Bridging the gap for lesbian youth: making our community their community.
This conceptual contribution expands upon the relevant literature regarding adolescent identity development, generally, as well as highlighting the specific tasks and challenges associated with identifying as a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) youth. Social support and community are discussed as important components of a healthy LGB identity, and the latter half of the article addresses barriers that are specific to lesbian youth when seeking community and/or social support. These barriers may be broadly construed as: the elusiveness of a centralized community, identity politics, and a lack of individual responsibility among those already involved in the community. Each barrier is discussed in detail and suggestions for decreasing the barriers are proposed.
Doolin
Erin M
EM
Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 244 Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 N. Orchard Street, Madison, WI 53715, USA. edoolin@wisc.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support