QT-BIPOC Intersectional Resilience and Liberation

Queer and trans (QT) Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience unique forms of oppression and resilience that is often missed in LGBTQ+ and BIPOC research. We interviewed 16 QT-BIPOC to explore their experiences of intersectional resilience. Analyses were strengthened through member-checking focus groups that intentionally created space for QT-BIPOC to further refine themes grounded in their shared experiences.

Participants described unique experiences of intersectional resilience that depart from traditional (i.e., individualistic) conceptualizations of resilience commonly talked about in research. QT-BIPOC actively resist oppression, operate within a collectivist context, and work toward liberation for oneself and others.

We recommend mental health professionals, community advocates, and researchers:

  • Acknowledge “both/and” (May, 2015) tensions and co-occurring experiences of oppression and resilience that QT-BIPOC experience. Such therapeutic frameworks may assist in challenging rigid “either/or” thinking and externalize oppressive narratives while instilling counter-narratives that liberate QT-BIPOC clients from oppression.

  • Psychologists and community organizations may facilitate community workshops and gatherings centered around education and awareness building of QT-BIPOC experiences.

  • We urge psychologists, activists, and policymakers to center the voices of QT-BIPOC in advocacy efforts and provide funding for the formation of QT-BIPOC-specific resources and organizations.

Artwork by Angelica Frausto
Artwork by Angelica Frausto

Standing Strong in One’s Intersectionality,

Participants shared that their lived experience in holding multiple marginalized statuses while simultaneously navigating interlocking systems of oppression provided unique internal identity experiences. QT-BIPOC spoke of the ways they held cohesive identities and possessed a sense of uniqueness and critical reflection of self in relation to larger systems.

Internalized Sense of Resilience & External Displays of Resilience and Resistance

QT-BIPOC often engaged in strategies to sustain themselves, promote internal liberation, and heal from systemic oppression. QT-BIPOC experienced an internal sense of strength, empowerment, and capacity for self-love. QT-BIPOC actively and intentionally created internalized narratives of resilience and strength that countered oppressive external messages.

QT-BIPOC spoke of the ways resilience and liberation was rooted in the experiences of pushing back and challenging oppressive structures. For example, participants actively deconstructed and decolonized identities and social roles to empower themselves. QT-BIPOC also shared that being authentic and visible about their QT-BIPOC identities despite continued oppression was, in itself, an act of resistance.

Artwork by Angelica Frausto
Artwork by Angelica Frausto

Empowerment through Interactive Exchanges

QT-BIPOC shared various social interactions that reinforced resilience and liberation. Participants not only experienced resilience through social interactions but also were driven to make space and create systems of mutual aid to promote resilience for other QT-BIPOC.

Artwork by Angelica Frausto

Drawing from Collectivist Communities

In light of experiences of isolation and alienation, participants spoke of their experiences of actively and intentionally building their own community spaces. QT-BIPOC resilience and liberation departed from individualism and was experienced within a collectivistic context centered on support, shared experiences, and enacting transformative change.