ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the current knowledge and practice available for community-based social work practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities. J. Drescher, A. D'Ercole, and Schoenberg reinforce the importance of the approaches, noting that LGBT individuals in recovery need a sense of belonging, social networks, connection to Queer culture, and avenues for political action. Enabling positive connections and re-connections to queer strengths and queer culture is another essential element of community-building practice. Community-building models of practice help LGBT people move through their cultural pain to discover cultural identity and pride, a process essential to healthy, sober Queer communities. Several notes are essential to conversation regarding LGBT community practice. In attempting to work within communities where Queer people can find a "fit" that both affirms their lives and promotes health, social workers must be willing to move beyond the stereotypes and mythology that surround the lives of LGBT people.
