Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disproportionately negatively affected the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, a group who faces identity-based marginalization in society. LGBTQ resilience narratives are important in buffering against the negative impact of minority stress, but little is known about how LGBTQ people have been resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current research addresses this gap in the literature. Participants included 129 LGBTQ individuals who shared how they have been resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed three COVID-19-specific resilience themes, including: (1) Previous preparation fostered resilience, (2) Radical acceptance as resilience, and (3) Resilience through providing support and building community. Discussion explores how psychologists can work with LGBTQ people to identify and cultivate resilience narratives focused on self-love, self-acceptance, radical acceptance, and community resilience. Public Significance StatementResilience narratives are important for all people but are particularly important for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) people who face identity-based harassment, rejection, and societal stigmatization. LGBTQ participants shared their resilience narratives and identified how previous preparation fostered resilience during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, radical acceptance was a source of resilience, and resilience was seen through providing support and building community with other LGBTQ individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, community and cultural values have served as protective factors during large scale events such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre. Little is known about how LGBTQ people are drawing on such values during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. The current study sought to explore this gap in the literature. Using thematic analysis, a sample of 130 LGBTQ participants shared how community and cultural values informed their experiences and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, including: (a) activism; (b) authenticity, pride, and visibility; (c) collective intergenerational resilience; (d) centering mental health; and (e) intersectionality and centering those most marginalized. Discussion focuses on implications for practice and activism for LGBTQ people such as addressing ways in which sense of community increases psychological well-being among LGBTQ people and partnering with community agencies to provide comprehensive services to LGBTQ people who are most marginalized. Public Significance StatementCommunity and cultural values have served as a protective factors during large scale events for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. LGBTQ participants in this study shared how community and cultural values have informed their experiences and reactions to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic including engaging in activism, being authentic, visible, and displaying pride, relying on collective intergenerational resilience, centering their mental health and that of others, and tending to intersectionality and centering the voices of those most marginalized.

Research suggests that queer and/or trans Black people, Indigenous people, and other People of Color (QTBIPOC) generally experience higher levels of psychological distress and depression, leading to poorer mental health outcomes (e.g., Lim & Hewitt, 2018; Sutter et al., 2018). However, little is known about the experiences of QTBIPOC individuals in therapy. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the nuanced narratives of QTBIPOC individuals in therapy. Twelve QTBIPOC individuals were interviewed about their experiences in therapy, as well as their suggestions for how therapists can improve mental health treatment. Using minority stress and intersectional theories as frameworks, the following core category was identified: An optimal therapy experience is contingent on the intentional dismantling of systemic oppression in therapy. The six categories that comprise this core category included therapy microskills encourage continued help-seeking despite cultural barriers, proximal stress leads to hesitation in the therapy room, ignorant therapist reactions exemplify distal stress, explicit validation of identity and experiences of oppression strengthens the therapeutic experience, shared identity facilitates the therapeutic bond, and therapy must be decolonized and center nontraditional healing practices. Results of the present study suggest that therapy can be ineffective—or even harmful—for QTBIPOC individuals when systems of oppression are not adequately dismantled in the therapy room. Our findings prompt important directions for practice with QTBIPOC individuals as well as institutional advocacy.

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