June is Pride Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Pride Month (LGBTQ Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the workdone to achieve equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ Americans.
Pride Month is a perfect opportunity to reflect on how our foster boarding homes provide an affirming atmosphere for LGBTQ children and youth. It is also a timefor agencies and districts to revisit the importance of maintaining welcoming and inclusive environments for our LGBTQ youth and families.
History of Pride Month
On June 28, 1969 the patrons of The Stonewall Inn in New York City fought back against frequent police raids with a series of violent demonstrations that became known as the Stonewall rebellion or uprising. It is considered to be the event that led to the start of the modern day LGBTQ movement. The first Pride parade was held the following year on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall protests.
On June 2, 2000, President Bill Clinton made a formal proclamation declaring June to be Pride Month. The proclamation states, in part, “we must finally recognize these Americans for what they are: our colleagues and neighbors, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers, friends and partners.”
Value of Affirming Foster Homes
The New York State Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in Foster Care[1] affirms the rights of children and youth to be free from discrimination based on sex, genderidentityor gender expression, and sexualorientationwhen receiving care and services.
An affirming foster home is one where the caregivers have the language and the tools to support LGBTQ children and youth in a non-judgmental way throughout their development. This includes adults who are able to express their acceptance about a child’s identity, talk openly about it, and advocate for the child to be treated with respect in their communities. These homes are safe for children to openly be themselves and to live authentically. This helps protect these children and youth and promotes positive outcomes.
For more information on cultural competency and LGBTQ youth watch the short video below:
Importance of Welcoming and Culturally Inclusive Environments for LGBTQ Families
Creating welcoming and culturally inclusive environments means developing a welcoming, culturally sensitive, supportive, and affirming atmosphere in an agency. When visiting agencies, individuals observe their surroundings and gather clues which inform their expectations about the care they will receive. These opinions about expected treatment may affect a person’s level of confidence in the agency and the person’s overall experience.
Culturally inclusive agencies provide children, youth and families with opportunities to see themselves mirrored in the agency’s art and photos,to feel visible, to fill out forms that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to receive respectful treatment from agency staff.For young people in particular, seeing images and materials that mirror themselves promotes healthy emotional development and self-esteem.
In recent years, the number of LGBTQ individuals coming forward to serve as temporary or permanent caregivers to children and youth in foster care has increased significantly. It is important that these caregivers feel valued and safe from harassment or unfair criticism.Seeing themselves represented in child welfare spaces through photos and reading material signals to LGBTQ individuals a level of acceptance and safety.
Click on the following link for a video demonstrating the power of a positive environment from the Center for State’s video “Creating LGBTQ Affirming Agencies”:
OCFS Guidance
16-OCFS-INF-10,Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE), includes guidelines for promoting a safe and respectful environment, a desk aid for SOGIE terms, quick tips, and other educational resources.
16-OCFS-INF-04,Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Family Acceptance Project Release: A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children, provides districts and voluntary agencies with research-based guidance in this work.
Additional resources:
[1]15-OCFS-ADM-18 Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in Foster Care