HOW CAN LGBTQ YOUTH GROW AND PROSPER FROM MUSIC THERAPY?
Jay Dressler
Edited by: Dr. Laura Beer, Ph.D., MT-BC, ACMT
Marylhurst University
Abstract
This literature review looks at the reasons why LGBTQ youth are classified as an at-risk population based on the findings of recent studies of this population. The review identifies what it means to be a member of the LGBTQ youth community as well as exploring the unique problems and hardships this population faces. It reviews statistics associated with LGBTQ youth, specifically related to the physical and emotional turmoil they go through and the effect these struggles can have on members of this community. This review suggests that one way that we can help this population is through the use of music therapy. Along with exploring the definition of music therapy, the new model of “queer music therapy” as defined by Bain, Crow, and Grzanka in the article “Toward a Queer Music Therapy: The Implications of Queer Theory for Radically Inclusive Music Therapy” (2016) is examined, including the many ways it could be used to help this population grow and prosper through the trials of identifying as LGBTQ youth.
Keywords: LGBTQ youth, music therapy, at-risk youth, queer music therapy, queer theory, mental health, adolescents
How Can LGBTQ Youth Grow and Prosper from Music Therapy?
The weight of coming out is a process that lays heavily on all LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) youth. What if you are not accepted for who you are by loved ones and friends? What if you’re kicked out of your house? What if you’re bullied at school? Or driven to self-harm? Unfortunately, that is a harsh reality that a lot of LGBTQ youth face. LGBTQ youth are faced with discrimination throughout many different aspects of their lives including home, school, and public environments, sometimes without an external support system to help guide them. They are at higher risk for suicidal ideations and/or completing suicide, for abusing drugs and/or alcohol, harassment, bullying, physical and/or emotional abuse, and mental health conditions (Center for disease control and prevention [CDC], 2017). One therapeutic tool available to help LGBTQ youth is music therapy, which has a long-standing history of working with under-served, minority groups. (Whitehead-Pleaux et al., 2012). Through the use of music therapy, self-esteem is raised, self-awareness increases, trust is reestablished, bridges are rebuilt, and most importantly, a sense of safety is learned, felt, and grown. This paper looks at the ways in which LGBTQ youth can benefit from music therapy. It defines what it means to be LGBTQ, what music therapy is, why this population specifically can benefit from music therapy, and looks at how music therapists can work most effectively with this community.
Literature Review
Defining the LGBTQ Community
The acronym LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) is an umbrella term used to encompass all of the various identities that fall within the community. While there are many other identities that fall under the umbrella, the acronym LGBTQ is the most commonly used. Within the acronym, the first three letters “LGB” refer to a person’s sexual orientation. “Sexual orientation is defined as an often enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions of men to women or women to men (heterosexual), of women to women or men to men (homosexual), or by men or women to both sexes (bisexual)” (APA, 2018). The “T” represents the transgender and/or gender non-conforming community. This is also an umbrella term that stands for anyone who’s gender identity or expression does not conform to the sex they were given at birth. (APA, 2018). The “Q” at the end of the acronym stands for “queer and/or questioning”. Queer can be used as an umbrella term of anyone who is not cisgender (a person whose sex assigned at birth matches their personal identity and gender) or anyone who is not heterosexual. It can also stand for someone who represents as “gender queer” (a person’s gender identity that falls outside of the socially constructed typical male/female norms). Lastly, the “Q” can represent the “questioning” community as well; those that are questioning and discovering their own sexuality and/or gender identity. “People often use LGBTQ to mean all of the communities included in the “LGBTTTQQIAA”: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Two-spirited, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally. LGBTQ is the more commonly used term in the community; possibly because it is more user friendly!” (OK2BME, 2018).
Why Does LGBTQ Youth Need Music Therapy?
LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk for mental health diagnoses, bullying, homelessness and more than typical youth. According to the Center for Disease Control (2017),
Compared with other students, negative attitudes toward LGB persons may put these youth at increased risk for experiences with violence. ‘Violence’ can include behaviors such as bullying, teasing, harassment, and physical assault. According to data from the 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), of surveyed LGB students: 10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, 34% were bullied on school property, 28% were bullied electronically, 23% of LGB students who had dated or went out with someone during the 12 months before the survey had experienced sexual dating violence in the prior year, 18% of LGB students had experienced physical dating violence, 18% of LGB students had been forced to have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives.
It has also been shown that LGBTQ students are at higher risk of using drugs and/or alcohol. In a report titled “Reducing Bullying towards LGBTQ Youths in School” authors Kopels and Paceley (2012), look at the results of the study “Substance use Among Gay and Lesbian Adolescents” done by Orenstein in 2001. Kopels and Paceley state, “LGB students were almost twice as likely to have higher lifetime uses of marijuana, thirteen times more likely to have higher lifetime uses of cocaine, and twenty-seven times more likely to have higher lifetime uses of heroin.” (p.100). The report goes on to report how much bullying can have an effect on LGBTQ youth. It defines bullying into two categories; direct and indirect experiences. Direct experience is when “bullying specifically targeted toward the individual student or group of students whereas indirect experiences include students who have knowledge of such bullying, but who do not endure it.” (Kopels & Paceley, 2012, p.98). They also analyzed the different types of bullying done towards LGBTQ youth and found that,
59 percent were victims of verbal abuse, 24 percent were threatened with violence, 20 percent were threatened with having their sexual orientation shared with others, 12 percent have had objects thrown at them, 11 percent reported physical attacks, 5 percent were sexually assaulted, and 2 percent were threatened with weapons. (p. 98)
Suicide rates for LGBTQ youth are also alarmingly on the rise. “Suicide Risk Factors Among LGBTQ Youth: Review” written by Aranmolate, et al, (2017) states that “Approximately 1 out of every 15 high school students report attempting suicide each year.” (p. 1). The report breaks down the suicide attempts and ideations into the following percentages, “60.4% felt sad and hopeless, 42.8% seriously considered suicide, and 38.2% planned how they would attempt suicide; 29.4% attempted suicide one or more times, and 9.4% made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury, including poisoning or overdose that had to be treated by a medical professional.” (p. 1). They identify the highest risk factors of suicidal actions and ideations to include “bullying, feelings of hopelessness, cultural and religious beliefs, and unwillingness to seek help because of the stigma” (p. 2).
Queer Music Therapy
Queer music therapy brings awareness of LGBTQ specific needs not just to our client’s attention, but also to the music therapist’s perspective as well. It includes the process of how we build our sessions and use our knowledge to better our clients and communities. Queer music therapy recognizes “the complexities of sexuality and gender identity and consider LGBTQ individuals as more than a special or niche population to be folded into business-as usual psychotherapy” Bain et al. states in the article titled “Toward a Queer Music Therapy: The Implications of Queer Theory for Radically Inclusive Music Therapy” (2016, p. 24). Queer music therapy takes much of its foundations from queer and feminists theories and takes a look at heteronormative ideologies and how that has an impact on societal constructs. By using the word “queer” in the title, it reclaims a word that once had negative connotations to the Gay and Lesbian Community. Queer theory works on breaking down power relationships in everyday life and within society, including racial diversity and looks at “how music therapists might provide a safe and inclusive space for transgender individuals and queer people of color within a therapeutic setting” (Bain et al., 2016, p.24). Feminist theory has a long-standing history of battling power imbalances also, as well as breaking down barriers of gender oppression. As a result, queer music therapy is striving towards a blend of a community and social-justice music therapy when working with LGBTQ youth and adolescents. Based upon the results from the 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) stated earlier, there is a strong call for the work that queer music therapy can accomplish.
One advancement that music therapy has to offer that is extremely different from other types of therapy, is the use of nonverbal communication. It allows “LGBTQ clients to nonverbally express emotions towards societal discrimination, safely express their identity, and receive validation from the therapist or others in a music therapy group.” (Bain et al., 2016, p. 26). Within queer music therapy sessions, there are a wide array of interventions and experience that can be offered. “These interventions…can promote self-esteem, coping skills, and empowerment for LGBTQ youth experiencing issues related to their identity, including: musical autobiographies, songwriting, lyric analysis, music and creative arts, and group anthem-writing.”(Bain et al., 2016, p.27). One of the most important over-arching goals within a queer music therapy session, is to create a sense of safety for the clients. Many LGBTQ youths may not have a safe environment for them to freely express themselves and may turn to a queer music therapy group for guidance, acceptance, support, and a sense of solidarity. Privacy is also another important feature of a queer music therapy group. Some clients may not be open and out about their identity in their ever day lives, and as such, a queer music therapy group would provide them with a sense of trust and safety for them to freely be themselves (Bain et al., 2016).
Another aspect that queer music therapy will take a look at within its sessions, is the use of gendered language. So much of language is placed into the binary box of male and female, even though more and more of our population are breaking down those walls. The use of “they” as a singular pronoun is just one example of how societies language is being more inclusive to all gender identities. “…a music therapy program using a queer theory paradigm to frame interventions can combat heteronormativity by changing the language of music to consider the complexity and fluidity of sexual orientation. As an example, a music therapy intervention can allow flexibility of language to match clients’ gender or sexual identity” (Bain et al., 2012, p. 26). Queer music therapy interventions would provide all this and more to a population of youth that needs all of the support, acceptance, and love that it can get so they can grow and foster into adults full of pride in every aspect of their lives.
A Call to Action and More Research
While great strides have been made in the realm of music therapy and LGBTQ youth, there is still much to be done. Music therapists must continue to educate themselves and put into practice what they are learning from articles and education. Bain et al.’s session ideas are a great place to start rethinking and reframing how approach working with this population. The time is now to put queer music therapy into action and start to positively affect LGBTQ youth.
Finally, our proposal for a radically inclusive queer music therapy is a call to action for music therapists currently working with or considering working with this population—not to mention those therapists who may find themselves unexpectedly encountering a sexual minority or gender nonconforming client. Future work in this area is not limited to early-career music therapists, but should be a priority for professionals/clinicians at all career stages. These professionals can gain the appropriate training by reading pertinent journal articles and participating in LGBTQ continuing education courses at national and regional conferences. The flexible nature of music therapy facilitates an intermodal approach to challenging the concept of normal and fixed identities. By creating a safe space, analyzing systems of oppression, and using that knowledge to provide opportunities for empowerment, queer music therapy may become a force of positive change for LGBTQ adolescents. (Bain et al., 2016, p. 29).
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