Intersectional Family Systems Approach: LGBTQ+ Latino/a Youth, Family Dynamics, and Stressors

Abstract

Objective We developed an intersectional family systems framework to examine how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Latino/a youth experience stressors stemming from familial resistance to their marginalized LGBTQ+ identities. Background Anti‐LGBTQ+ sentiments surrounding LGBTQ+ young people of color's multiple marginalized identities shape stressors. Specifically, LGBTQ+ Latino/a youth navigate distressing family experiences, yet how such family dynamics influence their well‐being remains unclear. Method By qualitatively analyzing in‐depth interviews with 41 LGBTQ+ Latino/a young adults between 18 and 25 years of age who were either born in or had moved to the United States as children, we developed an intersectional family systems approach. Results Anti‐LGBTQ+ familial derogation shaped youth's stressors. Further, familial religious pressure constrained young people's identity expression. Finally, participants navigated their mental well‐being through familial identity management strategies. Conclusion By advancing an intersectional family systems approach, we explicate the diverse ways LGBTQ+ youth of color perceive and respond to intersecting sources of oppression within their family systems. Implications These findings may inform service providers working with LGBTQ+ Latino/a young people and their families to improve mental health outcomes.

Beyond resilience: Resistance in the lives of LGBTQ youth

“…LGBTQ youth, including LGBTQ youth of color, but also deconstruct stereotypical notions of the heteronormative nuclear family that exists at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and race (Schmitz et al, 2020a(Schmitz et al, , 2020b.…”

Beyond the (family) binary: Family environment heterogeneity among transgender adults

“…For example, Robinson (2018) highlights how familial instability produced by the intersecting combination of poverty, racism, and religious ideologies—and not transnegativity, per se—is what the Latino/a trans youth perceived as non‐affirmation of their gender identity. Similarly, in their interviews with Latino/a LGBTQ+ youth, Schmitz et al (2020) identified the religious ideologies within their participants' families‐of‐origin as contributing to their families' resistance to their sexual and gender identities. Accordingly, clinical interventions and policy solutions aimed at increasing family acceptance must consider the structural constraints of racism and poverty impacting Latinx families.…”

“…Findings from Robinson's (2018) study, as well as others in the small literature on LGBTQ family processes, highlight the ways in which race and ethnicity contribute to variation in how a family responds to an LGBTQ loved one. Specifically, there is evidence to suggest that LGBTQ people of certain racial or ethnic groups have distinct experiences in their families-of-origins, ones that are a product of oppressive systems of racism and poverty (Acosta, 2018;Robinson, 2018;Schmitz et al, 2020). For example, in Robinson's (2018) study, the duality of experiencing affection from one's family while also experiencing identity-based prejudice contributed to additional familial strain in context of poverty, race, and family instability.…”

“…For example, in Robinson's (2018) study, the duality of experiencing affection from one's family while also experiencing identity‐based prejudice contributed to additional familial strain in context of poverty, race, and family instability. Further, in their study on Latino/a LGBTQ+ youth's family dynamics, Schmitz et al (2020) document how families' experiences of racism intersect with their religious devotion in a way that contributed to unfavorable reactions to their LGBTQ+ loved one's identity. Of note, whereas these samples have included a small number of transgender respondents, few, if any, have considered race/ethnicity as a potential factor contributing to family‐of‐origin dynamics among transgender‐only samples.…”

Adolescent Sexual Development: A Family Perspective

“…For example, in a study of Chinese SM young adults where perceived low-parental support of sexual orientation was related to psychological maladjustment, Shao et al (2018) highlighted the role of cultural norms such as respect for parents in shaping perceived parent-child relationships. Religiosity and cultural values were also critical components in a qualitative intersectional study of 41 Latinx SM young adults (Schmitz et al, 2020). Many youth experienced familial invalidation and familial religious pressure as stressors as they navigated their identities within the context of their families.…”