Poster #67 - Fostering Developmentally Appropriate Discussions of Racism in Queer Youth Organizations: Lessons from Participants and Advisors

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Integrative Statement

Organizations for queer youth aim to provide the necessary space for adolescents to engage in exploration, socialization, education, and identity formation through youth-led discussions, especially for young people who often face marginalization and discrimination in their schools, homes, and communities. While these organizations strive for inclusivity and diversity, queer youth of color in these majority-white spaces may continue to be isolated even when ostensibly welcomed. In the current study, we investigate queer youth of color’s experiences in queer youth organizations with an eye towards fostering developmentally appropriate discussions of racism that contribute to queer youth of color’s identity development. This work draws on interviews with queer youth of color and their white queer peers, as well as participant observation of queer youth organization meetings and interviews with the groups’ advisor. This work draws on positive youth development frameworks (Lawson, 2000; Lerner, Almerigi, Theokas, & Lerner, 2005) that posit that young people have strengths and that they require developmentally appropriate and sensitive environments to access these assets.

We interviewed ten young people (see Table 1 for detailed information) who have participated in both a majority-white community-based organization for queer youth and a similar organization focused on trans and non-binary youth of color (YOC-focused group) as well as the advisor of these groups. All young people participated in at least three meetings of the majority-white group and three meetings of the queer youth of color group and could therefore offer insights into the similarities and differences between the groups and their discussions. The first author also interviewed the advisor of these youth groups and conducted participant observation in an effort to triangulate the data. Data were analyzed used constant comparative coding to identify emergent themes.

Findings indicate that youth and the advisor offered practical guidance for engaging with difficult conversations about racism in queer youth spaces in developmentally appropriate ways. Major themes included ensuring that groups were small enough that all voices could be heard, acknowledging that the race of the advisor or discussion facilitator affects the discussion, and explicitly aligning the discussions with the missions and goals of the group. The youth also offered suggestions for the scaffolding and introduction of these topics in ways that were developmentally appropriate. Youth suggested framing these discussions as didactic, with clear learning objectives that are spoken aloud and returned to at the end of the conversation, as a means of meeting young people, especially young white queer people, where they are. The advisor also added the need to build such discussions into the schedule for the year, rather than waiting until a precipitating event or ‘hot moment’ to discuss race and racism.

The current study offers practical, youth-focused suggestions for developmentally appropriate ways to interrupt racism and foster conversations in majority-white queer youth spaces that acknowledge, work through, and ultimately dismantle the implicit hierarchy that excludes and marginalizes non-white youth.

Author

• Robert Marx, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author