This document discusses creating safe spaces for girls of all identities and backgrounds. It notes that not all families are the same and girls may have different gender expressions or sexual orientations. Research shows non-heterosexual girls face higher risks like substance abuse, suicide attempts, and teen pregnancy. This is likely due to lack of support and feeling pressure to conform. The document provides tips for leaders like stopping uncomfortable conversations, not making assumptions, and making all girls feel their identities are valid and respected. It also discusses overt and covert ways spaces can feel unsafe and gives examples of inclusive language to promote safety.

1. Welcoming All Girls
Sensitivity to Family and Personal
Identities
By Tinker Bell

2. Making Assumptions
 How did it make you feel for other
people to tell you which group you
belonged in?
 How did it make you feel when someone
who’s dot was not the same tried to join
your group?
 How did it make you feel to not easily fit
in within a group?

3. Families Come in All Shapes and
Sizes
It is important to remember that not
all girls come from families
 That live together
 That have one mom and one dad
 That are supportive environments
 That are biologically related
 That have biologically related siblings
 That have/don’t have extended families

4. One of the ways we can
keep girls safe is to
provide them with safe
spaces where all their
identities can be open and
validated.

5. Gender Expression and
Sexual Orientation
 Gender Expression – the way in which
one feels most comfortable expressing
one’s internal gender identity through
dress, personal grooming, accessory
choice, etc.
 Sexual Orientation – the way in which
one feels most attracted to those of the
same, or a different sex. This is not to
be confused with sexuality, which
indicates types of sexual behavior.

6. Non-heterosexual girls face
more risks than their peers
According to a 2004 study by Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital
 40% of lesbian or bisexually identified girls are weekly smokers compared with 6% of their
heterosexually identified female peers
According to a 2003 study by Boston Children’s Hospital
 Girls who are attracted to both sexes, but do not openly identify as bisexual or lesbian are at
a largely increased risk of adopting bulimic behaviors
According to a 1999 study by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society
 Lesbian or bisexually identified girls are more likely to binge drink and are 4 times more likely
than their heterosexually identified peers to use injection drugs.
According to a 2001 survey by Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
 44% of those unsure about their sexual orientation use no form of contraception during
penile-vaginal intercourse, compared to 23% of their heterosexually identified peers.
 12% of lesbian or bisexually identified girls become pregnant before the age of 19, compared
to 5% of their heterosexually identified female peers
According to a 2004 study by the McCreary Centre Society
 43% of lesbian or bisexually identified girls suffer sexual and physical abuse, compared to 27%
of their heterosexually identified female peers
According to a 2003 survey by the McCreary Centre Society
 38% of lesbian identified girls, and 30.4% of bisexually identified girls had attempted suicide
at least once, compared with 8.2% of their heterosexually identified female peers

7. Why are these risks so high?
 Bryn Austin, ScD of Boston Children’s Hospital suggests
that girls who are not completely heterosexual may feel
pressured to appear even more like the women in the
media to make up for their “difference”
 The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and
Society explains that non heterosexual youth are over
represented in the media using drugs, drinking and
smoking
 Research Director of the McCreary Centre Society,
Elizabeth Saewyc claims that one reason attempted-
suicide figures may be so high for lesbian and bisexual
girls is that they tend to be an "invisible group." The
necessary resources and support are not directed at
girls, thus making them inaccessible.

8. What can you do?
 Stop any conversation that blatantly
makes a girl uncomfortable (especially
those about sexuality)
 Don’t make assumptions about any girl’s
sexual orientation
 Feel free open about your own sexual
orientation, whatever it may be

9. Some girls may be assumed
“lesbians” “bisexual”
or otherwise not straight based
on their gender expression.
This can result in teasing that
makes a girl feel very
uncomfortable about her body.

10. What can you do?
 Remind girls that every girl has a right to
control her own body.
 Reference other more obviously wrong
stereotypes to provide contrast.
“But just because you look like a girl, does that mean you can’t
really throw well?”
 Suggest that girls focus on similarities
between everyone in the group, rather
than pointing out differences in one girl.

11. How does a space become
unsafe?
 Through Overt and Intentional actions and
words obviously intended to harm
 Through Overt and Unintentional actions
and words obviously harmful, but not intended
as such
 Through Covert and Intentional actions
and words intended to be quietly harmful to
one girl, or group of girls
 Through Covert and Unintentional actions
and words that many don’t recognize as
harmful and were not meant as such

12. How does this happen in
units?
 Overt and Intentional – “I don’t want
to hang out with you because you’re a
lesbian, and being a lesbian is gross.”
 Overt and Unintentional – “Girl
Scouts aren’t gay”
 Covert and Intentional – “I already
have a buddy, and so does she”
 Covert and Unintentional – “But you
don’t seem gay…”

13. How can we use
these same methods
of action to make
girls feel safe at
camp?

14. Resources
 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1641056/posts
 http://www.childrenshospital.org/views/june04/lesbians.html
 http://www.glma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeat
 http://www.thebody.com/siecus/report/youth_issues.html
 http://www.mcs.bc.ca/abstracts/rs_hazards.htm
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve