Lesbian Women of Color: Therapeutic Issues and Challenges

Abstract

Lesbian women of color may seek professional help to find their way through the challenges of being a triple minority. The authors discuss specific issues faced by African American, Asian American, Latina American, and Native American lesbian women, offering guidelines for affirmative practice when working with these women in a counseling context. Mujeres lesbianas de color pueden buscar ayuda profesional para poder navegar los desafíos de estar en una triple minoría. Los autores describen problemas específicos que enfrentan mujeres afro‐americanas, asiático‐americanas, latinoamericanas, e indígenas lesbianas, y ofrecen gufas para prácticas afirmativas cuando se trabaja con estas mujeres en un contexto de consejería.

Examining the Development of Positive Space in Health and Social Service Organizations: A Canadian Exploratory Study

“…The term affirmative practice, rather than positive space, has been used in social work, counseling, and some educational literature to refer to practitioner practices that create positive and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ people (Biaggio, Orchard, Larson, Petrino, & Mihara, 2003;Bridges, Selvidge, & Matthews, 2003;Crisp, 2007;Mottet & Tanis, 2008), although attention to the organizational environment varies in this context. 1 For instance, Crisp (2007), noting that affirmative practice is a fairly recent concept, built on Appleby and Anastas' (1998) six principles for affirmative therapy, which focused on the individual client-provider interaction.…”

“…Crisp's Gay Affirmative Practice Scale (2005) focuses on individuals' beliefs and practices rather than organizational or broader structural practices such as developing inclusive hiring policies and advocating for social change (Mullins, 2012). Recommendations for affirmative therapy with sexual minorities (developed as early as 1991) focus mainly on the therapeutic relationship (Bridges et al, 2003).…”

Culture-Centered Case Conceptualization Using NTU Psychotherapy With an African-American Gay Male Client

“…The loss of the expected communal support and fictive kinship, which are central to African-American culture, has a profound impact on their well-being and their identity development (Bridges, Selvidge, & Matthews, 2003;Greene, 2001;Parks, 2001;Wise, 2001). In addition, coming out as LGBT is often viewed as an assault on the traditional masculine and feminine gender roles and therefore considered counterproductive to the success of AfricanAmerican culture (Bridges et al, 2003;Greene, 2001;Parks, 2001;Wise, 2001). African Americans have a long history of strong connections to religion and spirituality as sources of strength (Greene, 2001;Parks, 2001).…”

Straight Gods, White Devils: Exploring Paths to Non-Religion in the Lives of Black LGBTQ People

“…The unique position of black churches as more than a source of worship (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990, Jones and Hill 2002, Barnes 2005) makes it particularly difficult to leave -even when people leave, they are still influenced by the Black Church (Dyson 2003, Hill 2013. Another way race matters is that black LGBTQ people live in black communities instead of 'gay neighborhoods', which are usually white (Moore 2010, Moore 2011a, Dudley 2013, and leaving means breaking ties that alleviate racism (Johnson 2001, Bowleg et al 2008, Bridges, Selvidge and Matthews 2003. When non-religious paths lead to LGBTQ spaces, these spaces tend to be largely white (Han 2007, Han 2008, Dudley 2013) and black LGBTQ people encounter racism and discrimination (Loiacano 1993, Jones and Hill 1996, Battle et al 2002, Gonzales Ruddell-Tabisola 2009.…”