Community and Belonging
Connection to community and feeling of belonging are substantial sources of resilience for sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) people. Bisexual, trans, and nonbinary people tend to report less access to these sources of social support. Our work in this area is focused on understanding more about how SGM people, particularly bi+ and trans people, define and find community and belonging in order to facilitate easier access to these important supports.
Email Corey Flanders at cflander@mtholyoke.edu for copies of any articles.
Academic Articles
“It’s Almost Like Bis, Pans Kind of Stick Together:” Bi + Belonging and Community Connection
Belonging and community connection are important for all people, but are particularly important for bi+ (including bisexual, pansexual, queer, and other plurisexual) individuals due to experiences of anti-bisexual stigma and delegitimization by both heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities. A gap in the literature exists regarding bi + people’s definitions and processes of locating bi + belonging and community connection. The current research addresses this gap in the literature, investigating these topics through a qualitative focus group project with 46 bi + individuals. Using a modified constructivist grounded theory approach, results from nine focus groups yielded four core categories depicting experiences of belonging and community connection for bi + participants, including: 1) Process and pathways to belonging; 2) Barriers to belonging; 3) Distinct offerings of bisexual-specific community; and 4) Unique belonging experiences of bisexual Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). Findings from the current study serve as a call to action where important directions for how heterosexual and LGBTQ + communities can create more affirming and welcoming spaces for bi + community members are provided.
Experiences of community connection and belonging for sexual minority trans individuals
While previous studies have demonstrated that connection to community may act as a buffer for negative mental health outcomes for marginalized individuals, more recent studies show that trans individuals may have a more complicated relationship with community connection. Participants included 26 sexual minority trans adults who ranged in age from 18–43 (M = 23.88, SD = 5.38). Participants attended one of five focus groups that centered on feelings of community connection and belonging within the sexual minority trans community. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, data were organized within the following categories: (a) Impact of Interlocking Systems of Oppression, (b) Experiences of Community and Belonging, (c) Facilitators of Community and Belonging, (d) Interpersonal Barriers to Community and Belonging, and (e) Mental Health and Wellbeing. Findings from the present study can be utilized to help clinicians assist their sexual minority trans clients as they explore feelings of connection to a broader sexual minority trans community.
Other Resources
