1. Module 5: Issues Affecting Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
People
Issues in Human Services
HMNS 10085
Mohawk College
2012

2. QUICK DEFINITIONS
• LGBTTTIQQ
• the list is contested, dynamic, and constantly
changing depending on who’s using it
• open your mind to the multitude of identities
• other factors impact the way one is in the
world, e.g. intersections with race, class,
gender, age, ability, etc. and standpoint

3. LGBTTTIQQ??
• What does it all mean?
• Why does it matter?
• Why are transgender people in the same
category as gay people?
– What is the difference between sex and gender?

4. SEX and GENDER
• SEX
– biology
• genitalia/chromosomes/reproductive system
– female/male
• GENDER
– psychological sense of self
• who does one feel like?
– feminine/masculine
• in-between (genderqueer, liminal)
• sex is what’s between the legs; gender is
between the ears

5. SEX and GENDER
• Cisgender
– (def.) a person whose sex and gender align
• so, a boy born with male biology who is masculine
• or, a girl born with female biology who is feminine
• cisgender people can be heterosexual, gay, bi,
asexual, etc
– i.e. sexuality is not mediated by gender
• therefore, a trans individual’s sexual orientation
is not affected by transitioning, but the label
might be

6. QUEER IDENTITY IS NOT STATIC
• LGBT people are not only lesbian, gay, bi or
trans
• they come from multiple standpoints
• some are women, some are men, some are
trans, some of us change our affiliation
according to the situation or mood
• some LGBT people are deeply closeted, while
others are queer activists

7. QUEER IDENTITY IS NOT STATIC
• some LGBT people are racialized
• many queer people live in poverty
• some live in communities where they have to
navigate homophobia, transphobia, and
heterosexist assumptions

8. HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, HETEROSEXISM
• homophobia and transphobia
– defined as the hatred of gay and trans people
– used to justify violence
• heterosexism
– the assumption that the only normal sexuality is
heterosexuality, and therefore anything other
than heterosexuality is abnormal and deviant
– the structures of our society are built on
heterosexist foundations; therefore they function
to exclude, pathologize and marginalize those
who do not fit

9. EFFECTS of
HOMOPHOBIA and TRANSPHOBIA
• Experiences of homophobia and transphobia can lead to
mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, self
harm, suicide, addiction
• Homelessness is common, especially among trans people
• Many LGBT people, who have no social supports or who
experience discrimination, are vulnerable to risky sexual
behaviour, such as promiscuity, exposure to HIV,
prostitution, unwanted pregnancy and sexual
exploitation

10. HETEROSEXUAL PRIVILEGE
• If I pick up a magazine, watch TV, or play music, I can be
certain my sexual orientation will be represented
• When I talk about my relationships, I will not be accused
of flaunting my sexual orientation
• I do not have to fear that if my family or friends find out
about my sexual orientation there will be economic,
emotional, physical or psychological consequences
• I did not grow up hearing slurs that attack my sexual
orientation
• I am not accused of having experienced abuse, or to be
warped or confused because of my sexual orientation
• I can easily find a religious community that will not
exclude me for being heterosexual
• I can count on finding a therapist or doctor willing and
able to talk about my sexuality
• I am not identified solely by my sexual orientation
Thanks to Lisa Singh of Mohawk College who developed the list from which I borrowed the examples above

11. THE CLOSET
• Discrimination and violence function to keep
people closeted, hidden, ashamed, fearful
• The closet is responsible for failed marriages,
exposure of loved ones to HIV and other
infectious diseases, exploitation, and other social
problems
• We have come a long way since the Stonewall
Riots, but there are still people who live in fear
– i.e. Catholic School Board’s position on GSAs, which
promotes hate and legitimizes discrimination

12. WHEN HATE IS NOT CHALLENGED
• When a society’s structures and institutions
actively participate in the systematic exclusion
and marginalization of certain identities based
on sexual orientation, gender identity, class,
etc. the entire society does not function
properly
– violence, discrimination, bullying, suicide,
unemployment, poverty, depression, social
isolation

13. GROWING UP GAY OR TRANS
• Internalized oppression
• Isolation
– friends, society
– depression, anxiety, addiction
– increased risk of suicide
• School
– bullying
– isolation
– alienation
• Family
– pressure to conform
– verbal, physical, mental and sometimes sexual abuse
– rejection
– homelessness
Thanks to Lisa Singh of Mohawk College who developed this list

14. ENGAGING YOUTH
• Queer and trans youth are particularly vulnerable
to bullying, violence, exclusion, and are therefore
at increased risk of suicide
• Gay/Straight Alliances
– locates responsibility for eradicating homophobia,
transphobia and heterosexism with heterosexual
cisgender people
– solidarity in the face of oppression is powerful
• RADAR Youth Group at The Well
– Friday evenings
– www.thewellhamilton.ca

15. BEING AN ALLY
• Heterosexual and cisgender people who stand
by and do nothing in the face of
discrimination are assumed to be complicit in
such oppression
• When straight, cis people challenge
homophobic and transphobic peers, it
marginalizes the oppressor and causes a shift
in the balance of power

16. BE AN ALLY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
be non-judgmental
use gender-inclusive and non-heterosexist language
assume that anyone could be queer or trans
do not ‘out’ people
speak out against discrimination, including
homophobic or transphobic jokes
educate yourself
foster respect at home, in the workplace, in the
community
practice inclusion
stand in solidarity

17. THE HUMAN SERVICE WORKER ROLE
• Human Service Workers
– work in service to vulnerable populations
– stand up for the underdog
– assume that everyone has dignity and worth
– are non-judgemental and person-centred
– are open to, and are able to reflect upon different
points of view
– recognize their own biases and assumptions, and
take responsibility for their own stuff

18. THE HUMAN SERVICE WORKER ROLE
• Human Service Workers
– advocate for, and employ strategies that promote
social and economic justice, and challenge
patterns of oppression
– take responsibility for educating themselves about
identities different from their own
– are allies
– are lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual,
heterosexual, asexual, etc.

19. A NOTE ON SELF-DISCLOSURE
• When is it ok to disclose a personal detail about
yourself to a client?
– Is it ever ok?
• Who benefits by said disclosure?
– i.e. the client? the worker?
• What is the goal?
• Is it therapeutic?
• Before embarking on a disclosure, the Human
Service worker must reflect upon her or his own
motivations for doing so