I would like to believe I am a much better writer than I am a driver. The annoyances Kyle Stedman breaks down are some that I have focused on in my writing, especially in this class. Appropriately using quotes, introducing and spending enough time on them. I hadn’t given too much consideration to how many quotes may be too many, avoid over using quotes giving excess information without adequately proving substance to them. How much explanation and analyzing a quote need is never really clear and depend on the quote honestly but it is something I may need to continue working on. Introducing quotes well enough so they are not just hanging in the piece allows the quote to carry more weight and credibility. This semester I feel I have developed on my quote introductions, usually I would use a generic half sentence to introduce but lately I have been trying to add more of an introduction in order to ease into the quotes. Citing information is something I had worked on a bit in previous classes, learning to use in text citations and an alphabetical works cited page especially while doing research where many sources are introduced. I always try to stick to what I have previously learned about citing; different types of citing like APA and MLA, when to use them and how to properly use in text citations.

What can be done to protect queer youth from suffering the mental health issues that have been seen in the queer community for way too long? Understanding the reasoning behind the sheer number of queer mental health issues and ways this can be combated is imperative to protecting young generations and generations to come. We must veer away from the road of unacceptance and denial that we have been on. Michael E. Newcomb, who has extensively analyzed research on such topics, brings to light the how apaulingly limited the action has been to stop this cycle of mental health disparities between the LGBTQ+ community and their cisgender heterosexual peers. “Understanding the processes that lead to positive outcomes is essential to develop strategies for improving relationships between parents and their LGBTQ youth and mitigating health disparities.” (Newcomb et al.) Newcomb insists that more must be done to help the Queer community from suffering from mental health issues, research needs to be done to understand what is causing these issues and how they can be combated. The LGBTQ+ community has been overlooked for far too long, their mental health is just as important as any other therefore there is no reason we should be seeing the numbers of mental health issues we have been seeing for quite some time now. change starts with understanding, finding the root of these issues and effectively studying ways to combat these disparities.

  • Newcomb, Michael E, et al. “The Influence of Families on LGBTQ Youth Health: A Call to Action for Innovation in Research and Intervention Development.” LGBT Health, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers, 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6551980/.