It is possible that the first class I ever took toward becoming a therapist was coming out as a gay man in the South in the late 80s. This was the era of open, unquestioned homophobia, and I can easily call to mind the fear and uncertainty as well as I remember the vital importance of connecting with other queer people, once I found them. More than half my life later, I remember and make use of that history.
Though I work with all kinds of people, serving the LGBT/queer community is part of my work life that brings me pride and satisfaction. I believe each queer generation benefits the next, and I hope to play my part in that. A fellow gay therapist spoke to me of the honor, the fellowship of gay men my age who lived through hard times and turned that often bitter experience into something useful for people still just starting to figure it all out.
I have moved through the world with my own set of privileges and disadvantages, as we all do, and I do all I can to be mindful of what this means when helping others. I know that the challenges I have faced aren't the same as those of my clients, as queer lives are richly varied, but they are a basis for understanding we can build on. There will always be things you have to explain to people, even your therapist, even if you have some baseline of identity in common. Many people still find it helps in the process of feeling better if you don't have to walk your shrink through Queer 101.