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LGBTQ+ and GSRD Websites and Resources for Professionals

I recently wrote a Twitter post to highlight the importance of mental health professionals speaking respectfully about sexuality and gender identity – I was surprised by the response (largely positive!) and so I thought I would share some websites and resources that I have found useful. (Update November 2024: I have now left Twitter but I have copied the post in full below).

Why do all therapists need to know how to talk respectfully about sexuality and gender identity? I was interviewed for a podcast for the first time and was asked this question, but I found myself tripping over my words! So here goes #TherapistsConnect 1/ 

Firstly, #therapy research shows that #LGBTQ plus and other Gender, Sex and Relationship Diverse (GSRD) people tend to self-censor in therapy and assume that talking about sexuality and gender identity is “off limits”. Why is this? 2/ 

Well, #LGBTQ plus people grow up surrounded by #homophobia#biphobia and #transphobia (yes, it still exists folks, both in the UK and in other contexts). Most of us internalise it to some extent, and many learn to protect ourselves by staying quiet about “being different”. 3/ 

Language about #LGBTQ plus people has and is used to abuse, pathologise and marginalise us (just look at what’s happening to our #trans siblings right now, with their right to exist, tell us who they are, and access services being attacked) 4/ 

And let’s not forget that #therapists mental health professions have ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED in the pathologisation of sex and gender diversity until relatively recently – according to WHO homosexuality was a “mental illness” until 1990! 5/ 

Being trans or non-binary was considered a “disorder” by WHO until 2018! So-called “conversion therapy” (although banned by all the main counselling organisations) is still practiced in the UK right now. 6/ 

So it’s not surprising that some clients don’t feel safe opening up about sexuality and gender identity in therapy. 8/ 

Although most therapists want to provide inclusive and affirming therapy to our diverse clients, research shows that most report that their training prepares them poorly to do this. 9/ 

If therapists haven’t had the opportunity to understand sex, gender and relationship diversity, and reflect on the negative messages they have internalised from society, they risk perpetuating these in therapy. 10/ 

Sadly, research also shows evidence of these negative messages (homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heteronormativity and cissexism) impacting clients (e.g. through therapist microaggressions). 11/ 

As a profession, we need to do better! Individual therapists must seek our specific training and reflective practice opportunities before working with #LGBTQ plus clients, but crucially training and membership organisations need to re-evaluate the curriculum. 12/ 

Therapy training must meaningfully incorporate understanding of LGBTQ+ cultures and identities, different relationship styles and sexual practices, societal issues such as #transphobia, and fundamentals of diverse gender and sexual identity development. 13/ 

The good news is that a more GSRD-inclusive therapy will benefit ALL clients because #heteronormativity and #cissexism hurt ALL of us by holding us to rigid, arbitrary (and sometimes damaging) standards, which are largely invisible unless we become curious about them. 14/ 

If you’re a therapist and not sure where to start, I recommend this wonderful guide by @megjohnbarkerbacp.co.uk/media/5877/bac…. Thanks for reading!

I’m including some other useful resources for therapists below. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list – just some useful jumping-off points. I recommend you seek out real voices and lived experiences: there are some wonderfully created podcasts, blogs, videos and comics out there.

These are mostly non-academic sources.  Pink Therapy provides has a wonderful academic reading list which you can access below:

Likewise there are some great links and further reading in the BACP guide on Good Practice across the Counselling Professions (an absolutely fantastic guide by Dr Meg-John Barker): https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/5877/bacp-gender-sexual-relationship-diversity-gpacp001-april19.pdf

LGBTQ+

Stonewall UK: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

UK Black Pride Voices: https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/voices

Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity (GSRD)

Pink Therapy https://www.pinktherapy.com/en-gb/knowledge.aspx (They also have an excellent YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq0YMIOL4KO-kbrQ4RhE4Cg, as well as offering great training)

Meg-John and Justin https://megjohnandjustin.com/ (Wonderful podcasts and blogs to access for free, and some very reasonably priced accessibly written resources)

Things not to Say (BBC): https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/category/things-not-to-say (Humorous but informative video shorts about various identities and experiences)

Trans & Nonbinary

Trans Student Educational Resources (US Based): https://transstudent.org/

Gender Identity Research & Education Society: https://www.gires.org.uk/

Gendered Intelligence: http://genderedintelligence.co.uk/ (offer training for therapists, and also have an extensive list of resources)

Nonbinary Wiki: https://nonbinary.wiki/wiki/Nonbinary

The Gender Kit https://genderkit.org.uk/

Some Trans terminology: https://transgenderni.org.uk/glossary/

Pronouns

My Pronouns https://www.mypronouns.org/

Robot Hugs https://www.robot-hugs.com/comic/pronoun-etiquette / (A great cartoon about pronoun use)

Why Pronouns Matter (a great article by a therapist about pronouns – sorry you have to be a BACP member to get this one): https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2021/march-2021/articles/why-pronouns-matter/

Intersex

Intersex in the UK http://oiiuk.org/

Asexuality

Asexual Visibility and Education Network https://asexuality.org/

Ace & Aro definitions: http://www.oulgbtq.org/acearo-spectrum-definitions.html

Bisexuality

The Bisexual Index: http://bisexualindex.org.uk/index.php/Links

The Bisexuality Report: http://www.open.ac.uk/ccig/sites/www.open.ac.uk.ccig/files/The%20BisexualityReport%20Feb.2012_0.pdf

Aromantic experience

Aromantic Wiki www.aromantic.wikia.com 

Queerplatonic and Aromantic Advice (blog) www.qpadvice.tumblr.com

Kink and BDSM

Rewriting the Rules – BDSM 101: https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/2015/02/10/bdsm-101-or-what-to-do-and-what-not-to-do-from-fifty-shades-of-grey/

Relationship Diversity

Make Your Own Relationship User Guide: https://megjohnandjustin.com/product/make-your-own-relationship-user-guide-3/

Kimchi Cuddles https://kimchicuddles.com/ (A series of comics about polyamory)

Relationship Anarchy http://www.relationship-anarchy.com/

Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement https://www.swarmcollective.org/

Queer

Tyler Ford Explains The History Behind the Word “Queer” (short video) https://youtu.be/UpE0u9Dx_24

Ashley Jiang Introduces Us To the Term “Intersectionality” (short video) https://youtu.be/EXJ4Dbdm1ks

Religion and LGBTQ+ matters

Inclusive Church (Christian): https://www.inclusive-church.org/

Hidayah LGBT (Muslim): https://hidayahlgbt.com/

Imaan LGBT (Muslim): https://imaanlondon.wordpress.com/

If you have any suggestions for websites to include on this list, please feel free to comment below!

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