Dual Minorities: Narratives of Russian-Speaking Youth of the Latvian LGBTQ+ Community

Abstract

The aim of the research is to identify the main narratives about the identities of the Russian-speaking youth of the LGBTQ+ community, and whether these identities influence youngsters’ sense of belonging to Latvia, where they comprise both a linguistic and a sexual minority group. The theoretical part of the current paper examines the theoretical aspects of national, ethnic, linguistic, sexual, and homosexual identities, as well as provides a deeper understanding about the young people as a research audience and the studies of the Russian-speaking community in Latvia. In the practical part of the work, three methods were used: semi-structured interview, thematic narrative analysis and content analysis. Based on the results obtained, conclusions were made about youngsters’ identity conflict, the impact of youngsters’ identities on their sense of belonging to Latvia, youngsters’ experiences with stereotypes and discrimination in Latvia, and their participation in the Russian-speaking and LGBTQ+ communities. The results of the research enabled identification of 7 main narratives: the Russian-speaking community and a sense of belonging to Latvia; the Russian-speaking community and the influence of Russia; the LGBTQ+ community and hiding; the LGBTQ+ community and heterosexual privilege; the LGBTQ+ community and attitudes towards homosexual orientation; the LGBTQ+ community and hope for the future, as well as the dual minorities.