Excluded from “inclusive” communities: LGBTQ youths’ perception of “their” community

Abstract

LGBTQ+ young adults often enter LGBTQ+ spaces seeking support and community, not expecting to find that they may face exclusion. In this paper, we explore narratives of LGBTQ+ young adults of exclusionary experiences in LGBTQ+ communities. Participants stated they were policed regarding the authenticity of their identities, due to their appearance, (not) meeting stereotypes, not being “enough,” not presenting in a way that allowed others to properly “read” their identities, or by having identities that have been deemed invalid by the community. Additionally, within LGBTQ+ spaces, those who were not White and who had multiple intersecting identities often felt excluded.