As a psychotherapist
If you have gay & lesbian clients
It’s not enough to be gay-friendly.
The fact is, even the best intentioned therapists have some level of homophobia to overcome. From birth, heterosexist culture imprints us to think that heterosexuality is primary, and that any other orientation is inferior.
It’s not even enough to be gay yourself.
Gay or straight, we’re taught the homonegative belief that the “alternative lifestyle” of being gay and lesbian is a more difficult way to live. But the “alternative” of living heterosexually is actually harder for gays and lesbians, and can lead only to depression and self-defeating, or even self-destructive behaviors.
