Growing the "seed of doubt" : the stages of navigating social support towards a positive queer identity

Abstract

Many members of the queer community continue to sustain happy, healthy and successful lives despite the personal and social barriers initiated by homophobia. While queer individuals experience frequent homophobia and prejudice, this barrier is often overcome through navigating social support and relationships. The most frequent social relationships that either reject or embrace queer identities are: family members, formal organizations and peers. This thesis investigates the lived experiences of queer people and how they negotiate their social environment to move away from experiences of prejudice and towards a positive internalization of a queer identity. For this thesis, I used a qualitative narrative approach. A total of ten participants were invited to share their experiences. A theoretical framework of resilience was used to articulate this connection. Resilience theory was able to account for the agency each individual expressed when facing barriers and ultimately navigating resources to overcome barriers. The results of this study emerged in a story like account. This started from the beginning stages of the participants suspicion they claim membership to a queer identity, where a ‘seed of doubt was planted’. Next, there was a movement towards finding support and social spaces where queer identities are embraced. This leads into the end result where the same ‘seed of doubt’ bloomed into a positive internalization of a queer identity, as a result of negotiating social spaces where a collective queer identity is shared.