The Health Benefits of Belonging

Warfield Theater Sign Downtown SF | June, 2024
 

The Health Benefits of Belonging

It was a beautiful Saturday in San Francisco, June 29, 2024, when my friend and I stumbled into one of the biggest celebrations of the year: San Francisco Pride! This celebration, held at City Town Hall, has been mainstreamed significantly, especially after it has been years since I attended the festival in Los Angeles, CA almost a decade ago. Of course, like any other popular celebration, it has been capitalized and mainstreamed, but there was one thing present that is often too hard to find (unfortunately): inclusivity. In fact, pride has roots in the movement of an uprising (or as some have referred to: a riot). According to The History of Pride from the Library of Congress, "On June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Thousands of LGBT+ people gathered to commemorate Stonewall and demonstrate for equal rights" (Read more about the history of Pride here).

Amanda Soaking up the Sun and Free Samples | June 2024


Everyone's experience varies, but the one of inclusion and lack of judgment was one of the immeasurable energies permeating the air. Freedom of self-expression was everywhere. After noticing an array of emotions after leaving Pride for the few hours we were there (I had a flight to catch), I felt joy, restoration in humanity, acceptance, and sadness having to leave. There had to be something that I could learn from this experience. The healthcare field has already explored studies about how inclusivity significantly improves healthcare and workplace practices for the human species; what about the general 'good feeling' of belonging?

"And the Best Shirt Goes To..."
New Friend Brandon | June, 2024
Sure enough, there were so many health benefits related to a culture of inclusivity and, in turn, serious health complications from a lack thereof. Valera Health did a study to see why inclusivity was so beneficial for human mental health and defined inclusivity as:

"... the action steps are taken to intentionally include people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, demographics, abilities, and religious beliefs. You can think of it as including people regardless of where they come from, their physical abilities, how they identify, and what they believe while respecting and accepting them as human beings".

Bubbles Representing Kink & Bubbles | June 2024
Taking the definition of inclusivity, and tying it to Transgender and Diverse [TGD] participants, we see significant differences in mental health caused by the sole lack of inclusivity. Statistically, "...[TGD] had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, and poorer general well-being, than cisgender participants" (Hunter et al., 2021). Diving more into the science and research, according to the UCLA School of Law, transgender people experienced significantly higher trends of poor mental health and well-being throughout their lives. (Dowd, 2023).

Main Stage, SF Pride | June 2024
Aba Horthy (They/Elle), AMFT and Rebeks Clark Mane (He/Them), Ph.D, have their own practice in Hollywood, CA, and explain the significance of inclusivity and the feeling of belonging that so many of us strive for (and require for) survival.  Rebeks Clark Mane, Ph.D, LMFT, and California State University Northridge professor, has seen the effects throughout their career, stating, "Research has shown that exclusion,  hostility, and discrimination against members of a minority population such as LGBTQIA+ can cause significant mental health distress such as depression, anxiety and increased risk for substance use disorders..." Horthy agrees, strongly emphasizing the importance of that feeling of belonging, stating, "Inclusivity matters, meaning that everyone is multifaceted and unique... It is important to understand and affirm all facets of a human being; ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, chronic illnesses/health, pronouns and background." When asked what inclusivity means to Horthy, they shared, "...[it] is seeing the person for who they are, affirming and celebrating their unique being." 

There are numerous health benefits associated with the feeling of belonging. Fortunately, Mane, Ph.D, LMFT sees a light at the end of the tunnel if we continue on this trajectory of inclusion and unity. Mane states, "The good news is that the same research has found that developing a positive LGBTQIA+ identity and finding community in places like Pride is one of the strongest protective factors for mental health.... In other words, events like Pride contribute to wellness and resilience in ways therapy alone struggles to do". 

Me w/ the Person I Voted
 "Best Outfit" | June 2024


In the wise words of a dear friend of mine, 
"Alone we cannot; together we can" & another classic:

"If you don't have something nice to say, shut the fu*k up."

HAPPY PRIDE, San Francisco!
 2024 🌈 


#SFPride










Citations

Dowd, R. (2023, July 20). More than 40% of transgender adults in the US have attempted suicide. Williams Institute.  https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/transpop-suicide-press-release/


Queer Solidarity Forever! (n.d.). San Francisco LGBT Pride. https://sfpride.org/

Hunter J, Butler C, Cooper K. Gender minority stress in trans and gender diverse adolescents and young people. Clin Child         Psychol Psychiatry. 2021 Oct;26(4):1182-1195. doi: 10.1177/13591045211033187. Epub 2021 Jul 22. PMID: 34293962.

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