<p> Schools present unique opportunities to foster and improve belonging for all students. Meaningful inclusion requires visible and equal representation as well as safe environments (Cerezo and Bergfield, 2013; Sadowski, 2016). Students who may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) deserve equal attention in educational models which seek to be inclusive and acknowledge diverse student populations in schools. Key studies from the United States indicate there is much to be done, suggesting LBGTQ students often do not feel safe or visible in schools (Kosciw, Greytak, Giga, Villenas &amp; Danischewski, 2016). School-based resources, however, such as student-led clubs known as Gay-Straight Alliances, are helping to address the needs of LGBTQ students. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of a group of LGBTQ students who attend an international school in Asia and who are all regular members of a Gay-Straight Alliance. It aimed to gain a better understanding of their school experience in terms of support systems and structures through the unique lens of an international school. A qualitative research design was implemented through the use of semi-structured interviews with four participants, who voluntarily took part in the study. Seven themes emerged from the study, (1) formal support systems are perceived to be secondary to peer support, (2) less formal support services such as friends and peers carry a higher level of trust, (3) the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is the primary, most visible, safe space, (4) outreach beyond the GSA is limited, (5) existing barriers prohibit inclusive practices for LGBTQ students, (6) LGBTQ educational programs would help raise awareness, and (7) There is a need to create and implement school policies, which are more inclusive and will better protect LGBTQ students at the school. Implications of this study entail specialized training for counselors, outreach beyond the confines of the GSA, inclusive policies and targeted LGBTQ educational programs.</p><p>

<p> Displaced Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) youth exist in educational environments that are ill-equipped to support them in their pursuit of educational success. Limited research on this group documents a lack of targeted supports resulting in significant struggles as they attempt to overcome obstacles in their path toward success. This study overlays the Minority Stress Process and Adolescent Resilience Theory&rsquo;s models of support in an attempt to understand how targeted supports helped seven individuals overcome obstacles throughout their displacement from family and home. The study explored these individuals&rsquo; perceptions of the displacement, supports, resilience, and potential for educational access and success. Interview data was analyzed to arrive at descriptions of experiences that informed the development of codes and themes. In order to contextualize participant interview data, five observations of externally-based support groups and interviews with two support providers were conducted. </p><p> The participants in this study had diverse identities within the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Also, some were forcibly displaced due to familial nonacceptance of their gender or sexual identities, while others self-displaced in an attempt to live openly. However, they each described the loss of both familial supports and each reported a lack of targeted supports at school to help them overcome identity nonacceptance, displacement, and lack of belonging. All participants fought to access externally-based protective and compensatory supports. Educational institutions must implement policies and practices to ensure all displaced LGBTQ+ individuals are supported. By mirroring the externally-based programs that are successful with limiting the effects of displacement and identity non-acceptance, educational institutions can interrupt the Minority Stress Process and the associated adversity.</p>

<p> In using the qualitative method of grounded theory, data was collected from 10 individuals who identified as Black, lesbian teachers from across the United States. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an idea of a new model or refine an existing model that explained the process of developing career and professional identity. In-depth interviews were completed, via in-person and secure video-conferencing. Field observations with field notes and member checking were utilized as tools for maintaining the study&rsquo;s validity. The core themes identified were (a) self-identity versus professional identity, (b) support, (c) trust, and (d) awareness. The subthemes were teachers versus school dynamics and honesty. These findings support the notion that Black lesbians were equipped as any teacher with the tools and knowledge to do their jobs just as effectively as their nonheterosexual counterparts. The findings also found that the more support this population received from their families and communities, there was a positive correlation between increased reports of career and life satisfaction, job efficiency, and productivity. With results from this research, these findings can further assist clinicians, work organizations, and educational policies in aiding to empower career success in Black, lesbian, teachers, their students, as well as other teachers who might be ethnically diverse or nonheterosexual.</p><p>

<p> The advent of the <i>Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies</i> (Ratts, Singh, Nassar-McMillan, Butler, &amp; McCullough, 2016), the <i>American Counseling Association</i> (ACA) <i> Code of</i> Ethics (2014), and a more comprehensive emphasis on multiculturalism and social justice (Haskins &amp; Singh, 2015; Ratts, 2009, 2011; Ratts &amp; Pedersen, 2014; Smith &amp; Okech, 2016) within the counseling profession highlight a movement towards examining practices and social identities grounded in a formative understanding of intersectionality. The institutionalization of intersectionality emerges from a longstanding history of feminist scholars (Collins &amp; Bilge, 2016; Hancock, 2016) critiquing misconstrued gaps and revolutionizing the meaning of multiple social identities and social justice movements (Anzald&uacute;a, 1987; Collins, 1986, 1990, 2004; Crenshaw, 1989, 1991; hooks, 1981, 1984, 1989; Lorde, 1984; Moraga &amp; Anzald&uacute;a, 1983). Although intersectionality has richened the possibilities of social justice praxis, its theoretical connection has been largely absent in the context of empirical investigations. This current study utilized an intersectionality paradigm and methodological strategies of interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, &amp; Larkin, 2009; Pietkiewicz &amp; Smith, 2014) to examine the lived intersectional experiences of privilege and oppression of Queer Men of Color in Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral programs. Three participants were interviewed across nine interviews approximately consisting of 90 minutes in length. Findings indicated six superordinate themes emerging from the data analysis: (a) Multiple Dimensions of Privilege; (b) Multiple Dimensions of Oppression; (c) Context/System; (d) Complexities of Intersections; (e) Critical Incidents/Conflict; and (f) Congruity/Change for the Future. The discussion considers the themes emanating from the participants in light of previous forms of implementation utilizing intersectional approaches. Implications broadly for the counseling profession, the social context of counselor education and doctoral education, and the praxis of pedagogy are explored. Future directions for research and limitations of the study are also explicated.</p><p>