Careers and Gay Youth

The famed researcher, E. Erikson, wrote that adolescence is a time when people have two major tasks to complete:  searching for self-identity and developing intimacy with other people.  J. Bohan went on to say that adolescents must gain a sense of who they are (values, beliefs, feelings, goals, skills, deficits and sexuality among others) and must learn to manage the social roles that come with identity and one’s place in society.  Gay and lesbian teens must complete these tasks as well as gain a sense of identity as a sexual minority that society despises, or ignores at best. Gays and lesbians must deal with coming out to themselves and possibly to others, and must deal with issues that come from being oppressed and marginalized. These challenges cannot be underestimated.

Susan Morrow, in her study of the career development of lesbian and gay youth, writes that while gays and lesbians are discovering their identity and are thinking about possible careers that fit who they are, they also take in messages from society as to what careers should be off limits to persons of a sexual minority. Our culture sends the message that gays and lesbians should not be in the military, work with children, work in religious institutions and so forth.  So, many GLB persons begin to limit their career choices or try to be straight so that an otherwise off-limits career choice might be open to them.

Morrow and B. Campbell furthermore state that because the task of coming out to oneself is so overwhelming, many gay teens put other parts of their life on hold.  In fact, the majority of gay youth appear to focus either on tasks related to sexual orientation identity or to academic and career pursuits.  They, therefore, may ignore school, let grades drop, lose opportunities for scholarships and college, and put off career decisions.

Gay and lesbian teens are also at a disadvantage due to the lack of role models. They, therefore, tend to accept society’s stereotypes of careers a gay man or lesbian might pursue.  This acceptance of stereotypes, of course, ends up limiting the career options a person might otherwise consider. Society identifies lesbians, for example,  as pursuing careers as an auto mechanic, plumber or truck driver, and identifies gay men as taking careers in decorating, entertaining, or nursing. 

Gay and lesbian youth are also in need of role models who can help them navigate coming out issues related to careers and who can help them locate gay friendly schools and geographical areas.

Morrow and Hawxhurst go on to suggest ways in which adults, teachers and other school personnel can empower gay youth as they make career decisions:

1.     Intervene on a personal level by

• making the classroom or office gay friendly (symbols, reading material, etc.)
• not discussing careers in a gender-biased manner
• questioning career choices that appear to be based on stereotypes
• helping the person explore how sexual orientation  factors into career options

2.    Intervene on an interpersonal level by

• providing role models for GLB persons from history, literature and the community
• creating a classroom that supports the development of all students
• being “out” if one is a gay or lesbian adult
• talking about diversity of all kinds
• talking about work issues such as job discrimination, harassment and climate related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, gender and so forth

3.  Intervene on a sociopolitical level by

• creating a supportive environment for all students
• enforcing a policy against discrimination and harassment
• encouraging school boards to add sexual orientation to their policies of nondiscrimination and harassment
• preventing the creation of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” institution
• not discussing careers in a gender-biased manner
• questioning career choices that appear to be based on stereotypes
• helping the person explore how sexual orientation  factors into career options

Teachers as Allies: 

Remember, when families come to school, they are in your territory.  In this age when there is a tremendous diversity of family structures (single parents, adoptive, foster, same-gender parents, multicultural, mother and father as parents, grandparents raising children, and so forth) it is especially important to find ways to welcome and support al the various family configurations that come through your door.

• Get the message out that you value, and are committed to, a diversity of family.
• When talking about family, be sure to list a variety of structures.
• Expect there to be as many family configurations as there are students in your class.
• On forms and letters, change mother and father to parent/guardian.
• Be aware of your own preconceptions of what a family is “supposed” to look like.
• Review materials to see if there is a reflection of the diversity of family structures.
• Display pictures of different kinds of families.
• Interrupt when children make fun of, or deny, other family structures.

Sources:
—Family Pride Coalition (http://www.familypride,org)
—Marquerite Sheehan, M.ED
—Joe Schneiderman, Ellen Jackson Children’s Center

Source:  Opening Doors:  Lesbian and Gay Parents and Schools.  A Project of the Family Pride Coalition.

• Where there is a positive relationship between families and schools, students perform better academically and socially.
• It’s estimated that 2-7 million children are being raised by gay or lesbian parents.
• The Federal Goals 2000 legislation sets home-school partnerships as a goal.
• In most of the United States, gays and lesbians can be fired or be denied housing.
• Nowhere in the United States may gays and lesbians have the equal right to marriage or many of the other rights granted to married persons who are heterosexual. Gays and lesbians who are parents are, therefore, denied the same recognition and protection given to straight parents.

Fears:

Source:  Opening Doors:  Lesbian and Gay Parents and Schools.  A Project of the Family Pride Coalition.

Fears of the lesbian or gay parent:

• My child will be discriminated against or harassed.
• My child’s friends will not come to our home.
• The curriculum will not reflect my child’s reality.
• The school will “out” me and I may lose my job and even my child.

Fears of the child:

• People will think I am strange and not accept me.
• People will treat me unfairly or badly.
• My family and I will be called names or harassed.
• People may think I am gay or lesbian.
• My friends might not be allowed to my house.