Lesbian Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Service barriers of lesbian domestic violence survivors were identified from the perspectives of six service providers using qualitative interviews. Constant comparative methods identified service barriers including: Systemic barriers (laws and policies of criminal/justice system, social and cultural attitudes, and theories regarding domestic violence dynamics), institutional barriers (ambiguous and inconsistent policy, assigning lesbian clients to specific staff members, lack of commitment to serving lesbians, and using heterosexist language), and individual barriers (attitudes/actions of lesbian survivors, heterosexual female clients, staff members, and police/court officers). Participants expressed motivation to serve lesbian survivors and indicated the potential to influence institutional policies and practices.     

Differences in the prevalence of risk behaviors between heterosexual and lesbian,gay, bisexual,and questioning (LGBQ) female adolescents in the juvenile justice system

Little is known about the behavioral risk factors for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female youths who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ) and who are involved in the juvenile justice system. We examined the sexual and drug use risk profiles of heterosexual and LGBQ female adolescents in the justice system. Greater prevalence of alcohol and substance use was found among female LGBQ adolescents compared to their female heterosexual counterparts. Conversely, female LGBQ youths reported more consistent condom use for both vaginal and anal sex compared to heterosexual females. These data may be useful in tailoring interventions for justice-involved LGBQ youths.     

The model standards project: creating inclusive systems for LGBT youth in out-of-home care

This article describes the Model Standards Project (MSP), a collaboration of Legal Services for Children and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The MSP developed a set of model professional standards governing the care of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in out-of-home care. This article provides an overview of the experiences of LGBT youth in state custody, drawing from existing research, as well as the actual experiences of youth who participated in the project or spoke with project staff. It will describe existing professional standards applicable to child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and the need for standards specifically focused on serving LGBT youth. The article concludes with recommendations for implementation of the standards in local jurisdictions.     

Culturally Competent Practice with Bisexual Individuals

Working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals requires clinical social workers to demonstrate cultural competency with these populations. Although there are many common issues across these identities, bisexual individuals experience unique challenges that differ from lesbian and gay individuals. Bisexuality is sometimes misunderstood by heterosexual as well as lesbian and gay individuals, leading to experiences of marginalization from multiple sources. Moreover, clinical social workers may incorrectly assume that the treatment needs of bisexual individuals are the same as lesbian and gay individuals. This paper utilizes qualitative interviews with 45 bisexual-identified people to illuminate five prominent issues in clinical practice with bisexual people. They are: (a) biphobia, (b) practitioner attitudes about bisexuality, (c) identity development, (d) social relationships, and (e) sexual health. Findings illuminate clinical practice strategies that will facilitate culturally competent social work practice with this population.     

Categorical Measurement of Attitudes About Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual People

Measuring attitudes about lesbian, gay, and bisexual people has proven to be a difficult endeavor. This paper describes a simple and time-effective measurement tool, the Beliefs About Sexual Minorities (BSM) scale, and describes some correlates of negative attitudes in a sample of 415 students and staff members of a large midwestern university. The BSM was highly correlated with an established scale, the Index of Homophobia, and demonstrated good content and concurrent validity with other personal and attitudinal variables. Variables that were related to negative attitudes included gender, religious beliefs, number of lesbian, gay and bisexual friends, feminism, attitudes about the acceptability of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and the level of comfort when around lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Age showed a curvilinear relationship with negative attitudes as assessed by the Index of Homophobia. The BSM is a useful assessment tool for human service professionals who provide services to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.     

Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,and Queer People's Perceptions of the Criminal Justice System: Implications for Social Services

Previous literature has found historically marginalized groups report more negative perceptions of the criminal justice system and lower levels of procedural justice, which then influences their mental health and their willingness to report crimes. While previous research on procedural justice has focused mostly on racial and ethnic minority groups, it is hypothesized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals would also report negative experiences of the criminal justice system. The current study utilized focus groups with 16 participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ), with ages ranging from 26 to 35 years (M = 30.5 years, SD = 3.5). Participants were asked open-ended questions about how they felt about various aspects of the criminal justice system (e.g., police officers, courts, legal processes, etc.). Through the consensual qualitative research (CQR) process, researchers identified five domains that influenced participants’ experiences of the criminal justice system: (a) gender presentation, (b) influences of intersectional identities, (c) systemic and political issues, (d) experiences of discrimination, and (e) help-seeking behaviors and the criminal justice system. Implications for social services are discussed.     

Latina and African‐American Girls in the Juvenile Justice System: Needs,Problems, and Solutions

This review focuses on Latina and African‐American girls in the juvenile justice system with a special emphasis on their mental health, substance abuse, and treatment needs. Like many young women in the juvenile justice system, Latina and African‐American girls often have histories of neglect, abuse, and trauma, which contribute to later mental health and substance abuse issues. Despite these histories, juvenile justice professionals sometimes rely on stereotypes rooted in cultural deficit thinking to explain Latina and African‐American girls' delinquency. Relying on gendered, racialized, and classed stereotypes and assumptions can result in decisions that negatively impact Latina and African‐American girls' access to mental health, substance abuse, and other types of treatment. Policy and practice implications for better addressing the needs of Latina and African‐American girls are discussed.     

Becoming the professors of lesbian love

We tell here our all-too-unusual story of living and working together, reflecting on both the obstacles and the forces that made it possible for us to find each other, stay together, and develop a collaborative working relationship. Despite experiencing various forms of discrimination, we have been able over the years to contribute to the creation of a queer community through hiring lesbian colleagues, attracting lesbian and gay students, participating in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement, and advocating social justice for women and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in our respective professional associations. This is the story of becoming the "professors of lesbian love," a title bestowed upon us by the drag queens we studied in our most recent joint project.     

Legal Challenges Facing Lesbian and Gay Youth

Legal constraints on minors can be especially problematic for lesbian and gay youth, who frequently lack support from their families and from school authorities, and whose circumstances are often misunderstood or disregarded by authorizes throughout the juvenile system. Legal mechanisms exist or can e crafted to meet the needs of lesbian and gay youth who have been rejected by their families of origin. School welfare and juvenile justice administrators must become sensitive to personal, economic, and societal pressures faced by lesbian and gay youth, and must tailor bureaucratic responses to the youthÆs particular needs. Finally, it is imperative that adults in the lesbian and gay communities take responsibility for protecting the interest of younger members of the community.     

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual homeless youth: an eight-city public health perspective

This article reports on results of a one-day public health survey conducted in six states by homeless youth providers to measure and compare risk factors between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) homeless youth and non-LGB homeless youth. This article intends to inform the child welfare field on existing gaps in services and areas where more training and technical support is necessary in providing services to homeless LGB youth. The findings point to substantial differences within the homeless youth sample and demonstrate that in addition to the public health risks young people face merely by being homeless, the risks are exacerbated for those who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The article informs child welfare providers and policymakers about the substantial vulnerability of LGB youth beyond that of non-LGB homeless youth and the need to fund programming, training, technical assistance and further research to specifically respond to the complex needs of this population.     

Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: Examining the Unique Mental Health Needs of Girls

This study investigated the prevalence of mental health problems among girls who are involved in child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The sample consisted of 1,193 girls ranging in age from 4 to 18, the majority (82.3%, n = 982) of which were older than age 12. Differences based on race/ethnicity and developmental age groups were examined. Consistent with other research, this study found that the mental health needs of girls involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems are several times higher than in the general population. Intervention approaches must be developed that take into consideration differences in gender, age, and racial and ethnic group.     

The legal rights of LGBT youth in state custody: what child welfare and juvenile justice professionals need to know

Youth in state custody, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have federal and state constitutional and statutory rights. These rights guarantee a young person safety in their placement as well as freedom from deprivation of their liberty interest. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth have these rights violated on a regular basis. Many cases in both the child welfare and juvenile justice contexts have resulted in extensive and time-consuming consent decrees as well as sizable damages awards. Knowledge of a youth's legal rights can help providers avoid legal liability while creating a safer and healthier environment for LGBT youth. This article provides a general overview of the successful federal legal claims that youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems have made, discussion of the rights generated as a result, particle application of these rights to the experiences of LGBT youth with hypothetical scenarios, a focus on specific rights that emanate from certain state laws, and a focus on specific concerns of transgender youth.     

There's no place like home: achieving safety,permanency, and well-being for lesbian and gay adolescents in out-of-home care settings

A study was conducted with 45 self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth and agency staff at the two known gay-affirming child welfare agencies in the United States: Green Chimneys GLBTQ Programs in New York City and Gay and Lesbian Social Services in Los Angeles, California. The study examined the question, "What are the challenges presented in ensuring permanency, safety, and well-being for gay and lesbian youth in a gay-affirming child welfare environment?" Guided by the framework outlined in the Child and Family Services Reviews National Standards, which support better outcomes for children and youth, the investigators sought to explore the challenges of ensuring permanency, safety, and well-being for this population, as these challenges were identified by the agency staff and youth who live and work in either of these two gay-affirming programs.     

The next trans-atlantic frontier: examining the Impact of Language Choice on Support for Transgender Policies in the United Kingdom and the United States

As American and British gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals have made major wins for “pinnacle rights,” such as same-sex marriage, attention has increasingly moved to a previously overshadowed part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community: transgender (trans) people. Alongside more visibility in popular culture, trans people have been the subject of policy debates and proposals in both countries, seeking to both restrict and expand their rights. In this article we examine the extent to which language choice affects public support for policies pertaining to trans people in the United States and United Kingdom. We draw upon two survey experiments conducted in the United States and United Kingdom in July 2016 and find that, in general, different ways of referring to the trans population do not affect policy opinions. This study has implications for both understandings of the effectiveness of framing in increasingly media savvy environments and for the future of trans-related policies in the United States and United Kingdom.     

"A whole stadium full": lesbian community at Women's National Basketball Association Games

Using qualitative interviews with lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual female Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) fans, I argue that the (perceived) large lesbian attendance at WNBA games enables the construction of a lesbian community by lesbian and bisexual fans in a site qualitatively different from traditional locations of lesbian community. Because the WNBA is not an explicitly lesbian or queer space, the process of speculating about which players, coaches, and fans are lesbians is a meaningful part of being a WNBA fan for many lesbian and bisexual fans. Fantasizing a large lesbian presence enables lesbian and bisexual fans to actively and interpretively create lesbian community at the games. The women socialize and connect with lesbian and bisexual women, construct lesbian ownership of WNBA games, and define WNBA games as a unique space that is different from lesbian bars and other traditional "gay-only" spaces.     

LG(BT) Families and Counting

Counting and understanding lesbian and gay families have gained attention over the last decade in popular culture, policy, and academic research. Contentious debates on family values and same‐sex marriage, increasing rates of social tolerance for homosexuality, and a greater general academic attention on issues of sexual orientation have partially spurred this attention in demographic analysis of lesbian and gay families. It is becoming increasingly clear that sexual orientation and gender identity have an effect on demographic processes and life outcomes. Although not perfect, practically speaking, drawing on nationally representative survey data has allowed us to illuminate the presence of same‐sex families and their children. These findings have an iterative relationship with social change, public policy, and increasing tolerance for diversity. This article reviews the recent demographic contributions related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families. Due to research concentrations, the content of this article not only mostly addresses what is known about gay and lesbian families but also offers future directions to fill research voids including a call for greater attention to and visibility for families with bisexual and transgender members.     

Effective components of interventions in juvenile justice facilities: How to take care of delinquent youths?

Therapeutic interventions support change in delinquent youths rather than rely on surveillance and deterrence. This article describes successful and concrete components for therapeutic interventions in juvenile justice facilities. The effectiveness of remedial measures to best address the sources of youths' delinquent behaviors and the performance of juvenile justice system are discussed first, and then two theoretical frameworks of rehabilitative models are described that are commonly used with delinquent youths. Finally, specific recommendations for enhancing treatment in juvenile justice facilities with regard to the content of interventions, social climate, and youth motivation to engage in treatment are described and explained in a way intended to help caregivers and practitioners, supervisors of juvenile justice facilities, and policy makers improve the daily life of youths placed in this kind of environment.     

Neutralizing the political threat of the marginal woman: Lesbians’ beliefs about bisexual women

One might expect lesbian and bisexual women to form a strong alliance because of their common marginalization in a heterosexist and sexist society. But previous research has shown that tension exists between lesbian and bisexual women and that some segments of the lesbian community consider bisexuality a threat to lesbian politics. In this article I report data on beliefs about bisexual women gathered from 346 self‐identified lesbians via self‐administered questionnaires and discuss the relationship between lesbian and bisexual women as a special case of intergroup relations. Most lesbian respondents believed that bisexual identity is more likely than lesbian identity to be a phase or a way of denying one's true sexuality and that bisexual women are less personally and politically loyal and more willing and able to pass as heterosexual than are lesbians. Lesbians’ beliefs about bisexual women were uncorrelated with demographics, but lesbians who reported having some heterosexual feelings were less inclined to hold derogatory beliefs about bisexual women than were lesbians whose feelings were exclusively homosexual. On the basis of intergroup relations theory, I argue that lesbian‐bisexual relations are in the “amicable consensus” stage of political development (Jackman & Senter, 1983) and that lesbians’ attitudes are likely to change as the nascent bisexual political movement grows in strength. Methodological issues pertaining to the measurement of lesbians’ attitudes toward sexuality, including the reactivity of these attitudes to various measurement strategies, are discussed.     

Does it get better? LGBTQ social work students and experiences with harmful discourse

Although the field of social work is grounded in social justice, the social work educational experience, including classrooms, may not live up to this value, especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, this study examined the experiences of harmful discourse in social work classrooms for LGBTQ students. Findings indicate that students experienced being misgendered, tokenized, and erased through cis-/heteronormative language and classroom teachings. Although social work is guided by frameworks of social justice, microaggressions and discrimination may be vaguely glossed over, if addressed at all. This study highlights the gap between the values social work teaches and how social work education is delivered.