Volunteers work for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer rights: Motivations at a Rochester social justice organization

A Rapid Review of Barriers to Volunteering for Potentially Disadvantaged Groups and Implications for Health Inequalities

“…This may, however, be reflective of a dearth of evidence in other areas. It is surprising that no literature concerning barriers to volunteering and 'sexual orientation' was identified in this review given the strong traditions of citizen activism and volunteer/peer health programmes in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities (Gates et al 2016). It may be that these activities are not called 'volunteering' within these communities.…”

Volunteerism, mental health, and well-being in the lesbian, gay and bisexual community

“…Smaller studies of LGBTQ+ volunteerism using convenience sampling have reported similar results and underscored three key themes: LGBTQ+ volunteers' needs for connectedness to other members of their community and socialization; a belief in organizational mission; and a motivation to meet the community's concerns and needs (Gates et al, 2016;Gates & Lillie, 2020). Additionally, a pilot study of 35 volunteers at a social service organization located in Rochester, NY underscored the critical role of a volunteer resource manager to create meaningful experiences, as well as conducting targeted recruitment and retention efforts attending to the ongoing training needs and motivations of LGBTQ+ volunteers, and the importance of conducting formal and informal assessments of their intentions and experiences (Gates et al, 2016). Motivations for volunteering among LGBTQ+ individuals in the US and Canada (N = 179) were associated with gaining hands-on experience, enhancing one's self esteem, socializing, coping with personal matters, and exploring a career in the social service sector (Gates & Lillie, 2020).…”

“…In another nationally representative study of adults in the US (n = 3,567), community engagement was associated with well-being (Hsieh & Liu, 2020). Smaller studies of LGBTQ+ volunteerism using convenience sampling have reported similar results and underscored three key themes: LGBTQ+ volunteers' needs for connectedness to other members of their community and socialization; a belief in organizational mission; and a motivation to meet the community's concerns and needs (Gates et al, 2016;Gates & Lillie, 2020). Additionally, a pilot study of 35 volunteers at a social service organization located in Rochester, NY underscored the critical role of a volunteer resource manager to create meaningful experiences, as well as conducting targeted recruitment and retention efforts attending to the ongoing training needs and motivations of LGBTQ+ volunteers, and the importance of conducting formal and informal assessments of their intentions and experiences (Gates et al, 2016).…”

“…Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) volunteers provide needed contributions to social service organizations yet are often a hidden, under-recognized, and rarely surveyed community across the fields of social work, volunteerism, and mental health research (Gates & Lillie, 2020;Gates et al, 2016). Volunteers are defined as those who engage in community activities, under the auspices of a social service organization, in a regular and sustained way and often without remuneration, recognition, or reward (Overgaard, 2019).…”

"We've been here all along" : the standpoint and collective resilience of transgender U.S. service members.

“…Recent studies have investigated transgender persons' experiences of positivity (Budge, Orovecz, & Thai, 2015) and resilience (Singh, 2013;Singh & McKleroy, 2011;Testa et al, 2014;Witten, 2014) despite systemic oppression. However, mental health researchers have rarely explored how transgender persons and transgender communities of resistance reciprocally influence their interpersonal, social, and political environments (Craig, Dentato, & Iacovino, 2015;Gates, Russell, & Gainsburg, 2016). As such, academic discourse in the mental health field has generally treated transgender persons as passive subjects enduring systems of oppression rather than as active agents of systemic change.…”