Recrecation Therapy and the 2SLGBTQ+ Community

My little sister came out as gay when she was 13 years old. Looking back, this was a pretty badass move for a kid in the early 2000s being raised in a traditional Catholic home. As the older and more mature sibling (cough-cough), my gut instinct told me to protect my little sister, now more so than ever.

(My little sis and I, always ready for a photo op)

Life went on and I never really thought about my sister being gay as a strange thing. It just always what it was. If I heard comments aimed at my sister or another person who identified as gay, I would shut them down immediately. In my eyes, I was the O.G. 2SLGBTQ+ ally.

That was until one day, I messed up and revoked my own ally status.

No matter how much you love your sister, you enter a very hostile situation when clothes are taken and not returned. During one especially volatile clothing-inspired fight, I reached into my pandora’s box and used the one weapon I never had never dreamed of using on anyone.

“Well at least I’m not gay”, I said before I could stop myself.

As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I felt instant regret and disappointment. I saw the tears in her eyes and we both knew that I had entered no-mans land of psychological warfare.

At that moment, I knew that I never wanted to cause her or anyone else pain like that ever again. I slowly earned back her trust and over the years I watched my beautiful little sister gain confidence as she developed truly amazing friendships and a supportive community. I witnessed her blossom into the most amazing, gifted, well-rounded human ever.

Today’s post is meant to raise awareness on 2SLGBTQ+ terminology, current issues, and what we as Recreation Therapists we can do to support the rights and needs of our clients, friends, family and other in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Respecting Identities

While preparing for this post, I reached out to my little sister for guidance on what topics I should cover. She suggested that I stay away from defining what 2SLGBTQ+ stands for, as its always changing. I agreed. I most certainly do not want to exclude anyone or leave any community out of this discussion. Instead, I will leave you all with a great resource where you can read all about 2SLGBTQ+ here.

There are lots of different terms and labels people identify with, and these can shift and change over time. It is important to know that the words people use to identify themselves are extremely important to them, and should be respected not challenged. Here are some important things to know while you are working on becoming a better 2SLGBTQ+ ally.

Biological Sex – This is the physical anatomy you were born with. Male or female reproductive and organs and secondary traits such as a penis or vagina and testicles or breast. Simply stated – what you had when you arrived in this wonderful world.
Gender Identity – Gender identity is an internal sense of where a person falls on the scale of masculinity and femininity. Your gender identity may or may not be the same as your biological sex. Gender identity could also be both masculine and feminine, or in some cases neither.
Sexual Orientation – Your sexual orientation is to whom you are attracted to sexually, emotionally or romantically. Examples of sexual orientation terms include: straight, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, asexual and pansexual.
Gender Expression – This is how you choose to outwardly express their Gender Identity. This includes your behaviors and characteristics such as the clothes you wear, how you style your hair, your mannerisms, and your speech patterns.

Transgender 101

Through my work and personal life, I have had the opportunity to get to know many individuals who fall under the umbrella term transgender. Transgender people usually have a gender identity that is different than how society perceived them based on their biological sex. Some people may choose to transition, either through hormone therapy, surgery, and changes in expression including hair, clothing, and mannerisms. Other people may not want to transition and feel completely happy with their body the way it is.

Gender Transition is the process by which some people strive to more closely align gender identify with their outward appearance. This can include how they dress, using a different name and the pronouns that are assigned to another gender. Some people choose to undergo physical transitions which include medical interventions such as hormone therapy and surgical procedures.

Cisgender describes a person whose gender identity aligns the gender identity assigned to them at birth. For example, I am cisgender because I was born biologically female and I identify with the societal approved female gender identity.

Mental Health in the 2SLGBTQ+ Community

The 2SLGBTQ+ Community is beautiful, vibrant and resilient. However, there are some very real struggles that are important for us to identify in order to understand, help, and support.

Individuals in the 2SLGBTQ+ community are almost 3 times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder.
Someone who faced rejection after coming out to their families were more than 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide than someone who was accepted by their family after revealing their sexual orientation.
For 2SLGBTQ+ youth aged 10–24, suicide is one of the leading causes of death. These youth are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide, experience suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm than straight youth.
It is estimated that 20-30% of 2SLGBTQ+ people abuse substances including drugs and alcohol, compared to about 9% of the general population.

The Ultimate Recreation Therapist Ally

Did you all know the DSM did not remove homosexuality until 1987? That is only 31 years ago! Today, service providers are becoming more educated on the rights, issues, and concerns of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It is crucial for us all to know how to best support all the individuals we serve. Here are 10 Tips to support our clients, family, friends 2SLGBTQ+ community:

Show respect no matter what a person’s gender identity, sexual orientation or gender expression is.
Develop an understanding of your privilege if you are cisgender or straight.
Do your research and spend the time understanding how others live and their experiences.
Realize you will make mistakes, acknowledge and apologize appropriately when you do.
Use more inclusive language be aware of your pronouns! Check out this informational video on why inclusive language is important here.
Identifying as queer or trans is part of a person’s identity, but not all of it! See people holistically for the awesome humans they are.
If you are not sure what pronouns or names people would like to be called – JUST ASK!
Instead of saying someone was born a boy/girl, say they were assigned male/female at birth. But only if it is medically necessary or the client has given permission! Ask yourself before outing someone – Does this person really need to know whether or not the client is trans? What harm could I be doing by outing someone without permission? How will that impact our rapport?
Don’t ask over-personal questions. When are you going to have the surgery? Are you on hormones? How do you have sex? All way too personal, and none of our business.
Be proactive and informed about restrooms – Consider where nearby inclusive restrooms are during community outings or at our places of work.

Bottom Line:

As Recreation therapists we have an amazing opportunity to be an ally! An ally is someone who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and 2SLGBTQ+ social movements; advocates on behalf of others; and challenges fear and discrimination.

Have any important tips for service providers working with members of the 2SLGBTQ community? Please share below and let’s keep this conversation going 🙂