Informal mentoring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students

Molly Mulcahy, Sarah Dalton, Jered Kolbert and Laura Crothers

The Journal of Educational Research, 2016, vol. 109, issue 4, 405-412

Abstract: The authors identified the process that 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) high school students used to establish an informal adult-mentor relationship with a school personnel member. Five major themes emerged: (a) how LGBT students determined whether this person would be a safe mentor, (b) a listing of the important qualities of LGBT mentors, (c) a description of the process LGBT students used to approach possible mentors, (d) how the mentor relationship was beneficial to LGBT students, and (e) why the relationship was different from their parental relationships. The results revealed that LGBT students were cautious in identifying a potential school personnel mentor because they were concerned about mentor acceptance. Participants looked for mentors to have qualities of independent thinking, liberal political views, genuine interest in the student's life, helping with student career development, and a commitment to bullying prevention. School personnel who are interested in being a mentor to LGBT students can demonstrate an appreciation of diversity by including normalized talk of sexual diversity in conversations or lessons, and making their classroom a safe for LGBT students before, during, and after school.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1080/00220671.2014.979907

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