Issues_Faced_by_Young_African_American_and_Latino_Gays

Abstract Youth and young adult Gays face a number of obstacles in their lives, one being the decision of coming out to family members. The decision for African American and Latino is made tougher due to the “machismo” and the emphasis on being a “man” in the culture. Many parents especially fathers have a tough time accepting their child’s sexual orientation when they disclose their homosexuality. In many cases if the adolescent coming out to their parents is not supported by family and is eventually thrown out of the home or shun by family and friends can lead to drug use, prostitution or both. There are agencies that support gay youth but the potential client must feel comfortable that the agency will support them and will offer the services they need with empathy. If therapy is sought then a therapist that is empathetic to the gay community will be best because if the therapist is biased the therapeutic relationship will not work. Therapists working with gay and lesbian clients must have as much information about the client just as they would with any other client to make sure they provide the best service possible. Issues Faced by Young African American and Latino Gays Teenagers and young adult African American and Latino’s have many challenges growing up due to their race and culture but when being gay is also a part of who they it adds another level of challenges. Issues with family members not understanding what the child is going through and either not knowing how to support them or not willing to because of the shame they feel this brought the family can lead to depression and/or anxiety in the adolescent coming out. Adolescence and young adulthood is usually the time when sexual minorities come out to their close family members this may be the reason for an increase in depression, anxiety and drug and alcohol use. Those facing these issues tend to report lower levels of family involvement in their lives whether they were kicked out of the home or the family does not support their sexual orientation (Needham, 2010). Drugs, prostitution, unprotected sex with multiple partners and sharing of needles can lead to the contraction of HIV and AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the population most at risk of infection of HIV are gay and bisexual men (Macias a, 2011). More needs to be done to support and educate teenagers and young adults about what they will face in the future and the consequences of their careless actions. They must feel there are people who care about them and their future well-being. Therapists play an important role in the lives of gay adolescents and young men clients since many will search for therapy services because they need an outlet, someone they feel comfortable talking to and possibly receiving advise and referrals for services in the community. The therapist must build a relationship based on trust in order for the client to continue to attend their sessions and be motivated to move in the right direction and make better decisions if they are not already. There will be some people who need therapy but will not receive the services for a number of reasons, one possibility is encountering a therapist with homophobic beliefs that are obvious and this will put the client in a state where they will not allow themselves to trust therapists. If the client does not feel empathy from the therapist no progress will be made. It is up to the therapist to realize the problem and offer to refer the client to a therapist who can better assist them in order for them to receive the help they need. Although African Americans make up approximately 12% of the United States population and Hispanics make up about 15% they represent a disproportionate number of new HIV cases, 44% and 20% respectively in 2009. In Los Angeles County over 33% of patients with AIDS are Hispanic while 20% are African American, the percentage for Hispanics might be a bit higher due to multi-racial groups (Macias a, 2011). Unprotected sex with multiple partners is one of the reasons for the high number of AIDS cases in the Latino and African American gay communities. When young men don’t feel their families understand what they are going through they may decide to explore “the gay world,” as described by Alex Castillo. As a teenager Mr. Castillo decided to “come out of the closet” but did not have support from his family, his mother kicked him out of the family home. He did not have any family to turn to for support and that is when he became a homeless teenager. During the years that followed he started using drugs and having unprotected sex. Years later he was diagnosed with HIV, which led him to where he is today, working for Caras a program that is part of the non-profit agency Bienestar. Mr. Castillo helps educate young, gay Hispanics in the community in order for them to have information and feel the support from others, two things he did not have when he was growing (Macias b, 2011). Young adult gays will in most cases face discrimination, harassment and violence due to their sexual orientation. The worst thing is that many times this comes from family members who do not understand what the person is going through and how much strength it took for them to admit who they really are. There is a lack of gay-friendly centers, and therapists, religious beliefs are in many cases opposed to homosexuality. In order for a therapist to be successful in treating a gay client he or she must begin with a thorough assessment of the clients experiences with discrimination, their “coming out” experience, social support, religious beliefs, relationship with family members, romantic and sexual history and current relationships (Jordan, 2000). In order to have a good working relationship with a gay client the therapist must do all the above and show empathy for what the client has experienced and what they disclose during their sessions. If a therapist walks into a session uneasy because of their personal homophobic beliefs the client will perceive this and it will greatly affect how much the client will be willing to disclose and therefore what can be accomplished will be affected. If the therapist is aware of this situation or notices the client is not comfortable disclosing information it is important to refer the client to another therapist who will be able to help them. Some Schools have support for gays students in the form of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA). These are student groups that support and advocate for gay student rights. GSA began as groups led by adults in the schools, such as counselors, teachers and administrators and gradually became what it is today, led by the students. Though some schools still offer counseling services along with other forms of support there are schools where GSA are only social organizations or clubs. Their purpose is to inform and train students and faculty in the school and evaluate feelings about gays in the school community. A very important aspect of GSA is that it empowers its members by giving them a voice and giving them an opportunity to be surrounded by others who can relate to their experiences and offer support to each other (Russell, Muraco, Subraaniam & Laub, 2009). In many schools the unfortunate thing is that support groups are not offered for any number of reasons, in some schools there are no adults who are willing to sponsor the group and therefore the students cannot form it, or there is not enough interest from students to form a group at school. During the time when young adults tend to come out and let family members know their sexual orientation it usually coincides with another important part of their life which might be conflicting with who they are, this is religious identity. This can create a potential conflict for gay adolescents because they tend to hear competing claims regarding identity and behavior (Yarhouse & Tan, 2005). When they feel one way, in this case sexual orientation but their religion tells them something that is a complete opposite it will cause people to question themselves until they are comfortable enough with their decision and life style. In the center I work at, about a year ago a Hispanic adolescent came for support because he informed his father of his sexual preference and his father kicked him out. His father was upset because he claimed this is his only son and this meant he would not have any grandchildren to carry on his name. The young man moved in with other gay friends and got involved in some unhealthy sex practices such as having unprotected sex with multiple partners. He suffered discrimination in his new neighborhood, he was even attacked one night, but fortunately he was not seriously hurt. Every time I saw him it was evident he was slipping further away and if something was not done to help get him back on track we might be facing a tragedy at some point. We were able to get him appropriate housing and therapy, which made other things in his life fall into place. Today he is more comfortable with who he is and has his mother’s support. For the most part Hispanics, especially men have a tough time accepting when their children come and admit their sexual orientation. Homosexuality is something that is not accepted by all, not everyone has this point of view, and there are many fathers who support their gay sons. Another young man I have had the opportunity to work with recently is an African American young man. He’s a dancer and has recently come out as gay; this created much conflict in the home with his mother and younger brother. He was kicked out of the home but luckily his aunt was very understanding and offered to let him stay with her. The younger brother is homophobic and every time he has an opportunity he makes negative remarks about homosexuals. Although he has a place to live and support from a family member the fact that his immediate family turned their backs on him has lead to negative decision making by this young man. He began to use drugs; methamphetamines are very popular in the scene he is currently involved in because they give a burst of energy to stay out partying for long periods of time. Unprotected sex with multiple partners has also been an issue with him as well as traveling long distances to meet with people he meets on the Internet. We are currently working with him and providing opportunities to follow his dream to become a professional dancer. We have also had multiple meetings with him to discuss some of his poor decisions and what he needs to do for himself. I am hopeful things will turn out for the best for him because he has a great future as a dancer, he has to make it happen for himself and make the decisions which will benefit his life most. Since I have worked closely with gay young men in the past I do not see this as being an issue for me, clients deserve the best that can be offered and I will do my best to do this. I was asked recently what would I do if my son came up to me one day and said he was gay. There was nothing for me to think about, my son is my son no matter what and I will love him whether he is heterosexual or homosexual. That is the same way I will see things when I am a therapist, everyone is someone else’s son or daughter and they deserve the opportunity to be happy and have as much love and support as possible and I will be there to provide it to anyone who needs it. I have also worked closely with gay co-worker, worked with gay adolescents this gives me a little experience but not enough, I wont know what it’s like to work with a gay client until I actually do it and not until then will I know if I can make a difference in a life. Everyone deserves an opportunity to live a healthy and happy life. Sexual orientation should not affect the life a person can lead; all opportunities should be readily available to homosexuals as to heterosexuals. As a society we need to stop being homophobic, I say this because the harassment and prejudice the gay community faces is alarming. Services should be available for those who need them such as referrals for doctors, drug and alcohol counseling, housing, therapy and any others that may be needed. Families with adolescents coming out should have places to get information or training on how to cope with the news, after all it is still their child or sibling and they will need support and love from the family. Therapy might be helpful, individual as well as family therapy in order to help the family as a whole understand everything and so they can be more supportive. If this is the case many of the needs will be met during sessions as well as with the referrals provided by the therapist. It is up to the client to seek out the help and follow through, even if they find a therapist who is empathetic and genuinely cares about the client if the client doesn’t follow through with what is discussed during the sessions then no change will be made and they will not benefit from therapy. Young adults living in South Central Los Angeles who are gay face many obstacles but with the help of people who care about them and agencies to help them plan their future they can lead positive lives. The two young men though at first they faced some issues with family and friends they are learning how to cope with the stresses of life as an African American and Latino gay in the inner city. They have met others who have similar interests to their own and are willing to participate in other programs that can give them tools for their life after they age out of the center. They will always have support in the center because even though they age out there are opportunities for them to come back and volunteer or give back in other ways. I hope to see these two young men in the future and be able to say that all the information they were given in therapy and in other programs was put to good use and they are productive members of society. References Jordan, K. M., (2000) Substance abuse among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning adolescents, School Psychology Review, 29, 201-206 Macias, J.L. (a) (2011, October 14). African americans and latinos are more affected by hiv, new report shows. Huffington Pot. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/african-americans-latinos-hiv-aids_n_1008218.html Macias, J.L. (b) (2011, October 21). Hiv, life or death: the story of alex Castillo. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/hiv-alex-castillo_n_1008175.html Needham, B. L., Austin, E. L., (2010) Sexual orientation, parental support, and health during the transition to young adulthood, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1189-1198 Russell, S.T., Muraco, A., Subraaniam, A., Laub, C., (2009) Youth empowerment and high school gay-straight alliances. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38. 891-903 Yarhouse, M.A., Tan, E.S.N., (2005) Addressing religious conflicts in adolescents who experience sexual identity confusion, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36, 530-536