ASEXUally: On Being an Ally to the Asexual Community

The development of allies is crucial to the asexual population. The asexual community is among the most under- researched and poorly understood sexual minority populations. Through discussion of basic information on asexuality, the distinction between asexuality and a diagnosable disorder, and ways that other identities intersect with asexuality, this article offers a foundation and model for asexual ally development. Based on the information presented, recommendations for counselor and counselor educator allies who are working with asexual identified, or potentially asexual individuals, are presented. Suggestions for future research on asexuality are also explored.     

Cultivating Professional Allies for Sexual Minority Youth: A Community-Based Educational Intervention

Sexual minority youth (SMY) face multiple risks in their daily lives that may influence their need for supportive care. Health and social service providers have unique opportunities to provide culturally competent services to these youth. This article describes a community-based educational intervention created to increase providers’ knowledge, skills, and intention to support SMY. Based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model, this pilot study found that for a diverse sample of multidisciplinary professionals (n = 2,850), the odds of behavioral intention (BI) to support SMY were significantly higher when trainings were relevant to the professionals’ experience (OR = 1.3), were sensitive (OR = 1.3), developed skills (OR = 1.1), and incorporated policy (OR = 1.2). Implications for the delivery of community-based trainings are provided.     

An Academic Course That Teaches Heterosexual Students to be Allies to LGBT Communities: A Qualitative Analysis

A theory of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) ally identity development integrated the following theories—multicultural counseling theory (MCT), self-concept formation theory (SCFT), and social identity theory (SIT)—to design a course to train heterosexual students to be allies to LGBT communities. Students participated in interviews and activities with LGBT persons, presented seminars on LGBT topics, and wrote papers about these experiences. An analysis of their reactions suggested that initially, students perceived themselves as lacking credibility to be allies. After interacting with LGBT communities, students gained the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they needed to be confident in supporting and advocating for LGBT persons.