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Indigenous and Intersecting: People of African Descent in LGBT Psychology

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LGBT Psychology

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Abstract

A number of psychologists have stated that in order for psychology to become increasingly multicultural and inclusive, the research and theory that drives the research must incorporate more diverse populations; this must happen before it can be said that the findings of psychological research universally apply to multiple populations (Lawson, Baker, & Graham, 2006; Allwood & Berry, 2006). The focus of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) psychologies is no exception to this requirement. LGBT psychology has been described as a perspective that aims to support social change, as it focuses on increasing the visibility, validation, and acknowledgement of research, theory, and practice on LGBT concerns across the discipline of psychology (Clarke & Peel, 2007). Unfortunately however, since a seminal psychological study of gay men (Hooker, 1957), the findings of the research have thus far been primarily based on white participants. Also, as research is being increasingly done to include transgender persons, this research, too, has overwhelmingly sampled white transgender persons (Sánchez & Vilain, 2009; Veale, Clarke, & Lomax, 2008).

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  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Work, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27110, USA

    Michele K. Lewis PhD & Isiah Marshall PhD

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  1. Michele K. Lewis PhD
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  2. Isiah Marshall PhD
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Correspondence to Michele K. Lewis PhD .

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Lewis, M.K., Marshall, I. (2012). Indigenous and Intersecting: People of African Descent in LGBT Psychology. In: LGBT Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0565-8_1

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