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Cultural Immersion, LGBTQ+ Community
Korrie Dulaney
School of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Liberty University
Authors Note
Korrie Dulaney. I have no known conflicts of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning
this article should be addressed to Korrie Dulaney. Email: [email protected]
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Cultural Immersion-LGBTQ+ Community
The LGBTQ+ community is a prominent part of society. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals,
transgender people, queer people, and many more make up this wonderfully diverse community.
The following paper will discuss research on the LGBTQ+ community as well as information
gleaned from two LGBTQ+-themed events.
Inter and Intra-Group Characteristics
The LGBTQ+ community has been around for quite some time. While the LGBTQ+
revolution, of sorts, started after the Stonewall Riots, this community has existed in secret for
many, many years (Skidmore, 2024). This community has its own characteristics that many are
not aware of. When compared to other groups, especially minority groups, the LGBTQ+
community has a higher rate of acceptance and inclusion (Parmenter et. al, 2020). This can be
related back to the oppression members face, thus making the community more understanding of
others, especially within their own community (Shaheed et. al, 2022). While the LGBTQ+
community has higher rates of inclusion, that is not to say there isn't a bit of discrimination with
the group. Just like any group, there are opposing values and views among the members.
According to a study conducted by Scott Sellnow-Richmond and colleagues (2022), bisexual
people and transgender people tend to feel outcasted from the rest of the community. Based on
this study, this could be due to behavioral differences as well as general stigma directed towards
bisexual and transgender people. Overall, while the LGBTQ+ community is more inclusive when
compared to other groups, there is still work to be done within the community when it comes to
accepting all identities.
Common Beliefs
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As mentioned previously, inclusion is a staple belief within the LGBTQ+ community
(Parmenter et. al, 2020). This inclusion extends to all identities within the community. According
to a study performed by Parmenter, Galliher, and Maughan (2020), many LGBTQ+ people
intersect with other identities. Because of this, the study found that inclusion is a vital part of this
community to make sure all members feel accepted. All participants of this study stated the
importance of the plus sign at the end of LGBTQ+ to emphasize there are so many more
identities that are included. As the research has shown, while there is some discrimination within
the community, there is an overwhelming presence of inclusion among most members of the
LGBTQ+ community.
Social activism was also identified as a common belief among the queer community.
When studied, there was a significant amount of social activism done by the queer community
(Shaheed et. al, 2022). Social activism was found to be important within the LGBTQ+
community, especially for members of color (Shaheed et. al, 2022). Due to the oppression that
the queer community faces on a daily basis, social activism is important in order to spread
awareness. The belief that everyone is equal is a major part of the LGBTQ+ community as
shown by the research.
Religious Beliefs
When it comes to spirituality and religion, the research is murky. Overall, there seems to
be a negative correlation between being religious and being a member of the queer community.
According to a study published by the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, members of the
LGBTQ+ community related poor mental health back to religion. This seems to be a common
theme among all identities within the community. Although there are religious activist groups,
they are not widely perceived in a positive light within the LGBTQ+ community (Coley, 2020).
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This could be because of the religious rhetoric outsiders use to condemn homosexuality or even
one-off poor experiences within a church (Coley, 2020).
Common Customs
A common custom among the queer community is Pride. In the United States, June has
been named Pride Month. While this is not the same for every country, plenty of countries
celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride. Pride Month in the U.S. celebrates the LGBTQ+ community as well as
brings awareness to the community as a whole. During June, most regions in the U.S. celebrate
Pride, mainly with a Pride Parade. The customs during Pride Month include parades, queer-led
events, demonstrations, marches, etc. to bring awareness to the struggles and successes of the
LGBTQ+ community. Pride Parades are a time for the community as well as allies to come
together and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and what they stand for. While Pride Month is a
happy time for most, it is also seen as a serious time in order to spread awareness of the
hardships experienced by the queer community (Tandon & Rao, 2021).
Historical and Current Oppression
Same-sex relationships have been documented in history in every culture (Morris, 2019).
This does not mean they haven’t been prosecuted or under scrutiny since the beginning. Same-
sex relationships can be dated back to all the way back to Ancient Greece, BCE (Morris, 2019).
This means queer people have been and will continue to be around for the rest of time whether it
is in secret or out in the open. For years, homosexuality was classified as not only a mental
illness but was also labeled as illegal. While the queer community has widely been under attack
for centuries, there is an assumption that the 21st century is the most accepting. There is some
truth to this but the LGBTQ+ community still faces scrutiny in a lot of spaces. In just 2016, a gay
nightclub in Florida, Pulse, was attacked by a gunman. This hate crime left 49 individuals dead
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and at least 50 people injured (Morris, 2019). This hate crime is one of many that happen not just
in America but all over the world. This goes to show that queer people as a whole are still under
scrutiny. The LGBTQ+ community is still being oppressed even though there is more acceptance
in the 21st century, there is still so much work to be done.
Treatment
Considering queer people have a higher rate of mental illness when compared to
heterosexual people, effective counseling is a must for this community (Burger & Pachankis,
2024). One form of effective therapy is LGBTQ+-affirming psychotherapy. Affirming
psychotherapy is a form of counseling based on affirming queer people’s existence (Burger &
Pachankis, 2024). This form of therapy has plenty of positive research that shows affirming
counseling is effective and has a positive effect on queer clients. To be specific, CBT is shown to
be most effective as it addresses stigma from society while changing learned behaviors (Burger
& Pachankis, 2024). In order to make this therapy widely available, there needs to be more
training available to therapists (Burger & Pachankis, 2024).
Another form of effective therapy for the LGBTQ+ community is creative arts.
Incorporating creative arts allows clients to feel free and in turn allows them to express
themselves without worry (Luke & Peters, 2019). Creative arts could include dancing, singing,
or even crafts. While there is still more research to be done on this topic, the research that has
been done shows that this is an effective way to affirm queer people during counseling.
Event Portion
The first event I attended was an open mic night for the queer community. This took
place on Thursday, June 13th at 6 pm. This was a two-hour event and I stayed the entire time.
The event was free which was a nice change as most events in Knoxville have at least a $5 cover.
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The open mic night took place at a local coffee shop called South Press. South Press is located in
South Knoxville or SoKno. SoKno is home to many LGBTQ+-friendly spaces and businesses. I
found out during my time here that South Press is owned and operated by a transgender woman.
I also learned that all of her staff is a part of the LGBTQ+ community which I found really
special. It is a space by queer people for queer people which is rare in this town.
The second event I attended was a picnic for the LGBTQ+ community but exclusively for
women and non-binary people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or pansexual. This picnic had a
theme of bread and each identity brought their own kind of bread. For example, lesbians brought
garlic bread, bisexuals brought biscuits, and pansexuals brought breadsticks. This event took
place on Friday, June 20th at 6 pm. Since it was so hot outside, I only stayed until 7:45. The
picnic took place at a local public park. Each person brought their own items to sit on and some
even brought games to share with the rest of the group.
Emotional Impact
The open mic night impacted me in ways I was not prepared for. Watching so many
members of the LGBTQ+ community cheer each other on was a very powerful thing to witness.
As I was not raised around any openly gay people, this was new for me to experience. It was a
beautiful thing to see. It made me cry tears of happiness while also feeling somewhat sad. I felt a
sense of sorrow because I have missed out on that kind of acceptance and queer joy for most of
my life. Yes, I have supportive friends and family but seeing complete strangers support one
another was so incredibly special. While I have missed out on the acceptance of the queer
community for most of my life, I now have a place to turn to when I need extra support.
As for the second event, the LGBTQ+ picnic, I truly felt peace for the first time. This
could be because I was surrounded by women or because I was around a group of queer people.
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Either way, it was a feeling of peace I had never experienced before. There was so much love
and acceptance in the air, that I could tell how grateful everyone was for their community. I am
sure the women and non-binary people who attended this event are aware of how rare this sense
of community is in this area. I am so thankful I got to experience this event as it brought me a
sense of peace I have never felt.
What I Learned
By attending these events I learned so much, but three things in particular stood out to
me. The first thing that stood out was the amount of acceptance for any and all people. The joy
of people attending each event overshadowed the need to label and outcast one another. While I
didn’t ask, I am sure there was a mix of transgender, queer, bisexual, non-binary, etc. people at
both events yet the atmosphere was so beyond welcoming. The second thing that stood out to me
was the way each person carried themselves. It was so interesting to see the confidence each
person possessed. This could be due to being around their community or could also be due to the
oppression they have experienced. They may feel the need to be overly confident to compensate
for the past and current oppression experienced by the majority. The third thing that stood out to
me was how diverse the group was, especially for this area. I’m aware anyone can be a part of
the LGBTQ+ community but seeing it in action was almost shocking. People of all colors were
in attendance at each event. I wasn’t the only person of color at events for the first time in a long
time. It was incredible to see the way everyone seemed to mesh. Overall, this community is
loving and accepting of all people regardless of identity.
Conclusions
Immersing myself in the queer community during this course has allowed me to see there
is so much love and acceptance that flows through that community. While there is still work to
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be done within the group and outside of the group, the community as a whole is accepting and
stands tall in the face of adversity. As the research states, there are multiple ways to affirm the
LGBTQ+ community through therapy and through community events. As time progresses there
needs to be more research done on the interworkings of the queer community and what they
stand for.
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