Extraordinary Acts to “Show Up”: Conceptualizing Resilience of LGBTQ Youth

Abstract

Sexual and gender diversity is an overlooked subject in resilience research. This study seeks to advance the conceptualization of resilience among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Informed by social ecological theory of resilience, grounded theory analysis of interviews with service providers (n = 16) and LGBTQ youth (n = 19) yielded the following categories: (a) facing adversities across contexts, and (b) “doing well” while still in pain. LGBTQ youth face both general and LGBTQ-specific adversities. LGBTQ youth, even in a so-called “post-gay” era, remain challenged to navigate marginalization to maintain their well-being. Participants endorsed a context-dependent understanding of “doing well,” rather than using normative criteria of health (e.g., absence of psychopathologies). Although resilience is known as “ordinary magic,” this article alternatively proposes that resilience is LGBTQ youths’ extraordinary acts to “show up” every day to battle through adversities.

Paving Pathways Through the Pain: A Grounded Theory of Resilience Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Youth

“…Of the eight categories, five categories that more directly signified resilience processes are the focus of this article, while the other categories pertained to the theoretical construct of resilience (i.e., how do LGBTQ youth conceptualize what it means to be “doing well” in the face of adversity?) and are reported elsewhere (Asakura, ). Consistent with initial coding, the constant comparative method was employed throughout the focused coding process.…”

‘Life has actually become more clear’: An examination of resilience among LGBTQ young adults

“…Further examinations into LGBTQ youths' social contexts are warranted considering their continued elevated rates of suicide, despite normative cultural constructions of increased societal tolerance (Cover, 2013). Learning to navigate social environments can be especially important for LGBTQ youth in establishing resilience, as they typically experience hardship across multiple time points and environments in their lives, such as their childhood home and educational trajectories (Asakura, 2016b).…”

Art as a transformative practice: A participatory action research project with trans* youth

“…Although some scholars have written about resilience from a much more nuanced and holistic view (e.g. Asakura, 2016b, 2017; Ungar, 2011), social work appears to uncritically embrace a strengths perspective (Saleebey, 1996). Often used interchangeably with resilience, the strengths perspective signals social workers’ attention to one’s existing internal capacities, traits, and resources (e.g.…”

“…In order to counter risk-focused discourse about trans* youth, a growing body of research now focuses on resilience (Asakura, 2016a, 2016b, 2017; Mustanski et al., 2011), generally defined as “the dynamic process encompassing positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity” (Luthar et al., 2000: 543). Research focused on resilience is designed to counter the “risk and deficit”-focused discourse about trans* youth and highlights how they may navigate adversities by using internal and external resources.…”