Newaygo County Public Opinion

Becoming an Ally

5/9/2020

By Jennifer Derwin, LMSW.

May is National Mental Health Month and we asked the folks from Newaygo County Mental Health to provide us with a series of articles to help promote awareness of the resources available for those seeking help. In this piece clinician Jennifer Derwin provides some insight about the issues facing LBGT people living in rural areas.
Here are the two previous pieces.
https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/self-care-for-improved-mental-health
https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/mental-health-month-taking-time-to-heal

Up North Michigan is beautiful this time of year, the birds chirping, the river flowing, peepers at night and beautiful sunsets. Rural Michigan is a great place to live, grow up and raise a family. But, it can be a struggle for those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, or Transgender (LGBT). We often overlook that LGBT people live in rural communities. Being LGBT doesn’t mean you want to go live in a big city, especially if this is your home. LGBT people are drawn to rural areas for many of the same reasons as their heterosexual counterparts; being close to family, a tight knit community and connection to their history. But it can be difficult. LGBT people in rural areas face many hurdles, such as discrimination, access to appropriate health care, threats and fear of being “outed.”

LGBT people in rural areas do not have the same access to resources as those in big cities. Luckily, that is slowly changing. Many rural areas are starting their own LGBT Pride groups. Traverse City and Marquette both have groups. And closer to home, Ferris State University in Big Rapids, recently started a LGBTQ Resource Center that welcomes students and community members.

Having these resources available and having people who are “ally’s” to those in the LGBT community is important. According to The Trevor Project National Survey Results of 2019, “39% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past twelve months, with more than half of transgender and non-binary youth having seriously considered. 71% of LGBTQ youth reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in the past year.” (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Trevor-Project-National-Survey-Results-2019.pdf.

LGBT people face the same mental health illnesses as their heterosexual counterparts such as Depression, Generalized Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder, but often to a greater extent. Many transgender and gender non-conforming people also experience Gender Dysphoria.

What can we do? Be an ally, share a resource and educate yourself about the LGBTQ community.

For more information about services from Newaygo County Mental Health, call (231) 689-7330. Or visit our website www.newaygocmh.org

For more information about the Ferris State University LGBTQ Resource Center:
(231).591-2658
@FerrisLGBTQ on Facebook.
www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/studentlife/lgbtq-center

1 Comment

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Sally Wagoner

5/11/2020 12:12:21 am

I honor those people who feel the need to protect the completeness of who they are from discrimination, criticism, or harm, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.

When there are those who are marginalized due to any reason - race, ethnicity, culture, age, economics, citizenship status, religious beliefs or non-beliefs, political affiliation or non-affiliation, gender identity or non-identity - it should not be upon the shoulders of these who fear reprisal to fight for a place at the table, or in our community. It is incumbent upon the community as a whole, and as individuals within the community, to make sure there is acceptance, support and safety for all of our people.

Newaygo County has many such safety nets through social, medical, and mental health services - and I thank Ms. Derwin from Community Mental Health for making public their offerings, especially with regards to the LGBT(QIA+) community. But those safety nets are not the whole community. It is how marginalized people feel and are welcomed by the community as a whole that creates a healthy environment in which all people can live.

We don’t have to all agree with each other. We don’t even have to like each other. But we can, as individuals, open our own minds and hearts to those who may seem different than ourselves, lower our own barriers of prejudice, and educate ourselves on the experiences and truths of others.

It can be quite the difficult challenge to learn how to accept each other with tolerance or even compassion when in the midst of deep disagreement or dislike. But doing so has been known to stop or avoid wars, can offer peace within families, and could even (possibly) turn hateful social media posts into civil discussion.

So let us consider this: how can we as a community be collectively and more visibly supportive of each other? And how can we be supportive, and even welcoming, to those who have more difficult barriers to navigate than ourselves?

This is not meant to be a rhetorical question. What is here in Newaygo County, aside from important mental health services, that offers support from the general community for LGBT(QIA+) or other marginalized community members? What can we offer that shows: #hatehasnohomehere.

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Becoming an Ally

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