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Gay Peoples Chronicle

May 1986

Gay & Lesbian Substance Abuse

[continued from March issue]

By DAWN L. VANDERZEE and ALLEN L. RALSTON

Recommendations

It is imperative that those involved in providing health care services to sexual minoriies become "proactive" planners rather than "reactive." They must come to develop an image and idea illustrating a pro-health, pro-life gay and lesbian perspective. In this vein the following recommendations are submitted:

*Gay and lesbian involvement must occur at all levels of policy-making, implementation, and service delivery. We recommend gay and lesbian representation on the Ohio Recovery Council, agency boards, and the staffs of alcohol programs.

The most powerful solution originates from the force of example. It is hard to imagine alcoholics recovering from alcoholism without ever seeing an alcoolic who is "making it." It is hard to imagine professionals developing positive attitudes toward alcoholics without ever meeting a healthy, sober person! And, it is almost impossible to imagine gay or lesbian alcoholics and alcoholism professionals believing that gays and lesbians can be well-integrated persons when they have never met anyone but unhappy, drunk or "stereotypical" homosexuals. There is an unseen need for healthy, sober and drug-free gay and lesbian_role models.

Service agencies and

boards should place helpwanted advertisements in local and national gay and lesbian publications as well as in publications geared These help-wanted advertisefor other minority groups. ity and to qualified service ments express to the communprofessionals that the given the employment of sexual employer no longer resists minorities. Such ads signal a climate of acceptance within the board or service agency environment.

*There is a need for inservice education on homosexuality and for sensitivity training. Patients tend to model staff behavior. Studies have shown that inservice training on homosexuality, interaction with gay persons, and maintaining a focus on treating alcoholism have yielded positive results in conventional agencies. The therapist, administrator or policy-maker needs to be aware of the many stresses upon the individual that arise from society, from the gay subculture and from one person's psyche, not only because of gayness but also because of the alcoholism.

The bottom line appears to be that counselors or policy makers cannot address individuals whose lifestyle and issues remain a mystery. A requisite exists for service centers and for service professionals to become sensitive and knowledgeable regarding issues surrounding homosexuals and substance abuse. Open and receptive discussion must occur on a continuing basis with

the

assistance of persons experienced in this arena. A mandate exists for local councils and other educational bodies to provide annual service discussions. training programs and in-

*Programs within the treatment environment and for professionals which adtraining program designed dress the matter of sexuality need to be structured to openly explore the entire range of normal sexual behavior, including homosexuality. Caution must be exercised not to subordinate homosexuals to heterosexuals. Examples used in description should not be solely heterosexual examples; and the word "lover" needs to be as comfortable as the terms "husband and wife."

*Inherent in the gay lifestyle is a different definition of family. Family for gays and lesbians often a collection of long, close means love relationships and friendships--contrary to the stereotype of gays as having only short, transient involvements. Traditional programs which do not incorporate the definition of gay family need to be modified to do so. Gays and lesbians must be provided the opportunity to be mainstreamed into family involvement programs without reservation or hesitation. Knowledge of Gay Al-anon groups and self-help groups such as. Parents of Gays must be incorporated into the programs.

*The State of Ohio must revise current legislation

and current insurance industry, practices which wrongly exclude gay and lesbian "life partners" from the family insurance coverage provided their heterosexual counterparts. Group insurance programs which provide family coverage only extend this to the "Spouse of an of spouse is a heterosexual individual. The definition definition.

Gays and lesbians who are in lasting love relationships and who cohabit with a partner are prohibited from enrolling their partner and dependent child, which they and their partner may support, in family group insurance coverages provided by employers. Often gays and lesbians find that when their life partner or child within this extended family develops a substance abuse problem, insurance coverage is not available to the loved ones within their family. Health care coverage in within a heterosexual family a corresponding situation is provided.

em-

The gay and lesbian ployees within the State of Ohio work side-by-side with their heterosexual counterparts, yet these employees cannot receive the family coverages provided their coworkers. Their labors are compensated at a lower level and their families are placed more at risk when a substance abuse problem occurs.

[To be concluded in our next issue.]

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