From the Editor—Introducing the Guest Editor of this Special Issue, Dr. Mona M. Shattell

In your hands is a special issue focused on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals—possibly the first such issue in a premier mental health journal. The need to conduct scholarly inquiry about GLBT individuals and their life challenges is underscored by two odious hate crimes perpetrated just as this issue is prepared for publication. Two gay teenage boys are dead, one in Florida and one in California. Simmie Williams Jr., age 17, was doubly stigmatized because of his race (Black) and his sexual orientation. He was killed as he stood along a boulevard in Fort Lauderdale ([Haas & Santana, 2008]). His attackers, “two young men who wore dark clothing,” have not been apprehended. Lawrence King, age 15, was shot in his high school computer lab by a 14-year-old classmate, who has been charged with premeditated murder ([Saillant & Covarrubias, 2008]). In both cases, homophobic hatred is suspected as the motive.

Ably edited by Dr. Mona M. Shattell, this special issue contains both original research and commentary. I believe you will find the articles thought-provoking. Dr. Shattell is undoubtedly one of the stars among our younger scholars in psychiatric-mental health nursing. Currently a university professor, she has a rich experiential background, including staff nursing, practicing as a clinical nurse specialist, and fulfilling various administrative and consultative roles. I became acquainted with Mona when she enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Tennessee nearly ten years ago. She was an ideal doctoral student because she soaked up knowledge like a sponge and hungered for more. She became involved in my phenomenological research group and conducted a pre-dissertation study of psychiatric patients' experience of the hospital environment. Subsequently, Dr. Shattell wrote a chapter of “Listening to Patients” ([Thomas & Pollio, 2002]) based on her analysis of these data. As mentors and mentees often do, we traveled to several regional, national, and international conferences together.

Many mentor-mentee relationships terminate after a student graduates, but ours has continued to evolve. After her graduation, Dr. Shattell and I have continued to communicate and collaborate. We have common interests in respectful, competent, care for marginalized and vulnerable individuals. Last year, Dr. Shattell expressed her desire to acquire the skills of a journal editor. I welcomed her enthusiasm for becoming an editor, because I believe she would be very good at it. As in most endeavors, one learns by doing. Serving as guest editor of this special issue permitted her to carry out such functions as preparing the call for papers, performing initial screening of submissions, sending manuscripts out for review, communicating with authors about revisions, and doing the final edit of the selections. I was available for advice PRN, but I can tell you that Dr. Shattell needed very little. The credit for this issue belongs to her. If you like it, I hope you will let her know ( [email protected]).