Youth's experiences with inclusion, isolation, and discrimination in the LGBTQ+ community

Abstract

AbstractIt has been well established that sexual‐ and gender‐minority youth are vulnerable to judgement and maltreatment by non‐LGBTQ+ peers. However, little research has focused on the experiences and interactions among youth specifically within the LGBTQ+ community. The purpose of the present study was to examine inclusion, isolation and discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community, while considering youths' sense of identity. Participants were 122 sexual minority and gender diverse youth between the ages of 14 and 25 years old. Participants completed self‐report measures assessing self‐esteem, as well as experiences in the LGBTQ+ community and strength of LGBTQ+ identities. Results indicated that, beyond the effect of self‐esteem, youth with a strongly developed identity as LGBTQ+ reported greater inclusion and less isolation in the LGBTQ+ community. In contrast, a more strongly developed gender identity was related to greater gender identity discrimination and less inclusion in the community. Sexual orientation identity strength was unrelated to experiences in the community. The results highlight the complexity of identity development for LGBTQ+ youth. Study findings emphasize the importance of future work considering the protective role of identifying with the LGBTQ+ community as a whole in mitigating intragroup exclusionary experiences among sexual minority and gender diverse youth. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.