Research Rodeo 10: LGBTQIA+ Intersectionalities
Hello everyone. I hope you are all enjoying Spring as much as we are. Between gardening and baking, our home has been quite busy. I have been spending time catching up on LGBTQIA+ research, which I am happy to discuss here.
This week, we are looking specifically at LGBTQIA+ people of color and their experiences. It is important that we acknowledge how intersectionalities impacts LGBTQIA+ people’s lived experiences. This allows conversations around the queer community to acknowledge the diversity within.
Nguyen & Konrad (2024) Queer and trans black, indigenous, and people of color (QTBIPOC): the sun of LGBTQ + rainbow This case study looks at an initiative to create programming focused on the intersection of LGBTQIA+ identities and people of color. The purpose of this program is:
Through this type of program, students had an opportunity to find a place where they can express themselves honestly and talk about issues related to campus resources they did not feel they had access to. Important issues that were found by the staff included listening to students with humility when mistakes are made to make sure that they can continue to do better. It is important to create diverse spaces for LGBTQIA+ communities to understand the complexities of intersectionalities and how that leads to different experiences within the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Nadal et al. (2024) Did It Get Better? The Realities of Queer and Trans Youth of Color in K-12 Schools The purpose of this article is looking at how LGBTQIA+ youth of color navigate the education system. This is an important discussion due to a lot of research glossing over LGBTQIA+ youth of color or assuming that its all the same. But the systemic barriers and discriminations which exist for both LGBTQIA+ youth and youth of color which creates a unique learning environment. Specifically, Nadal et al (2024) recommend “[b]ecause of the findings that educators are often complicit to violence or anti- LGBTQ harassment (Truong et al., 2020a, 2020b; Zongrone et al., 2020a, 2020b), it is necessary for teachers and other staff members to stop the use of biased language immediately; to educate students about the important of inclusive language; and to teach students of the impact of harmful language.” (272). Teachers should also include LGBTQIA+ people of color into their lesson plans, like my personal hero, Bayard Rustin. For administrators, they should create anti-bullying programs and education, as well as staff trainings on how to create a welcoming environment for students (and faculty). As nonprofits, we are the supports not only for students, but also for providing education and resources to teachers and administrators on how to make schools a safe environment for all students.
Barringer & Savage (2024) Predictors of Religious and Spiritual Identities in a Nationwide Sample of Black LGBTQ Adults in the United States There is often the perception that LGBTQIA+ people are not religious, but the reality is complicated (and there are many complexities in the ways that religions do and do not support LGBTQIA+ people). My sabbatical project is working on how houses of worship can be more queer friendly, so this is an issue close to my heart. In a recent study by Barringer and Savage, the authors find that Black LGBTQ+ men are more likely to identify as religious while Black LGBTQ+ women are more likely to identify as spiritual. This is an article that reminds us that it is important to understand LGBTQIA+ people as having differing relationships with religion, which can include spirituality. These relationships impact not only one’s individual relationship with Gd but also their relationship with family and communities.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!