.
Lessons From Greg Louganis in Relating to Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth
Arnold H. Grossman (Journal of Leisurability, V. 24, no 4)
Most youth growing up in today's American society come to expect certain kinds of behavior from significant others in their lives, including their parents, siblings and other relatives; playground and recreation leaders, teachers, team coaches and guidance counselors; and their peers and friends. They learn to prize love and affection, to seek praise and recognition, to enjoy feelings of accomplishment, to be a friend and to have friends, and to be free from intense feelings of guilt and fear. In other words, youth learn to expect certain qualities in their human relationships that help to meet their needs. However, these qualities change dramatically when youths are suspected of being or are self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
In Breaking the Surface,' Greg Louganis (1995) described his anguish over his sexual orientation, including his battles with low self-esteem and depression; his use of drugs to cope with feelings of stress and pain; his difficulties with personal relationships; his suicide attempts to escape the anguish of living and his feelings of shame; his finding refuge in his acrobatics, diving practice, and achievements; and his being diagnosed and living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease-all in the context of his being a four-time Olympic gold-medal diving champion. In doing so, Louganis provided insights into developmental issues that can assist recreation and leisure service professionals and educators in meeting the needs of today's gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth so that they do not have to repeat his negative experiences.
Unlearned LessonsAlthough there has been a growing literature about gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, many professionals have not learned the lessons that have been provided. Louganis (1995) stimulated the learning of some of these lessons:
1. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often experience intense isolation. This isolation is realized in cognitive, social, and emotional aspects. Cognitive isolation relates to lack of access to and accurate information about homosexuality and what it means to be a gay, lesbian, or bisexual person. Socially isolated youth have no one to talk to, feel different, and feel alone in most social contexts (i.e., home, school, church, and recreation centers). Social isolation often interacts with and sometimes leads to emotional isolation. Emotionally isolated youth feel separated affectionally and emotionally from all social networks including family members and peers. They feel they must be on guard at all times so that no one will discover their secret (Hetrick & Martin, 1987; Martin, 1982).
Louganis described his feelings of isolation at various times. In an early passage, he portrayed a lack of knowledge of what it means to be gay (along with feelings of shame):
Since I got my butt kicked, it had to be true that I was a sissy. Since I got beat up, I must be a bad person. Since I was a bad person, I must deserve it. If I didn't deserve it, I would have won the fights. (Louganis, 1995, pp. 36-37)
At age 16, Louganis again indicated his feelings of isolation at the Olympics, Montreal 1976.
I don't really know how I knew what a gay person was, but by the time I got to the Olympics, I had no doubt that I was one. I really wanted to talk to someone about what I was feeling, because I was having trouble dealing with it. (Louganis, 1995, p. 71)
2. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often experience verbal abuse, harassment and violence. "Youths who are known to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual received considerable verbal and physical abuse from peers and, all too frequently, from parents and other adults" (Savin-Williams, 1994, p. 267). In a study conducted by Hunter (1990), 40% (201 of 500) of the youths at the Hetrick-Martin Institute (a communitybased organization providing services to lesbian, gay and bisexual youth) reported that they had experienced physical violence. Of those reporting physical attacks, 46% said the assaults were gay-related; and 61 % of those gay-related assaults occurred in the family. Hunter goes on to report that the "physical attacks typically were preceded by an escalating sequence of emotional abuse, name-calling, verbal attacks, and threats of violence" (p. 299).
Students in junior and senior high schools, where traditional social roles are exaggerated, ostracize those who do not fit the norm; as a result, gay and lesbian, youth experience the cruelest and most negative attitudes in the school setting (Gibson, 1989). Louganis was no exception.
By that age [7 or 81, I was already being called sissy and faggot, but I didn't associate those names with being attracted to men . ... They all blended together to make me feel that I was truly worthless and had no right to live. (Louganis, 1995, p. 75)
Louganis also experienced physical violence:
I got beat up often enough that it seems like a lot to me. The boys picked the fights, and some of the girls cheered them on. I internalized all of it . ... I figured I must be wrong. They must be right to call me names and beat me up. (Louganis, 1995, p. 36)
For some gay and lesbian, youth, gender atypicality, obviousness, and disclosure of sexual orientation may lead to their being victimized. Non-disclosure, on the other hand, often leads to alienation, dishonesty, frustration, shame and health problems (Pilkington & D'Augelli, 1995).
3. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Gibson, 1989). Feeling isolated, experiencing persistent harassment, lacking social supports, and internalizing negative views of a homophobic society lead many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide (Remafedi, 1994). In a recent study conducted at the HetrickMartin Institute (Grossman & Kerner, in press), 56% of the gay and lesbian youth (50 of 90) reported having suicidal thoughts and 30% (27 of 90) reported having made a suicide attempt. Rotheram-Borus, Hunter and Rosario (1994) report higher rates of suicide attempts (39%) among gay and bisexual male youths, especially when compared to reports of presumably heterosexual youths in schools (11% to 16%) and community samples (9% to 12%).
Louganis attempted suicide three times. He described one suicide attempt, which took place in the fall of 1977, when he was returning for his senior year of high school as follows:
I wrote a suicide note explaining that I couldn't take it anymore, and I outlined all the reasons why I was doing it-except my sexuality. One of the lines in the note was about how I couldn't seem to do anything right . ... I swallowed a handful of pills, got into bed, and prayed that I wouldn't wake up. When I opened my eyes the next morning and realized I was still alive, I was angry with myself for being such a failure that I couldn't even kill myself. (Louganis, 1995, p. 90)
4. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have to learn to live with and manage the stigma of homosexuality. Stigma, a Greek word, originally referred to a visual sign that marked the negative status of a person. Stigmatizing individuals usually involved scarring or branding them; however, a stigma can include signs or attributes that are not visible (Goffman, 1963; Martin, 1982). Identity stigmatization of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people results from hatred, cruelty, prejudice, discrimination and oppression that is condoned by elements of American society. The stigmatization portrays same-sex relationships as morally wrong, deviant, and repugnant (Savin-Williams & Cohen, 1996).
In order to manage the identity stigmatization, preadolescent youth who experience a sense of difference "learn to hide" (Martin, 1982). As most gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are not easily identified, and the rewards for not being homosexual or bisexual are so great, those who can "pass" as heterosexual often do. According to Berger (1990) "passing" is one of the most ubiquitous characteristics of gay, (bisexual,] and lesbian people. The essential task is the management of personal information. When one decides to "come out," the first decision becomes who to tell or not to tell; the choices are how, when, and where.
Louganis described his preadolescent knowledge related to the stigmatized identity of homosexuals as follows:
When I was around twelve or thirteen, I began to understand that sissy and fag meant homosexual. I don't remember how I came to know that, but I knew immediately that it was something to be ashamed of. (Louganis, 1995, p. 75)
And in recalling his mid-teens, he stated, "I assumed that these feelings were something I'd outgrow, that this was the kind of thing all boys went through. I tried hard to believe that, because I didn't want to believe that I was gay" (Louganis, 1995, p. 76).
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often internalize the negative homophobic views of society leading to feelings of selfhatred, self-depreciation and low self-esteem (Martin & Hetrick, 1988). Many of these youth, however, develop coping mechanisms, self-efficacy and social supports that enable them to compensate for feelings of inferiority by excelling in specific activities, e.g., sports, arts, academic, student government (Due, 1995). Louganis identified this phenomenon as happening early in his life: "Being beat up at elementary schoollike being beaten by my dad-proved to be a big motivator . ... It made me angry, and I learned to focus most of that angry energy on my acrobatics and diving" (Louganis, 1995, p. 38).
5. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often grow up with a lack of role models. Because of the stigma of homosexuality, many gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults choose to "pass" (Berger, 1990), leaving a lack of appropriate role models for youth (Martin, 1982). Consequently, gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth who feel different in childhood or experience identity confusion in adolescence (Troiden, 1989) often feel that they are alone in these experiences. In addition, they have no role models for socialization as young people, dating during adolescence, and living as a couple during adulthood. Louganis clearly identified each of these phenomena in his life: (a) "There was no place I could meet other gay kids like me, no place to sort out my conflicts over my sexuality, and no way to start going out on dates with boys my age" (Louganis, 1995, p. 78); (b) "I'd always been a good dancer, so I really had a great time [at the dance club]. Suddenly there were all these people like me out there. It was such a relief to know I wasn't the only one" (Louganis, 1995, p. 99); and (c)
I had no role models when it came to intimate and committed relationships between two men. I'm sure they existed, but I didn't know any adult gay couples. So I had plenty more mistakes to make, and lots of lessons to learn. (Louganis, 1995, p. 103)
6. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have high rates of alcohol and other substance use and abuse. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths are under a great deal of strain (Rosario, Hunter, & Gwadz, 1994), and many cope with the stress and dull the pain with alcohol and other substance use and abuse. In a study of 136 gay and bisexual male adolescents, RotheramBorus, Rosario, Van Rossem, Reid, and Gillis (1995) found substance abuse was common, with 68% using alcohol, 33% marijuana, and 14% cocaine (including crack cocaine) in the last three months. Grossman and Kerner (in press) found similar high rates among 90 gay and lesbian youth, with 63% using alcohol and 50% using drugs in the past month. In comparison, 15% of high school students reported that they used alcohol and 9% that they used drugs at least once in the preceding year, in a national study of students at risk conducted by Phi Delta Kappa (Frymier & Gansneder, 1989).
Louganis described his substance use and abuse at various times in his life. One of his most poignant descriptions is this one:
I remember that in 1978 [age 18] I showed up at the nationals one morning still half drunk. The day before, I'd missed the world championship team on 3-meter springboard. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and I went out and got smashed. (Louganis, 1995, p. 116)
7. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are at high risk for HIV infection. Verbal and physical abuse by peers and adults are detrimental to the mental health of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and often correlates with negative outcomes such as school-related problems, alcohol and substance abuse, running away from home, and prostitution (Savin-Williams, 1994). These adverse consequences, as well as feelings of alienation and despair and furtive sexual contacts, put these youth at high risk for HIV infection (Grossman, 1994). In addition, homophobia tends to mask the fact that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are adolescents and that they experience the developmental tasks of adolescence like their heterosexual counterparts. These include experimentation with a wide range of attitudes and behaviors, including sexual activities, and denying long-term health consequences of current behaviors. They may also have difficulty in understanding that one can be an asymptomatic carrier of the deadly HIV/AIDS disease (Grossman, 1991).
Louganis became aware of his HIVpositive status several months before the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He stated:
Growing up, I learned that being gay was a bad thing. I'd rejected those lessons long ago, but the negative feelings about being gay stayed with me. Now I was infected with what many people misguidedly called a 'gay disease.' So it just followed that God was punishing me for acting on my feelings. I've talked with other gay men who were infected with HIV, I've discovered that I'm not the only one to have those feelings. But at the time, I was along with my thoughts. (Louganis, 1995, p. 186)
Implementing The LessonsIn order to learn and implement the lessons that Louganis and other writers and researchers have indicated, professionals working with youth-including, recreation leaders, therapeutic recreation specialists, social workers, educators, guidance counselors, youth workers, psychologists, nurses-need to be open-minded and nonjudgmental in working with gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and in helping them to confront the realities of their everyday lives. Some approaches and strategies for doing so are:
Learn the facts about gay, lesbian, and bisexual people so as to be able to dispel myths and stereotypes about them. Homosexuality is now known to be:
a core aspect of personality, probably fixed in early childhood, biologically based, and affecting a significant proportion of the population . ... There is no convincing evidence that sexual orientation can be changed, and there is no evidence whatsoever that homosexuality is any way pathological. (Helminiak, 1994, p. 32)
In other words, homosexuality is natural in the created order, it is not a curse or a sin. In response to comments that the Bible condemns homosexuality, Helminiak (1994) stated that "Somehow God must be behind the fact that some people are homosexual. Then why should God's word in the Bible condemn homosexuality? There must be a mistake in the reasoning somewhere" (p. 19). He concluded that the mistake is in how the Bible is being read; and his key argument is presented as follows:
In biblical times there was no elaborated understanding of homosexuality as a sexual orientation. There was only a general awareness of samesex contacts ... or acts, what can be called homogenital acts. Our question today is about people and their relationships, not simply about sex acts . ... Our question is about spontaneous affection for people of the same sex and about the ethical possibility of expressing that affection in loving, sexual relationships. Because this was not a question in the minds of biblical authors, we cannot expect the Bible to give the answer. (Helminiak, 1994, p. 33)
Challenge words and actions that harass, discriminate against, oppress or harm gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. These include jokes, name-calling, graffiti and outright violence against youth who are or perceived to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. A safe environment for all youth is created when leisure service and other professionals who work with them do not ignore derogatory language and behavior based on prejudice, including that founded in ethnocentrism, racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Furthermore, setting and enforcing standards regarding acceptable behaviors engenders appreciation, respect, and acceptance of others.
Create a tone of acceptance and support.It is important for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to learn that homosexuality is not an aspect of themselves of which they must be ashamed and have to hide. They must have role models who consistently display positive, accepting and supportive behaviors. For example, assuming that there are gay, lesbian, or bisexual youth in classes or groups, then using inclusive language and providing examples of contemporary gay, lesbian, and bisexual role models will assist them in combating homophobia in themselves and in others; seeing themselves as a valid part of societal diversity; and learning that some people view them positively and are willing to be their advocates.
Enable gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to develop their authentic personalities.
There is great pressure in our society to be 100% heterosexual and to avoid any sexual fantasies or feelings about persons of one's own gender. This pressure to avoid homosexuality may pose a conflict that can take the form of fearing same-gender sexual feelings in oneself or feeling hostile or uncomfortable towards persons who find sexual satisfaction in same-gender relationships. (Kimmel & Weiner, 1995, p. 352)
Therefore, gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth need allies and advocates (e.g., recreation leaders and coaches) who assist them in finding support and acceptance with their parents, siblings, teachers, clergy and peers. The allies and advocates should create pathways that will allow the youth to validate their feelings, value their worth as individuals, and assist them in developing authentic relationships based on honesty and trust.
All youth can benefit from role models who are heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual. Non-gay role models are easily observable and offer realistic goals and behaviors for heterosexual youth; however, the same is not true for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. These youth need adults who publicly identify their sexual identities, and who demonstrate what it means to live as homosexual or bisexual persons. It is of these adults that youth can ask questions, talk about their feelings, find resources they need, and seek help in times of distress.
Professionals who work with youth are often in positions to refer gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to resources that provide education, counseling, social, physical, and recreation activities. Many of these services also provide opportunities to meet other gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and to date and socialize with peers. In addition, these service organizations often employ professionally trained social work and leisure service professionals who can assist youth in dealing with feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, verbal and physical harassment, suicide ideation, alcohol and substance abuse, and surviving the consequences of being throwaways or runaways. These professionals also have experience in assisting gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth in facing developmental tasks that may have been put on hold, e.g., learning social and leisure skills, engaging in problem-solving and decision-making processes, and forming a value system, while they are establishing their personal and sexual identities.
Developing programs and encouraging open discussions of factors that put all youth, including those who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual, at risk for HIV/AIDS infection. The Office of National AIDS Policy (1996) indicated that "homophobia in the design and implementation of AIDS prevention programs drives away many gay and bisexual adolescents from needed information and care" (p. I). Therefore, for such programs and discussions to be effective with these youth, they depend on the success of the abovestated approaches and strategies for a foundation. It is only within such a framework that all youth can truly learn, develop and practice the skills that are necessary to consistently avoid HIV infection. These skills are in the areas of communication, negotiation, problem solving, and decision making. Without necessarily labeling them "HIV/AIDS," there are numerous opportunities to include HIV/AIDS prevention education in leading discussion groups about great leaders or current events, in coaching physical activities and sports, in instructing arts and crafts activities, in implementing educational theater and drama programs, in establishing a photography or dance program, in conducting health-related community activities, and in developing and executing recreation and environmental programs. For those who are HIV infected or have developed AIDS, access to ongoing and voluntary testing and counseling programs, support groups, and referrals to a continuum of care and services that will extend their life spans and reduce the likelihood of further transmission must be provided.
ConclusionMany gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth find themselves attracted to members of the same gender during their adolescent years or earlier. Most do not understand its meaning, but they are able to identify their feelings. They also learn that such feelings must not be expressed and are something of which they are to be ashamed. Such anti-gay teaching cause many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to live their lives mostly in secrecy and hiding, which often leads to emotional, social and educational problems, including depression, substance abuse, and truancy. Through these and other experiences, many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are communicating their overwhelming needs for acceptance and understanding.
Leisure service professionals have many opportunities to break the cycle of victimization, despair, anguish, and hopelessness that some gay, lesbian, and bisexual come to know as everyday feelings. Individual recreation and leisure experiences (i.e.., diving, swimming, painting, drawing) can assist gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth in enhancing skill development and promoting feelings of achievement, which help cope with feelings of shame while enhancing feelings of self-concept and self-worth. Group recreation activities (e.g., art mural groups, adventure programming, team sports, role playing and drama) can help gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to learn social skills, promote their social and emotional acceptance, develop feelings of self-confidence, and make the transition to adult life with a strong sense of personal identity and independence. Recreation activities that focus on youth participation and empowerment, peer and leisure counseling, and cooperative games and hobbies can be effective in helping gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and their heterosexual counterparts to learn about living in a diverse society and accepting differences.
Louganis's words and those of practitioners and researchers provide leisure service and other professionals with lessons for assisting gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to avoid harm and problems and to enhance opportunities for their growth and development. Ethics and professional responsibility call for leisure service and other professionals to dispel myths, challenge stereotypes, and stop verbal and physical harassment that oppress gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. Fulfilling these responsibilities call for action in creating safe environments, promoting atmospheres characterized by acceptance and support, and enhancing opportunities for identity development, building self-esteem, and developing authentic relationships.
Lessons From Greg Louganis in Relating to Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth
Arnold H. Grossman (Journal of Leisurability, V. 24, no 4)
Most youth growing up in today's American society come to expect certain kinds of behavior from significant others in their lives, including their parents, siblings and other relatives; playground and recreation leaders, teachers, team coaches and guidance counselors; and their peers and friends. They learn to prize love and affection, to seek praise and recognition, to enjoy feelings of accomplishment, to be a friend and to have friends, and to be free from intense feelings of guilt and fear. In other words, youth learn to expect certain qualities in their human relationships that help to meet their needs. However, these qualities change dramatically when youths are suspected of being or are self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
In Breaking the Surface,' Greg Louganis (1995) described his anguish over his sexual orientation, including his battles with low self-esteem and depression; his use of drugs to cope with feelings of stress and pain; his difficulties with personal relationships; his suicide attempts to escape the anguish of living and his feelings of shame; his finding refuge in his acrobatics, diving practice, and achievements; and his being diagnosed and living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease-all in the context of his being a four-time Olympic gold-medal diving champion. In doing so, Louganis provided insights into developmental issues that can assist recreation and leisure service professionals and educators in meeting the needs of today's gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth so that they do not have to repeat his negative experiences.
Unlearned LessonsAlthough there has been a growing literature about gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, many professionals have not learned the lessons that have been provided. Louganis (1995) stimulated the learning of some of these lessons:
1. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often experience intense isolation. This isolation is realized in cognitive, social, and emotional aspects. Cognitive isolation relates to lack of access to and accurate information about homosexuality and what it means to be a gay, lesbian, or bisexual person. Socially isolated youth have no one to talk to, feel different, and feel alone in most social contexts (i.e., home, school, church, and recreation centers). Social isolation often interacts with and sometimes leads to emotional isolation. Emotionally isolated youth feel separated affectionally and emotionally from all social networks including family members and peers. They feel they must be on guard at all times so that no one will discover their secret (Hetrick & Martin, 1987; Martin, 1982).
Louganis described his feelings of isolation at various times. In an early passage, he portrayed a lack of knowledge of what it means to be gay (along with feelings of shame):
Since I got my butt kicked, it had to be true that I was a sissy. Since I got beat up, I must be a bad person. Since I was a bad person, I must deserve it. If I didn't deserve it, I would have won the fights. (Louganis, 1995, pp. 36-37)
At age 16, Louganis again indicated his feelings of isolation at the Olympics, Montreal 1976.
I don't really know how I knew what a gay person was, but by the time I got to the Olympics, I had no doubt that I was one. I really wanted to talk to someone about what I was feeling, because I was having trouble dealing with it. (Louganis, 1995, p. 71)
2. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often experience verbal abuse, harassment and violence. "Youths who are known to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual received considerable verbal and physical abuse from peers and, all too frequently, from parents and other adults" (Savin-Williams, 1994, p. 267). In a study conducted by Hunter (1990), 40% (201 of 500) of the youths at the Hetrick-Martin Institute (a communitybased organization providing services to lesbian, gay and bisexual youth) reported that they had experienced physical violence. Of those reporting physical attacks, 46% said the assaults were gay-related; and 61 % of those gay-related assaults occurred in the family. Hunter goes on to report that the "physical attacks typically were preceded by an escalating sequence of emotional abuse, name-calling, verbal attacks, and threats of violence" (p. 299).
Students in junior and senior high schools, where traditional social roles are exaggerated, ostracize those who do not fit the norm; as a result, gay and lesbian, youth experience the cruelest and most negative attitudes in the school setting (Gibson, 1989). Louganis was no exception.
By that age [7 or 81, I was already being called sissy and faggot, but I didn't associate those names with being attracted to men . ... They all blended together to make me feel that I was truly worthless and had no right to live. (Louganis, 1995, p. 75)
Louganis also experienced physical violence:
I got beat up often enough that it seems like a lot to me. The boys picked the fights, and some of the girls cheered them on. I internalized all of it . ... I figured I must be wrong. They must be right to call me names and beat me up. (Louganis, 1995, p. 36)
For some gay and lesbian, youth, gender atypicality, obviousness, and disclosure of sexual orientation may lead to their being victimized. Non-disclosure, on the other hand, often leads to alienation, dishonesty, frustration, shame and health problems (Pilkington & D'Augelli, 1995).
3. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Gibson, 1989). Feeling isolated, experiencing persistent harassment, lacking social supports, and internalizing negative views of a homophobic society lead many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide (Remafedi, 1994). In a recent study conducted at the HetrickMartin Institute (Grossman & Kerner, in press), 56% of the gay and lesbian youth (50 of 90) reported having suicidal thoughts and 30% (27 of 90) reported having made a suicide attempt. Rotheram-Borus, Hunter and Rosario (1994) report higher rates of suicide attempts (39%) among gay and bisexual male youths, especially when compared to reports of presumably heterosexual youths in schools (11% to 16%) and community samples (9% to 12%).
Louganis attempted suicide three times. He described one suicide attempt, which took place in the fall of 1977, when he was returning for his senior year of high school as follows:
I wrote a suicide note explaining that I couldn't take it anymore, and I outlined all the reasons why I was doing it-except my sexuality. One of the lines in the note was about how I couldn't seem to do anything right . ... I swallowed a handful of pills, got into bed, and prayed that I wouldn't wake up. When I opened my eyes the next morning and realized I was still alive, I was angry with myself for being such a failure that I couldn't even kill myself. (Louganis, 1995, p. 90)
4. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have to learn to live with and manage the stigma of homosexuality. Stigma, a Greek word, originally referred to a visual sign that marked the negative status of a person. Stigmatizing individuals usually involved scarring or branding them; however, a stigma can include signs or attributes that are not visible (Goffman, 1963; Martin, 1982). Identity stigmatization of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people results from hatred, cruelty, prejudice, discrimination and oppression that is condoned by elements of American society. The stigmatization portrays same-sex relationships as morally wrong, deviant, and repugnant (Savin-Williams & Cohen, 1996).
In order to manage the identity stigmatization, preadolescent youth who experience a sense of difference "learn to hide" (Martin, 1982). As most gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are not easily identified, and the rewards for not being homosexual or bisexual are so great, those who can "pass" as heterosexual often do. According to Berger (1990) "passing" is one of the most ubiquitous characteristics of gay, (bisexual,] and lesbian people. The essential task is the management of personal information. When one decides to "come out," the first decision becomes who to tell or not to tell; the choices are how, when, and where.
Louganis described his preadolescent knowledge related to the stigmatized identity of homosexuals as follows:
When I was around twelve or thirteen, I began to understand that sissy and fag meant homosexual. I don't remember how I came to know that, but I knew immediately that it was something to be ashamed of. (Louganis, 1995, p. 75)
And in recalling his mid-teens, he stated, "I assumed that these feelings were something I'd outgrow, that this was the kind of thing all boys went through. I tried hard to believe that, because I didn't want to believe that I was gay" (Louganis, 1995, p. 76).
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often internalize the negative homophobic views of society leading to feelings of selfhatred, self-depreciation and low self-esteem (Martin & Hetrick, 1988). Many of these youth, however, develop coping mechanisms, self-efficacy and social supports that enable them to compensate for feelings of inferiority by excelling in specific activities, e.g., sports, arts, academic, student government (Due, 1995). Louganis identified this phenomenon as happening early in his life: "Being beat up at elementary schoollike being beaten by my dad-proved to be a big motivator . ... It made me angry, and I learned to focus most of that angry energy on my acrobatics and diving" (Louganis, 1995, p. 38).
5. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth often grow up with a lack of role models. Because of the stigma of homosexuality, many gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults choose to "pass" (Berger, 1990), leaving a lack of appropriate role models for youth (Martin, 1982). Consequently, gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth who feel different in childhood or experience identity confusion in adolescence (Troiden, 1989) often feel that they are alone in these experiences. In addition, they have no role models for socialization as young people, dating during adolescence, and living as a couple during adulthood. Louganis clearly identified each of these phenomena in his life: (a) "There was no place I could meet other gay kids like me, no place to sort out my conflicts over my sexuality, and no way to start going out on dates with boys my age" (Louganis, 1995, p. 78); (b) "I'd always been a good dancer, so I really had a great time [at the dance club]. Suddenly there were all these people like me out there. It was such a relief to know I wasn't the only one" (Louganis, 1995, p. 99); and (c)
I had no role models when it came to intimate and committed relationships between two men. I'm sure they existed, but I didn't know any adult gay couples. So I had plenty more mistakes to make, and lots of lessons to learn. (Louganis, 1995, p. 103)
6. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have high rates of alcohol and other substance use and abuse. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths are under a great deal of strain (Rosario, Hunter, & Gwadz, 1994), and many cope with the stress and dull the pain with alcohol and other substance use and abuse. In a study of 136 gay and bisexual male adolescents, RotheramBorus, Rosario, Van Rossem, Reid, and Gillis (1995) found substance abuse was common, with 68% using alcohol, 33% marijuana, and 14% cocaine (including crack cocaine) in the last three months. Grossman and Kerner (in press) found similar high rates among 90 gay and lesbian youth, with 63% using alcohol and 50% using drugs in the past month. In comparison, 15% of high school students reported that they used alcohol and 9% that they used drugs at least once in the preceding year, in a national study of students at risk conducted by Phi Delta Kappa (Frymier & Gansneder, 1989).
Louganis described his substance use and abuse at various times in his life. One of his most poignant descriptions is this one:
I remember that in 1978 [age 18] I showed up at the nationals one morning still half drunk. The day before, I'd missed the world championship team on 3-meter springboard. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and I went out and got smashed. (Louganis, 1995, p. 116)
7. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are at high risk for HIV infection. Verbal and physical abuse by peers and adults are detrimental to the mental health of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and often correlates with negative outcomes such as school-related problems, alcohol and substance abuse, running away from home, and prostitution (Savin-Williams, 1994). These adverse consequences, as well as feelings of alienation and despair and furtive sexual contacts, put these youth at high risk for HIV infection (Grossman, 1994). In addition, homophobia tends to mask the fact that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are adolescents and that they experience the developmental tasks of adolescence like their heterosexual counterparts. These include experimentation with a wide range of attitudes and behaviors, including sexual activities, and denying long-term health consequences of current behaviors. They may also have difficulty in understanding that one can be an asymptomatic carrier of the deadly HIV/AIDS disease (Grossman, 1991).
Louganis became aware of his HIVpositive status several months before the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He stated:
Growing up, I learned that being gay was a bad thing. I'd rejected those lessons long ago, but the negative feelings about being gay stayed with me. Now I was infected with what many people misguidedly called a 'gay disease.' So it just followed that God was punishing me for acting on my feelings. I've talked with other gay men who were infected with HIV, I've discovered that I'm not the only one to have those feelings. But at the time, I was along with my thoughts. (Louganis, 1995, p. 186)
Implementing The LessonsIn order to learn and implement the lessons that Louganis and other writers and researchers have indicated, professionals working with youth-including, recreation leaders, therapeutic recreation specialists, social workers, educators, guidance counselors, youth workers, psychologists, nurses-need to be open-minded and nonjudgmental in working with gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and in helping them to confront the realities of their everyday lives. Some approaches and strategies for doing so are:
Learn the facts about gay, lesbian, and bisexual people so as to be able to dispel myths and stereotypes about them. Homosexuality is now known to be:
a core aspect of personality, probably fixed in early childhood, biologically based, and affecting a significant proportion of the population . ... There is no convincing evidence that sexual orientation can be changed, and there is no evidence whatsoever that homosexuality is any way pathological. (Helminiak, 1994, p. 32)
In other words, homosexuality is natural in the created order, it is not a curse or a sin. In response to comments that the Bible condemns homosexuality, Helminiak (1994) stated that "Somehow God must be behind the fact that some people are homosexual. Then why should God's word in the Bible condemn homosexuality? There must be a mistake in the reasoning somewhere" (p. 19). He concluded that the mistake is in how the Bible is being read; and his key argument is presented as follows:
In biblical times there was no elaborated understanding of homosexuality as a sexual orientation. There was only a general awareness of samesex contacts ... or acts, what can be called homogenital acts. Our question today is about people and their relationships, not simply about sex acts . ... Our question is about spontaneous affection for people of the same sex and about the ethical possibility of expressing that affection in loving, sexual relationships. Because this was not a question in the minds of biblical authors, we cannot expect the Bible to give the answer. (Helminiak, 1994, p. 33)
Challenge words and actions that harass, discriminate against, oppress or harm gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. These include jokes, name-calling, graffiti and outright violence against youth who are or perceived to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. A safe environment for all youth is created when leisure service and other professionals who work with them do not ignore derogatory language and behavior based on prejudice, including that founded in ethnocentrism, racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Furthermore, setting and enforcing standards regarding acceptable behaviors engenders appreciation, respect, and acceptance of others.
Create a tone of acceptance and support.It is important for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to learn that homosexuality is not an aspect of themselves of which they must be ashamed and have to hide. They must have role models who consistently display positive, accepting and supportive behaviors. For example, assuming that there are gay, lesbian, or bisexual youth in classes or groups, then using inclusive language and providing examples of contemporary gay, lesbian, and bisexual role models will assist them in combating homophobia in themselves and in others; seeing themselves as a valid part of societal diversity; and learning that some people view them positively and are willing to be their advocates.
Enable gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to develop their authentic personalities.
There is great pressure in our society to be 100% heterosexual and to avoid any sexual fantasies or feelings about persons of one's own gender. This pressure to avoid homosexuality may pose a conflict that can take the form of fearing same-gender sexual feelings in oneself or feeling hostile or uncomfortable towards persons who find sexual satisfaction in same-gender relationships. (Kimmel & Weiner, 1995, p. 352)
Therefore, gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth need allies and advocates (e.g., recreation leaders and coaches) who assist them in finding support and acceptance with their parents, siblings, teachers, clergy and peers. The allies and advocates should create pathways that will allow the youth to validate their feelings, value their worth as individuals, and assist them in developing authentic relationships based on honesty and trust.
All youth can benefit from role models who are heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual. Non-gay role models are easily observable and offer realistic goals and behaviors for heterosexual youth; however, the same is not true for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. These youth need adults who publicly identify their sexual identities, and who demonstrate what it means to live as homosexual or bisexual persons. It is of these adults that youth can ask questions, talk about their feelings, find resources they need, and seek help in times of distress.
Professionals who work with youth are often in positions to refer gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to resources that provide education, counseling, social, physical, and recreation activities. Many of these services also provide opportunities to meet other gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and to date and socialize with peers. In addition, these service organizations often employ professionally trained social work and leisure service professionals who can assist youth in dealing with feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, verbal and physical harassment, suicide ideation, alcohol and substance abuse, and surviving the consequences of being throwaways or runaways. These professionals also have experience in assisting gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth in facing developmental tasks that may have been put on hold, e.g., learning social and leisure skills, engaging in problem-solving and decision-making processes, and forming a value system, while they are establishing their personal and sexual identities.
Developing programs and encouraging open discussions of factors that put all youth, including those who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual, at risk for HIV/AIDS infection. The Office of National AIDS Policy (1996) indicated that "homophobia in the design and implementation of AIDS prevention programs drives away many gay and bisexual adolescents from needed information and care" (p. I). Therefore, for such programs and discussions to be effective with these youth, they depend on the success of the abovestated approaches and strategies for a foundation. It is only within such a framework that all youth can truly learn, develop and practice the skills that are necessary to consistently avoid HIV infection. These skills are in the areas of communication, negotiation, problem solving, and decision making. Without necessarily labeling them "HIV/AIDS," there are numerous opportunities to include HIV/AIDS prevention education in leading discussion groups about great leaders or current events, in coaching physical activities and sports, in instructing arts and crafts activities, in implementing educational theater and drama programs, in establishing a photography or dance program, in conducting health-related community activities, and in developing and executing recreation and environmental programs. For those who are HIV infected or have developed AIDS, access to ongoing and voluntary testing and counseling programs, support groups, and referrals to a continuum of care and services that will extend their life spans and reduce the likelihood of further transmission must be provided.
ConclusionMany gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth find themselves attracted to members of the same gender during their adolescent years or earlier. Most do not understand its meaning, but they are able to identify their feelings. They also learn that such feelings must not be expressed and are something of which they are to be ashamed. Such anti-gay teaching cause many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to live their lives mostly in secrecy and hiding, which often leads to emotional, social and educational problems, including depression, substance abuse, and truancy. Through these and other experiences, many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are communicating their overwhelming needs for acceptance and understanding.
Leisure service professionals have many opportunities to break the cycle of victimization, despair, anguish, and hopelessness that some gay, lesbian, and bisexual come to know as everyday feelings. Individual recreation and leisure experiences (i.e.., diving, swimming, painting, drawing) can assist gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth in enhancing skill development and promoting feelings of achievement, which help cope with feelings of shame while enhancing feelings of self-concept and self-worth. Group recreation activities (e.g., art mural groups, adventure programming, team sports, role playing and drama) can help gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to learn social skills, promote their social and emotional acceptance, develop feelings of self-confidence, and make the transition to adult life with a strong sense of personal identity and independence. Recreation activities that focus on youth participation and empowerment, peer and leisure counseling, and cooperative games and hobbies can be effective in helping gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and their heterosexual counterparts to learn about living in a diverse society and accepting differences.
Louganis's words and those of practitioners and researchers provide leisure service and other professionals with lessons for assisting gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth to avoid harm and problems and to enhance opportunities for their growth and development. Ethics and professional responsibility call for leisure service and other professionals to dispel myths, challenge stereotypes, and stop verbal and physical harassment that oppress gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. Fulfilling these responsibilities call for action in creating safe environments, promoting atmospheres characterized by acceptance and support, and enhancing opportunities for identity development, building self-esteem, and developing authentic relationships.
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