Experiences of Inequity within LGBTQ+ Communities among QT-BIPOC

Resiliency research suggests that connection to LGBTQ+ communities helps mitigate the negative impacts of oppression (i.e., community resilience). However, due to various interlocking systems of oppression, those with multiple marginalized identities (i.e., LGBTQ+ people of color [POC]) may not have equal access to LGBTQ+ community resilience resources. Despite the growing body of literature, little research has explored LGBTQ+ POC experiences with the LGBTQ+ community from an intersectional framework to critique systems of oppression and provide implications for social justice. Fourteen LGBTQ+ POC participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences with protective factors of the LGBTQ+ community and the barriers they face in accessing community resilience. Findings supported three broad categories with subthemes: 1) LGBTQ+ Community Resilience Resources (i.e., Shared Narratives and Feeling Seen, Social Justice and Liberation), 2) Inequity to Accessing LGBTQ+ Community Resilience (i.e., Alienation and Exclusion, Disempowerment and Exploitation, Invisibility), and 3) Making Space. Utilizing our intersectional framework, we provide implications for social justice advocacy as well as clinical and educational implications for counseling psychologists and community organizations.

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