Pride and Politics: Broaching Political Identity Among Conservative Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients

This paper examines broaching political identity with conservative lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. As political identity increasingly shapes personal identity and the therapeutic alliance, the counseling field could benefit from clearer guidance for addressing political diversity, particularly within marginalized populations. We introduce the Intersectional Model of Broaching Political Identity (IM-BPI) to help counselors explore the intersections of political and marginalized identities in therapy. The model is illustrated through a case example of a conservative gay client, highlighting implications for treatment planning and alliance building. Practice implications and future research directions are discussed.