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February 2006 Monthly Monitor
Advocates for Youth's Youth of Color Initiative
Feature: GLBTQ Youth of color *
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) youth of color face stigma related to both ethnicity and sexual orientation. Some also face bigotry related to their gender identity. Surviving racial/ethnic discrimination requires strong connections to family and ethnic community. However, GLBTQ youth of color seldom receive support regarding sexual orientation or transgender identity. Indeed, many ethnic communities perceive gay, lesbian, or bisexual orientation and/or transgender identity as a rejection of ethnic heritage. Unlike racial/ethnic stereotypes that family and community reframe to support young people's healthy development, many ethnic minority communities strongly reinforce negative cultural perceptions of homosexual orientation.[1] This stigma can put these young people at great risk for substance use, violence, and risky sexual behaviors.
Good programs targeting youth of color already fully integrate the ethnic culture(s) of the target youth into their activities, language, and materials. They already acknowledge and incorporate culturally specific values, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about health, sexuality, and relationships. But these programs may not yet acknowledge the presence and needs of GLBTQ youth among those they serve. Programs are most likely to be effective in also meeting the needs of these youth of color when staff assesses his/her own values and beliefs regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Taking stock will help staff to address internal biases, recognize personal limits, identify areas for growth, and enable programs to service GLBTQ youth of color in an open, honest, respectful manner. Other critically important factors:
- Create a safe environment. Make it clear that homophobic sentiments and actions have no place in a program. Develop a "zero tolerance" policy regarding discriminatory words and behaviors directed at GLBTQ youth. Ask GLBTQ youth and adults to share some of their experiences. Create safe opportunities for youth to talk openly about racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.
- Consider the social and cultural factors that influence behavior, and acknowledge culturally specific values, attitudes, and beliefs.[2] At the same time, acknowledge when culture and sexual orientation cause conflicts for GLBTQ youth.
- Involve GLBTQ youth in all aspects of the program's operation.
- Use language that is inclusive with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Build skills. Include opportunities within the program for all youth to build interpersonal skills, especially in conflict resolution, communication, and negotiation. Offer activities and opportunities that are gender and sexual orientation inclusive.
- Don't make assumptions. Ask young people how they self-identify and use these terms.
- Provide peer-to-peer support to change peer norms, and ensure that peer leaders include young people who identify as GLBTQ. All youth benefit by developing leadership, communication, and other pro-social skills and by seeing role models with whom they can identify.
- Focus on the assets of each youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and address the needs of the whole person.
Programs that serve youth of color can also serve GLBTQ youth of color through sensitivity, caring, and acceptance. A supportive environment within effective programs can go along way towards reducing the morbidity suffered by many GLBTQ youth of color.
* This feature summarizes Meeting the Special Needs of GLBTQ Youth of Color, by K. Jackson, [Transitions; v.15, no. 3], Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, 2004.
References:
- Ryan C and Futterman D. Social development challenges for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth SIECUS Report 2001; 29(4)
- Ryan C, Futterman D. Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care and Counseling. [Adolescent Medicine State-of-the-Art Review; v. 8, no. 2] Philadelphia: Hanley & Belfus, 1997.
Capacity building & professional development
American School Health Association’s 80th Annual School Health Conference—entitled Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds: The Mental Health Connection, will take place October 11 - 14, 2006, in St. Louis, Missouri.
For more information on the ASHA Conference, contact: Mary Bamer Ramsier at 330-678-1601 ext. 127 or at mbramsi@ashaweb.org or visit http://www.ashaweb.org/annual_conferences.html
First Annual African HIV/AIDS Clinical Update and Leadership Development Conference will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 06/15/2006 - 06/16/2006. The two-day conference will offer an international exchange of information about the latest clinical developments in the field of HIV and AIDS and women's and children's issues and also culturally-competent leadership strategies.
For additional information send e-mail to crsmith.vac@tachc.org. For up-to-date information including program schedule, registration, and fees, go to http://www.valleyaids.org/conferences.htm
Jefferson Comprehensive Care Systems, Inc., invites all interested parties to submit abstracts for presentations at the 3rd Regional HIV Conference - Expanding the Circle of Compassion: HIV Care in Arkansas, February 1-2, 2007, at the Peabody Hotel, Little Rock, AR. Deadline for abstracts is April 14, 2006. For more information, please contact Michelle Smith at msmith9x@aol.com.
Funding Opportunities
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) announces the availability of FY 2006 funds for grants to enhance and expand the provision of effective, culturally competent mental health services in minority communities for persons living with HIV or AIDS and also having a mental health need.
The full announcement is at http://www.samhsa.gov/grants06/RFA/sm06_001_hiv.aspx
Current due date is May 01, 2006. If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: Kimberly Pendleton, Grants Management Officer, at 240.276.1421 or at kimberly.pendleton@samhsa.hhs.gov
Announcements
February 7th was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day
The HIV and AIDS epidemic has disproportionately affected the African American community across time, although rates of HIV infection and AIDS were relatively rare among black women in the early years of the epidemic. Now however, HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect black women, especially young black women.
To read the entire article, please go to: http://www.mysistahs.org/features/youngblackwomen.htm
For more information about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day, please go to: http://www.blackaidsday.org
Also, Kaiser Family Foundation has released an updated fact sheet on African Americans and HIV/AIDS, highlighting the epidemic’s impact on African Americans, providing current data and trends over time. View it at: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/6089.cfm
CDC Releases Information on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Diagnoses of HIV and AIDS
Through 2003, about 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV or AIDS. Forty-seven percent of these people were non-Hispanic blacks. New data, released Friday, February 10, 2006, used data collected from 33 states over four years (2001-2004) to assess racial/ethnic disparities in HIV infections and AIDS cases.
Although blacks accounted for about 13 percent of the population in the 33 states during 2001-2004, they accounted for the majority (51 percent) of all diagnoses of HIV and AIDS during those years. Blacks accounted for 44 percent of cases diagnosed among males and 68 percent of cases diagnosed among females.
By transmission category, 36 percent of cases diagnosed in men who have sex with men were among blacks as were 54 percent of cases in men that were due to injected drug use, and 66 percent of cases that were due to high-risk heterosexual contact. Among females, 70 percent of cases due to high-risk heterosexual contact were diagnosed among black women, as were 60 percent of injected drug use cases.
Black youth are at exceptional risk. Fifty-five percent of all cases of HIV and AIDS among 15- to 24-year-old males were diagnosed in blacks, compared to 23 percent in white males and 20 percent in Hispanic males. Seventy percent of all cases of HIV and AIDS among 15- to 24-year-old females were diagnosed in black women, compared to 15 percent in white women and 13 percent in Latinas.
For more information, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5505a1.htm?s_cid=mm5505a1_e
Wanted: Three Brave Youth! Reward: Ten Thousand Dollars Each!
The Colin Higgins Foundation requests nominations for its annual Youth Courage Awards. Each year, the Colin Higgins Foundation salutes individuals who demonstrate courage in the face of adversity and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Many GLBTQ youth grow up in family, school and community environments that threaten their well being. They may be ostracized, marginalized, and/or in psychological or physical danger. Colin Higgins Foundation Courage Award winners rise above such circumstances to inspire others by taking action, rallying support, or openly facing the systems and individuals that have taken a stand against them. This year the Foundation will award $10,000 grants to three individuals who are either:
- Gay, Lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth (through age 24) who have bravely stood up to hostility and intolerance based on their sexual orientation and triumphed over bigotry
- Allies (through age 24) or under who are working to end homophobia and discrimination against LGBTQ communities.
Please visit http://www.colinhiggins.org/courageawards/ for more information.
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10 is sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health. The day raises awareness about the increasing impact of HIV and on women and girls. In support of this observance day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a National Women and Girls Awareness Day Web site that offers materials to assist in efforts to educate, motivate, and mobilize local communities in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
For additional information, contact an information specialist at 1.800.444.6472. To download the HIV and AIDS information toolkit or other resources, including fact sheets and posters, go to http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/women/materials.html
Resources
For Resources on GLBTQ Youth of Color, please check out the following:
You can help Advocates for Youth with a contribution today. To donate, visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/donatetoday.htm
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