"It Wasn't Violent or Anything, But...": Language, Perceptions and Power in Queer Adolescent Relationship Discourses

• In Event: 144 - Regular Session. Interpersonal Violence

Abstract

Institutionalized inequality, minority stress, and age create a unique context for queer adolescent relationships, and similarly mediate experiences of relationship violence and abuse. This paper presents an analysis of data centralizing LGBTQ adolescent perceptions and negotiations of relationships violence, and explores the interconnectedness of language, perceptions and power in queer adolescent discourses. Multiple-methods were used to collect qualitative data, consisting of interview and focus group data from 23 LGBTQ-identified 14 and 22 year olds, and one year of ethnographic fieldwork. Results indicate queer youth view relationship violence as a serious but under-acknowledged issue in their community. Most participants also indicate they have had no direct experience with violence or abuse, either in their relationships, or those of their friends. However, many of these same participants offer narratives containing descriptions of encounters with violence or coercive control, including specific incidents of sexual pressure, assault, and physical violence. This paper identifies emergent themes and draws from feminist and interdisciplinary approaches to explain the seemingly contradictory way LGBTQ adolescents conceptualize encounters with abusive power, control and violence in intimate relationships. Results point to a complex interplay of social, cultural and developmental dynamics that shape queer youth negotiations of dating conflicts and intimate partner abuse, some of which may be especially salient for LGBTQ youth populations. Findings call for integrative theoretical approach to violence research, offering valuable insights into the largely overlooked social and public health issue of intimate partner violence in queer youth communities.

Author

• Leandra M. Smollin, Northeastern University