Today’s society is characterized by a variety of diversity areas, which must be taken into account in counseling. The presentation prepared by Garzon (2010) contains several points regarding the issue that I find crucial. First of all, the LGBTQ+ community has been severely ostracized by groups attributing themselves to the Christian church. Such a negative attitude toward these people was allegedly justified by Biblical principles regulating interpersonal relations and kinship. However, the Scripture directly promotes equal love among all people: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (Holy Bible, 2006, John 13:34). Secondly, LGBTQ+ community members face an array of challenges, which are not seen by the rest of the population. Garzon (2010) states that homophobia, increased suicide rate, fear of coming out, and rejection are some of the critical issues of the community. Finally, gay-affirmative treatment, which aims at ensuring the clients’ comfort in terms of their sexual orientation and self-acceptance, is a widely accepted practice (Garzon, 2010). Nevertheless, there are still debates regarding this approach despite its evident advantages for the community.
As far as I am concerned, the presentation brings up an important topic directly related to LGBTQ+ counseling. Indeed, such people have been treated poorly by several religious groups, which are not exclusively Christian. In this case, the Bible, along with other sacred books, has a one-sided interpretation, attempting to justify the ostracism. At the same time, other parts of the Scripture serve to prove the opposite point of view, i.e., universal love, tolerance, and acceptance. Garzon (2010) provided useful insight into the nature of homophobia, too, by proclaiming it unjustified fears deriving from others’ sexualities. I found this passage quite educational, as it emphasized that homophobia implies more than worries regarding unwanted advances from a same-sex person.
In my opinion, LGBTQ+ counseling is an important area of therapy, and it requires a particular approach. The necessity is caused by unique unfortunate aspects of these people’s lives, which must be addressed in therapy. According to Grzanka and Miles (2016), LGBT-affirmative therapy implies that counselors should affirm their clients’ sexuality and conduct treatment in light of it. Gay-affirmative therapy is opposed to the obsolete views, according to which homosexuality was a temporary state that should be changed. In addition, this kind of therapy allows for a more in-depth examination of the clients’ issues. This way, the process should become more effective, as it is comprehensive in terms of encompassing all relevant aspects of the client’s personality. Overall, I am convinced that gay-affirmative therapy is an efficient tool for working with the LGBTQ community.
References
Garzon, F. (2010). The lesbian & gay population. Liberty University.
Grzanka, P. R., & Miles, J. R. (2016). The problem with the phrase “intersecting identities”: LGBT affirmative therapy, intersectionality, and neoliberalism. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 13(4), 371–389. Web.
Holy Bible: New living translation. (2006). Tyndale House.