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ABSTRACT
Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual youth from diverse backgrounds. Although some attention has been given to youth members in general, little attention has been given to adult advisors. Among 47 GSA advisors from 33 high schools (39 cisgender female, 8 cisgender male), the authors examined advisors' self-efficacy to address issues pertinent to LGBT youth of color and transgender youth specifically. Advisors' self-efficacy was lower for LGBT youth of color than for transgender youth. LGB advisors reported greater efficacy than did heterosexual advisors to address issues pertinent to transgender youth but not those pertinent to LGBT youth of color. Younger advisors and advisors in schools with a greater proportion of youth of color reported greater efficacy for LGBT youth of color but not for transgender youth. These findings carry implications for ensuring that advisors are equipped to work with GSA-involved youth who may be among the most marginalized in schools.
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Notes on contributors
V. Paul Poteat
V. Paul Poteat is Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at Boston College. His research on Gay-Straight Alliances has identified specific individual, group, advisor, and school factors that contribute to youth members' experiences in GSAs and the mechanisms by which GSAs promote youths' wellbeing.
Jillian R. Scheer
Jillian R. Scheer is an advanced doctoral student studying counseling psychology at Boston College. Her research interests include LGBTQ youth victimization and mental health, heterosexual youth ally engagement in Gay-Straight Alliances, and trauma-informed interventions for LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence.