Advocacy for and with LGBT Students: An Examination of High School Counselor Experiences

Abstract

A paucity of empirical scholarship exists on school counselor advocacy in general and virtually none as it relates to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students specifically. Addressing this gap in the literature, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of high school counselors in the southeastern United States who have served as advocates for and with LGBT students, with a specific focus on race/ethnicity and social class. Four themes were identified within the data: (a) student advocacy, (b) education as advocacy, (c) systems advocacy, and (d) social/political advocacy. This article presents and explores the themes as they relate to the various manifestations of school counselor advocacy, and discusses study implications and limitations.

Understanding the factors that influence school counselor advocacy for LGBTQ students

“…In a qualitative phenomenological study, Gonzalez (2014Gonzalez ( , 2016Gonzalez ( , 2017 looked at the experiences of high school counselors in their advocacy work for LGBT students. The study examined the experiences of 12 high school counselors in urban and suburban school districts in three southeastern states.…”

“…The participants were identified for their work as LGBT advocates at the individual, school/community, and/or public arena level. In addition to semi-structured interviews conducted with participants, Gonzalez (2014Gonzalez ( , 2016Gonzalez ( , 2017) also reviewed documents including: a) records of the racial/ethnic and socioeconomic student composition for each school; b) information about LGBT student-related state, school, and district policies, specifically those associated with LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying and harassment and/or student non-discrimination;…”

“…and c) copies of participant's guidance curriculum and school counseling artifacts that highlight advocacy efforts for LGBT youth. In separate reports of her findings, Gonzalez (2016Gonzalez ( , 2017 explored factors that facilitate and impede school counselor advocacy for LGBT students as well as advocacy themes that emerged from her 2014 study. Gonzalez (2016) defines factors that facilitate advocacy as, "experiences that enabled participants' advocacy efforts" (p. 161).…”

“…This work can happen through small groups, classroom guidance lessons, and in individual sessions (Ratts et al, 2007). When working with individuals, school counselors can assist students by developing strategies to navigate roadblocks and barriers to their success (Gonzalez, 2017). For example, a school counselor might work with a transgender student who wants to talk to teachers about using a preferred name and appropriate gender pronouns.…”

“…Although there was a significant difference between the advocacy activity of high school and elementary school counselors, there were also more high school counselors (N = 78) that participated when compared to elementary counselors (N = 28). Much of the previous scholarship on school counselor advocacy for LGBTQ youth focuses primarily on middle school and high school counselors (Gonzalez, 2016(Gonzalez, , 2017Jackson, 2017;Simons, 2018a, b). In addition, many of the surveys about LGBTQ experiences in schools are designed for students between the ages of 13-21 (Kosciw et al, 2016).…”