By Jay Culkin, MA, YPA-C, NYCPS-P, Youth Training Coordinator for Families Together New York State

When I was a youth person I did not see arguments against the existence of transgender people anywhere to be found in my community, on TV, or on the internet. At the time that I first realized I was transgender and coming out to small groups of friends in 2008, the hot button issue was whether or not to “legalize gay marriage.” I lived in a household with caregivers that were not accepting of me and I went back into the closet for a long period of time. When the Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 2015, the tides suddenly turned. That happened to be the time that I started to come out as transgender once again and more openly with family and friends. 

Just as acceptance of marriage equality between two people of any gender became normalized, I started to see the conversations about transgender people also become prominent. They weren’t always great either. Since people in marginalized communities are presented with these unique challenges, clinics can greatly benefit from ensuring they have diverse talent on their lived-experience team. Intentional matching can have many benefits. Marginalized communities can include the LGBTQ community, the indigenous people, people of color, those with an unstable immigration status, neurodivergent individuals, and people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. This is not an exhaustive list. 

Benefits of peer-to-peer support for marginalized people:

1. Build Community and Reduce Isolation

For many individuals in marginalized communities they may not have many friends who share their experience and are not connected to resources. For many LGBTQ specifically, they may not be “out” to many people or their parents restrict their access to resources for their community. There are also individuals whose marginalized identity might not be acknowledged or may be highly policed, such as being neurodivergent, physically disabled, and/or chronically ill. Being connected to a peer with similar lived experience as part of a marginalized community will allow individuals to see a wider representation of people like themselves and help individuals see that they are not alone in their challenges.

2. Role Modeling and Mentoring

Due to non-acceptance, people within these communities may have lost access to traditional role models in their lives. They may not have had any positive role models that represent their circumstances in the first place. They also might have limited sources of successful representation of individuals like themselves in media where they are healthy, well, and reaching their goals. Having individuals on your team that reflect the diversity of service recipients gives a vital experience of mentoring that reflects their goals and obstacles.

3. Empowerment and Advocacy

Marginalized individuals often feel an extra layer of powerlessness in mental health spaces. Historically, many of these identities have been needlessly or incorrectly pathologized, such as gender dysphoria for transgender individuals. In addition, since these communities are considered the “other” of the population rather than the default, providers often find themselves unintentionally creating circumstances that further the feeling of powerlessness in these individuals. Having an intentionally selected peer may help these individuals to find their voice and practice advocating for themselves with providers in a way that positively affects their treatment and the provider’s clinical work with them. 

4. Safe Spaces 

Marginalized individuals may feel responsible for educating the individuals around them who are not part of their community. They may also feel the burden of having to reassure allies. Having a peer, or provider in general, that shares their experiences with marginalization serves as a reprieve to vent and make productive conflict management plans without judgment. 

5. Practical Support 

People within marginalized communities deal with challenges that might be difficult for allies outside of the community to understand. These may include experiences with coping with gender dysphoria, racist microaggressions, family rejection, using gender affirming items and getting gender affirming surgeries, coping with misinformation, not being believed about their experiences, dealing with intersectional identities, hearing threats of deportation, legal issues, and so many more things that the general population does not have to experience on a day-to-day basis. Having a peer with lived experience beyond just system involvement can help individuals feel confident in navigating those experiences. 

So… What are your next steps? 

1. Outline and Articulate Your Commitment to Inclusion – Without this first piece, all other efforts are not likely to be successful. Think about what you have learned about becoming allied with marginalized communities from various webinars, learning collaboratives, articles, and other learning resources. How will you integrate this into your clinic setting to attract and retain individuals that reflect the demographics of the individuals you serve? You may wish to include this in job postings, flyers, social media posts, etc. 
   
2. Intentional Recruitment – Search for local events, centers, clinics, social organizations, clubs, and other specifically designated spaces. 
   
3. Newsletters and Job Boards – Look for specific organizations that have newsletters, magazines, job boards, and other resources where you can post a job advertisement. This can include resources like the newsletter for the local LGBTQ center, the N.A.P.S job board, local libraries, town or city municipal buildings, Black Student Unions at local colleges, etc. 
   
4. Word-of-Mouth – Have a candid conversation about representation with staff, including peers. Express the value of expanding the team with wider arrays of diverse experience. Someone may know someone from their personal or professional network. 
   
5. Social Media – Websites like LinkedIn have specific professional development groups for marginalized individuals in the workforce to get support. Create a post! 
   
6. Affinity Groups and/or Alliance Groups – Offer collaborative spaces where marginalized peers can process their work challenges and strengths. Offer opportunities for clinic staff or related support staff to show their commitment to allyship. 

About the Author:

Jay Culkin is a professionally credentialed Youth Peer Advocate (YPA-C) who has been working in human services since 2015. Jay is also a NY Certified Peer Specialist (NYCPS-P). He received a BA in Sociology in 2018 from Stony Brook University and received a Master’s Degree in Social & Public Policy with an Advanced Certificate in Child & Family Advocacy in 2023 from Empire State University. He was the first of a pilot project at SCO Family of Services, a well-known child and family services non-profit from the NYC metropolitan area, to have seasoned YPAs mentoring newer YPAs. The purpose of mentoring was to help newer YPAs practice boundaries, communication, assertiveness, and other useful skills as lived experience professionals. Jay has spent most of his time as a YPA advocating for transgender youth and providing information to staff about quality LGBTQ+ care in mental health settings using examples from his own lived experience. He has been working to raise awareness of neurodiversity and the specific needs of neurodivergent individuals in school settings and the workplace environment. Jay has a passion for literacy, poetry, and the English Language Arts. As part of his passion Jay has previously volunteered as a tutor for Literacy Suffolk Inc., is currently volunteering as a docent for the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association and has been assisting with running a local Open Mic Night event called A Box of Chocolates. Jay is a born and raised Long Islander living with his wife and pet bunny, Onion.