What were the unique cultural challenges for Linda in working with these six men?

Question

As an employee of a private, nonprofit HIV/AIDS clinic in a rural North Carolina community, Linda Summerfield’s job was to provide direct services to people with HIV/AIDS as well as to connect them with resources. Aware of their needs, she also respected their need for confidentiality and anonymity in an area where issues surrounding HIV/AIDS were highly charged and prejudice was common. In 1999, Linda was also eager to help six men in her caseload who were struggling with uncertainty, loneliness, and isolation. Aware of their shared needs, she believed in the healing power of group work for such clients. Although initially reluctant, the six men agreed to “meet” via telephone and, despite their apprehension and some technical difficulties, after five weeks all agreed that the experience was helpful. But when meeting via telephone became unworkable, Linda faced decisions over whether and how or where to persuade the men to continue meeting.

Answer 1

Linda grew up in the Casper area in a homogeneous environment, where she was socialized into a value system that included prejudice against and fear of people perceived as “different.” Linda faced numerous cross-cultural issues in this case. Among these areas were gender, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS, rural context, and possibly spirituality. For example, her initial deficit in knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS made cultural competence unlikely until she educated herself. While Linda’s sexual orientation was not made explicit in the
case, readers might assume that because she is married to a man that she is a heterosexual woman working with six gay men. While the case did not describe Linda’s spiritual or religious beliefs, or the beliefs of her six clients, it did describe the spiritual and religious context of the community: some members of the rural “Bible belt” town of Casper used spiritual and religious beliefs as justification for discrimination and prejudice.