Journal Explores the Experiences of Minority and Young Populations Within LGBTQ+ Community

Alexandria, Va. (June 18, 2024) —The experiences and mental health of children, youth and marginalized groups within the LGBTQ+ community is the focus of a special two-part series in the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling.

The journal is a publication of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), a division of the American Counseling Association.

The series highlights topics that are seldom addressed among counselors and aims to help mental health professionals optimally understand and support clients from LGBTQ+ groups. Jeff Moe, PhD, the journal’s editor-in-chief, said the publication is fortunate to feature scholarship on underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ+ community.

“During a time when our standards of care and scholarship are being undermined,” Moe said, “it’s more vital than ever to showcase the voices and experiences of intersectionally diverse LGBTQ+ people and how counselors should best serve members of these historically and currently marginalized communities.”

The current issue of the journal focuses on the experiences of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) within the LGBTQ+ community. Topics covered in the issue include how:

• Black same-gender male couples navigate their relationships
• Older LGBTQ+ Asian Americans are overlooked in health research and advocacy
• The trauma of discrimination can fuel eating disorders among BIPOC transgender and nonbinary people of color

Tamekia Bell, PhD, SAIGE past president and an assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education, School Psychology and Human Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, serves as the issue’s guest editor.

“This theme was birthed out of experiences and conversations with peers and colleagues about the lack of representation and voices from marginalized groups within the LGBTQ + community,” Bell said. “Unfortunately, these voices are often not heard or are ignored. Representation matters, and it is important for mental health professionals to be aware of not only the importance of representation but also how they can be more inclusive in their clinical practices with clients.”

The second part of the series will appear in the journal’s July/August issue. It will focus on counseling LGBTQ+ children and youth. Topics covered in the issue include the impact that negative policymaking has on LGBTQ+ youth and support for LGBTQ+ students at religious universities.

“Our LGBTQ+ children and youth are at an exponential risk of harm due to bias and misinformation,” said Christie Jenkins, PhD, of Walden University and guest editor of the July/August issue. “As counselors, our current climate commands that we wrap around our most vulnerable populations. It is imperative that counselors learn the most current best practices to advocate for, treat and celebrate this population.”

The latest issue of Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling, titled “The Intersectional Diversity Within LGBTQ+ BIPOC Communities,” is available at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wlco21/current.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with the editors or authors, please contact ACA at news@counseling.org.

Founded in 1952, the American Counseling Association (ACA) is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. ACA represents nearly 60,000 members and is the world’s largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings. Driven by the belief that all people can benefit from the power of counseling, ACA’s mission is to promote the professional development of counselors, advocate for counselors, and ensure that ethical, culturally inclusive practices protect our members’ clients and all people who seek counseling services.