The Beyond Acceptance Research Collective is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and gender expansive (LGBTQ+/GE)* youth and adults that conducted a critical participatory action research (CPAR) project about the experiences LGBTQ+/GE youth have with family.
Our project began with a concern about the high number of LGBTQ+/GE youth that were struggling with their families and a desire to better understand what kinds of supports would be helpful. LGBTQ+/GE youth have a lot of knowledge about family, and our research centered their experiences and expertise.
The materials on this website, including our zine, and the three original comics in it, creatively represent some of the experiences with family that the LGBTQ+/GE young people talked about when we interviewed them, as well as their dreams for their families, and recommendations for families and other queers. Check out our resources page, too.
* We use “LGBTQ+/GE” as an imperfect umbrella term to represent a vast spectrum of sexualities and gender identities, including nonbinary and gender expansive. In the overview of our research we more specifically identify how the young people we interviewed identified.*
Beyond Acceptance is a Public Science Project.
Beyond Acceptance is dedicated to queer young people everywhere. ♥ We are beyond grateful to the young people who shared their wisdom and expertise with us in interviews, we could not have done this project without you! We hope you feel your voices, ideas, and stories are well represented here.
Thanks to the families we were born into and our chosen families, who have supported each of us throughout this project and help us be our best selves. Thanks to Syd Seifert, Alejandro Rodriguez, and Davon Chance for generous collaboration. Our research was made possible through partnerships with The New York City Unity Project, The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, and SezMe |