Advocacy for and with LGBT Students: An Examination of High School Counselor Experiences
A paucity of empirical scholarship exists on school counselor advocacy in general and virtually none as it relates to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students specifically. Addressing this gap in the literature, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of high school counselors in the southeastern United States who have served as advocates for and with LGBT students, with a specific focus on race/ethnicity and social class. Four themes were identified within the data: (a) student advocacy, (b) education as advocacy, (c) systems advocacy, and (d) social/political advocacy. This article presents and explores the themes as they relate to the various manifestations of school counselor advocacy, and discusses study implications and limitations.