Serving the Needs of the LGBTQIA+ Community
Those that identify within the LGBTQIA+ community come from varied and diverse backgrounds and experiences. It is important to not make assumptions about the needs of these community members and grasp the concept of intersectionality.
Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, the term intersectionality is vital for understanding “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage” ("intersectionality").
Above all, providers within and outside these communities should exercise cultural humility. "Cultural humility involves the ability to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other oriented in relation to aspects of cultural identity that are most important to the other person, the ability to recognize the context in which interactions occur, and a commitment to redress power imbalances and other structural issues to benefit all parties" (Hurley, D. A., Kostelecky, S. R., & Townsend, L., 2019).
Hurley, D. A., Kostelecky, S. R., & Townsend, L. (2019). Cultural humility in libraries. Reference Services Review, 47(4), 544-555. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2019-0042
This section adapted from UNM HISLIC.