COVID Chaos in LGBTQ+ Communities – Podcast Interview with Dr. Matt Goldenberg

Calming the Chaos welcomes Dr. Matt Goldenberg, Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Teacher. Dr. Matt is a popular trainer, teacher and psychotherapist in Olympia, Washington who focuses on helping, treating and honoring those in marginalized communities, especially those who live within LGBTQ+ communities.

In this podcast, Dr. Matt talks about the COVID-19 Pandemic and why this pandemic has affected LGBTQ+ communities so profoundly.  Dr. Matt also presents some ideas to help individuals in LGBTQ communities calm the chaos in a pandemic that is still ongoing.

Introduction to Dr. Matt Goldenberg, and your Involvement in the LGBTQ+ Community

Unique challenges / “chaos” to LGBTQ Individuals during the pandemic (all life domains)

Historical Trauma –

The HIV / AIDS Epidemic:                                            

Historical Oppression of those who have HIV –where is the vaccine for HIV?                                                  

Vaccine for COVID-19, but lack for HIV                                                 

Systemic neglect of marginalized people                                                   

Emotions of Fear, Disappointment, Anger and

Hopefulness                                                     

Politicization: (Dr. Fauci, etc.)

Cis-Normative Inclusivity:

Normalizes non-trans and hetero persons, and blocks the LGBTQ+ communities

Cis-Hetero Normativity: Normalizes those whose biological gender is consistent with their expressed gender

Funding for programs to help marginalized individuals in these populations.

Social challenges –

Groups

Financial / jobs

Intersectionality:

There has been an impact on other marginalized populations, including black, Latino and other populations that intersect with LGBTQ+

Other life domains:

Poverty and the working class

Employment Discrimination

Unfavorable working conditions or lack of being able to telework

                                                         Underground economics                                                       

Bad working conditions = less ability to protect yourself from COVID                                                      

Lack of protections for the working class                                                    

Privileged people can protect themselves better

Emotional trends                                                       

   Isolation and psychological stress

Suicidality increases with those who refuse to honor pronouns

Feeling excluded, unwanted, hopeless, suicidal

Solutions: Tools and strategies for LGBTQ individuals to access when in chaos

Sharing messages

Respecting preferred pronouns

Training on LGBTQ+ populations

Training on strategies of inclusion

Be aware of physical safety for vulnerable populations

Support mental health and access to healthcare

Empowerment strategies for vulnerable populations

Social Support

Dr. Matt Goldenberg’s website: https://drmattgoldenberg.com/

Other resources

US Trans Survey at https://transequality.org/issues/us-trans-survey

Trevor Project at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Fedup Collective at https://fedupcollective.org/

Translifeline.org at https://translifeline.org/

Matt’s Trainings and more!

Trainings: https://drmattgoldenberg.com/trainings/

Supervision: https://drmattgoldenberg.com/supervision/

Counseling: https://drmattgoldenberg.com/counseling/

October is National LGBTQ+ History Month https://nationaldaycalendar.com/lgbt-history-month-october-2/

October 11 is National Coming Out Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Coming_Out_Day

Closing: LGBTQ+ people are marginalized…AND…they are:

Resilient / Strong

Brilliant

Creative / Rich in Knowledge

Respectful