LibraryScenariosWhen LGBTQ+ support groups become spaces of exclusion
Scenario

When LGBTQ+ support groups become spaces of exclusion

Our community center's support group for trans and non-binary people keeps getting derailed by arguments about language and inclusion - who counts as trans enough, whether non-binary people face 'real' discrimination, what terms we should use. I came looking for support and community but it feels like we're spending all our time policing each other instead of dealing with the actual challenges we're all facing.

Juana
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

Communities formed around shared marginalization can replicate the same mechanisms of judgment and gatekeeping they were created to escape.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Non-binary and genderqueer identity?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.