus groups were held at an LGBTQ camp and qualitative data analysis was undertaken. Results indicate support for the extant camp literature through positive identity development, experiences of social inclusion as well as support for cultivating positive attitudes toward physical activity. There was a lack of evidence to support increased spiritual connections and environmental awareness, possibly due to emphasizing programming around queer issues rather than intentionally programming nature-based activities and facilitating spiritual connections.

In 8100 Again: The Sounds of Students Breaking

In this article, the author uses the sounds of schooling to explore LGBTQ youth experiences as they relate to self-harm and suicide. Although sounds-as-voice and representation is a well-trodden path in scholarly conversations, the author centers her argument on the significance of sounds in the daily lives of LGBTQ students. This is significant as literature predominantly focuses on the signs of suicide as physical and visual rather than residing in sounded epistemologies. Expanding on previous work on the school-to-coffin pipeline, this article theorizes the sounds of students breaking to explore youth suicide and self-harm as they are nested in the everyday interactions of classrooms and corridors. Using a combination of personal narrative and interviews from a year-long sonic ethnography, the author explores how sounds are an important part of the school-to-coffin pipeline for LGBTQ youth and should therefore be regarded as a significant tool for unpacking some of the darkest experiences and notions learned through schooling- depression, self-harm, and suicide.

Mediation

Mediation

Promoting Affirming School Athletics for LGBTQ Youth Through Professional Development

ABSTRACTWhile physical activity provides ample social-emotional, behavioral, and academic benefits, many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth experience bullying, discomfort, and feelings of exclusion in school athletic settings. Authors conceptualize a professional development model entitled School Athletics for Everyone (SAFE). Within this model, physical education teachers are supported in gaining a more comprehensive understanding about the struggles experienced by LGBTQ youth in athletic settings and, subsequently, the ways in which they can be supported through data-based consultative and professional development efforts to promote more affirming and inclusive practices. The role of the school mental health professional is crucial in facilitating content delivery and consultation. Authors review the empirical foundations for this model, provide a case example, and disseminate relevant resources for practitioners. Future directions for research are also discussed.

COME ALONG WITH ME: LINKING LGBTQ YOUTH TO SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES.

In this study, we examine how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth, who tend to experience greater feelings of isolation and discrimination than heterosexual youth, find and become integrated into supportive activities and resources. As part of a larger study on supportive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth environments, 66 go-along interviews with LGBTQ youth, from Massachusetts, Minnesota, and British Columbia were conducted. Analysis of these interviews identified important cues that prompt self-agency and integration into supportive environments and affirmative identities. In particular, we argue indirect links or cues such as media and print advertisements increase awareness of supports and resources, while personal links, such as referrals from trusted friends, adults, and regularly attended programs, can help youth form denser networks of support.

Understanding safety, victimization and school climate among rural lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth

ABSTRACTNearly three decades of research have examined the experiences of LGBTQ students in schools. These include numerous studies documenting elevated rates of school victimization, as well as how an LGBTQ affirming school climate may enhance safety among LGBTQ students. Of the studies conducted, research has focused mostly on LGBTQ students in urban and suburban communities, while few have focused on rural LGBTQ youth. Using a sample of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ secondary school students from a rural school district in California, this study explores the relationship between LGBTQ affirming school climates and the safety and victimization of LGBTQ students. Results indicate that LGBTQ support and peer and teacher intervention were associated with higher levels of safety among LGBTQ youth. In addition, the presence of a GSA at school was associated with lower levels of safety among LGBTQ students. Findings from this study inform school-based interventions for LGBTQ youth in rural schools and contribute to scholarship exploring LGBTQ youth issues in rural school communities.

Sex and ambivalence: LGBTQ youth negotiating sexual feelings, desires and attractions

ABSTRACTIn popular and academic discourse, sexual identity is regularly linked to a concept of sexual engagement with others. Recent thinking on sexuality has, however, opened up the possibility of understanding ‘identity’ in ways different from sexual behaviour. This paper considers data from the Australian Queer Generations project, in which findings indicate that young Australian participants express complex ambivalences towards sex and sexual expression, and disavowals of the importance of sex. We consider what this might mean for young people's gender and sexual identities as well as implications for support for LGBTQ young people.

A comparison of LGBTQ youth and heterosexual youth in the child welfare system: Mental health and substance abuse occurrence and outcomes

PurposeLGBTQ youth enter the child welfare system often because they are at higher risk of experiencing child maltreatment compared to youth who are heterosexual (Friedman, Marshal, Guadamuz, Wei, Wong, Saewye, & Stall, 2011), and due to family rejection, which places them at higher risk of suicide, higher levels of depression and are more likely to use substances (Ryan, Huebner, Dias & Sanchez, 2009). Using national data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this study had two purposes; first to examine mental health disparities among LGBTQ youth and their heterosexual peers who are involved in the child welfare system, and second to observe the effectiveness of systems of care with youth in child welfare and if any differences exist between LGBTQ youth and heterosexual youth. MethodsChi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze differences at intake between youth who identified as LGBT or Q and their heterosexual counterparts. Repeated linear mixed modeling was used to evaluate the outcomes and to compare the groups at fixed time points (intake, 6-months, and 12-months). FindingsThe study found LGBTQ youth had higher levels of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, depression, and gender identity related problems compared to the heterosexual youth in child welfare. All youth in the study experienced significant improvement, further supporting the effectiveness of system of care approaches. Recommendations are also discussed.

The Missing B Word: Compulsory Binarization and Bisexual Representation in Children’s Literature

This project uses some LGBTQ youth’s social media posts and Allison Weir’s framework for identification-with identity politics to analyze and evaluate bisexual representation in YA literature. The essay posits that bisexual characters are often erased in literature because of common stereotypes and what the author calls “compulsory binarization,” or the assumption that a character is either gay or straight unless otherwise labelled. To combat this, the essay suggests that a superb bisexual YA novel first include a clear naming of bisexuality within the text; in addition, effective bisexual representation should challenge normative binaries and stereotypes.

Policies and Practices Supporting LGBTQ Students in Indiana’s Middle Schools

Principals should lead for social justice, particularly in support of marginalized and vulnerable students like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents. This quantitative survey-based study collected data from 116 middle grade principals in Indiana to examine the implementation of antibullying policies and best practices supporting LGBTQ students. Findings suggest that utilization of research-based policies and practices may provide protection and support to LGBTQ students from bullying and discrimination at school. Implications for practice include integration of findings with essential research on bullying and LGBTQ youth.

Contextual constraints and choices: Strategic identity management among LGBTQ youth

ABSTRACTLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) young people's identity management impacts their well-being, yet little is known about how distinctive social environments shape their identity management strategies. We qualitatively examined how 46 LGBTQ young adults ages 19–26, who are either homeless or attending college, manage their identities across distinctive social contexts. Young adults engaged in identity concealment, which extended across social context as both groups grappled with masking their identities. Furthermore, both groups of young people adapted to socioenvironmental challenges in navigating identity within social relationships. Finally, young adults emphasized the contextual importance of maintaining agency within identity. Understanding how LGBTQ young people immersed in various social contexts traverse identity-related challenges and establish effective coping strategies is essential in developing diverse social programs for this population.