Pathways to queer thriving in an LGBTQ+ intergenerational community

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Community Studies

Background:

• LGBTQ+ communities navigate significant personal, structural, and collective trauma.
• Existing frameworks of resilience and posttraumatic growth have limitations when applied to LGBTQ+ experiences.
• Generational divisions within LGBTQ+ communities can be a source of trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconceptualize resilience and posttraumatic growth for LGBTQ+ individuals as 'queer thriving'.
• To explore pathways to queer thriving through intergenerational community engagement.
• To challenge normative ideas of positive change through adversity using the Möbius strip metaphor.

Main Methods:

• Multidisciplinary literature review to identify limitations of current frameworks.
• Co-facilitation of an LGBTQ+ intergenerational community project since 2019.
• Ethnographic approach involving storytelling, dialogue, and artmaking among younger and older LGBTQ+ adults.

Main Results:

• The Möbius strip metaphor offers a new perspective on positive change trajectories.
• Intergenerational connection through shared activities facilitates healing of community divisions.
• Three ethnographic vignettes illustrate the potential for queer thriving via social connection.

Conclusions:

• Queer thriving provides a more nuanced framework for understanding LGBTQ+ adaptive capacities.
• Intergenerational community projects are vital for fostering healing and queer thriving.
• Mixed-disciplinary, community-engaged, and descriptive research is crucial for studying marginalized communities.