Health and youth practitioners will encounter GLBTI young people in their day to day practice. However, for many young people they may be at a particular point in their sexual identity/discovery where they have not ‘come out’ nor feel the need to conform to a particular label or stereotype. Practitioners working with young people need to consider their own values and perspectives that inform their practice as this will impact on their engagement and interaction with young people.
Similarly, health and welfare organisations play an important role in providing supports to GLBTI young people and as such, must be mindful of their efforts to adopt an inclusive approach to ensure that all young people, irrespective of their sexual identity, are made to feel welcome.
Tips
- Examine your own beliefs and attitudes and ensure your ability to professionally and ethically provide AOD services to GLBTI young people. Do not assume everyone is heterosexual or that everyone’s parents are heterosexual.
- Feel comfortable about to using the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender appropriately when talking with young people, work colleagues and service managers. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, how is a young person accessing your service supposed to feel?
