Spaces of Belonging and Affirmation for Pride Month and Beyond

Jun 21

By Molly Hedrick, PhD , Psychologist, Bradley REACH

June is Pride month. But from a mental health perspective, creating safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people has to be something we focus on year-round.

In the age of the criminalization of gender affirming care, book banning and big feelings about drag queen story time, we need a comprehensive plan to protect the mental health of our gender and sexual minority communities (GSM).

Nationally, GSM youth experience poorer mental health and well-being relative to heterosexual and cisgender peers (Russell & Fish, 2016; Merish, 2019). This is true at a local level, as well. In our Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Programs at Bradley, approximately 25% of our teens identify as trans or gender diverse. Approximately 60% identify as a sexual minority. At intake, these teens identify more psychological distress on outcome measures relative to their gender conforming and heteronormative peers.

The bad news

GSM youth are disproportionally represented in our program. Research has also shown that many GSM folks have had negative experiences with mental health systems including being refused treatment, being harassed, being asked to change their sexual or gender identity, being asked invasive questions, avoiding topics related to gender or sexual identity, or having to teach providers about gender and sexuality in order to get appropriate care.

The good news

GSM youth are seeking and responding to affirming treatment. GSM teens at the Adolescent Partial Program report significantly less psychological distress at discharge than at admission and there is no difference in psychological distress in GSM teens relative to their peers at discharge. This suggests that healthy, affirming environments make a big difference in all teens’ lives, but especially in teens who identify as GSM.

What can we do

Parents, schools, outside spaces and policy makers must start integrating sexual and gender affirming care everywhere—not just in designated times, groups and areas. We can all play a vital role in mitigating risk factors by becoming more informed about the needs of GSM people and encouraging local, state, and national support for this population.

For instance, the rock gym where my son climbs has Pride flags hung up, host special Pride nights, and donate to LGBTQIA+ friendly charities. This sends a message that all are welcome and accepted. These are the businesses and spaces that I want to frequent.

Parents can work with mental and medical health professionals to best understand their teen and explore different gender affirming options for care. Schools can work toward gender neutral spaces, using chosen names and pronouns, and facilitating cultures of safety.

Mental health providers must educate themselves on creating spaces of affirmation instead of contributing to conscious and unconscious bias and discrimination. Advocate groups and lawmakers must continue to advocate for policies that support the community as a whole—not just a select few.

For this Pride month and beyond, lets normalize spaces of belonging and affirmation.