Supporting our LGBT Youth
According to Chung and Bemak (2012), advocacy does not stop at counseling skills and multicultural competencies. An advocate must possess other qualities such as commitment, energy, motivation, passion, flexibility, and tenacity (Chung & Bemak, 2012). One must also understand institutional barriers to change and social change models (Chung & Bemak, 2012). As counselors, we must assess ourselves and question our actions. Are we truly putting in the work to create systematic change? I ask myself this same question as I work with the LGBT students at my school. LGBT students are still faced with a hostile school climate (Gonzalez, 2017). Unfortunately, for many LGBT students, it is likely that they feel unsafe at school and are absent from school due to those safety concerns (Gonzalez, 2017). Research also shows that school personnel may not consistently intervene when anti-LGBT bullying or harassment occurs (Gonzalez, 2017). As counselors, we should not turn our cheek whe...