Intersectionality in the Lives of LGBTQ Youth: Identifying as LGBTQ and Finding Community in Small Cities and Rural Towns

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the views of younger bisexual and lesbian women and transgender youth living in a western Canadian small city on their sexual and gender identities. Data were collected through focus groups and interviews and analyzed thematically through an intersectional lens. The purposive sample was composed of 13 youth who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) and whose average age was 19.8 years. The analytical themes of (1) living in a small town, (2) identifying and being identified, and (3) talking intersectionality indicate that the sexual identities and gender identities and expressions of LGBTQ youth change across time and context and are impacted by often overlooked factors including faith, Indigenous ancestry, disability, and class. Further, the size and character of the community significantly impacts LGBTQ youth identity development and expression. This research demonstrates the uniqueness of individual youth's experiences-opposing notions of milestone events as singularly important in queer youth identity development.

Activism in Southwestern Queer and Trans Young Adults After the Marriage Equality Era

“…This study also provides interesting implications for the use of intersectionality as a theory and/or a method of inquiry or practice. This study promotes attending to geographic location and space as an important component of intersectionality, echoing the call of other scholars (Hulko & Hovanes, 2018; Paceley et al, 2014). Attending to rurality and region as components of queer and trans people’s intersecting identities is essential in fully recognizing the heterogeneity of lived experience.…”

“…They seek to not just change policies but shift the culture to end violence against and oppression toward queer and trans people (see FIERCE, 2013 for more information). This work provides an important guide for other organizations seeking to engage with an intersectional queer liberation movement with young adults; however, the geographic context is critical to consider (Hulko & Hovanes, 2018; Paceley, Goffnett, & Gandy-Guedes, 2017). Attending to the intersectionality of geographic location with sexuality and gender is critical as we move forward and away from an equality focus on marriage.…”

Social support, discrimination, and Self-Esteem in LGBTQ + high school and Post-Secondary students

“…Much of the research done with LGBTQ+ students in the high school and post-secondary contexts has been conducted in the United States, or in larger Canadian metropolitan centres, leaving smaller cities underrepresented (Hulko & Hovanes, 2018;Hulko, 2018). The current research takes place in a mid-sized region in terms of population, offering a new perspective to the literature.…”

Emotional Distress, Bullying Victimization, and Protective Factors Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents in City, Suburban, Town, and Rural Locations

“…Second, the few studies of LGBTQ adolescents that address rural or small town locations use LGBQ samples or samples that also include TGD adolescents, but they are not differentiated in analysis . Social attitudes toward and resources for TGD adolescents and LGBQ adolescents may differ, and the health, behaviors, and needs of these groups may also be different.…”