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Intergenerational Exchanges in LGBTQ+ communities

Start date

September 2022

End date

March 2023

Overview

Intergenerational disconnection is a problem across society. However, through a CILIA-LGBTQI+ study on intersectional life course inequalities it has been discovered that this is particularly the case among LGBTQ+ people, whose ‘families of choice’ are often peer-group-based, without descendants and less likely to include members from their ‘family of origin’. The study also found that LGBTQ+ people often have generational identities based on different formative historical developments from mainstream generations (shaped instead by queer-specific events such as the Stonewall riots, Section 28, and marriage equality), and inflected by the life-stage when they came out or transitioned. 

This current project works closely with LGBTQ+ charitable organizations to co-design and pilot a set of intergenerational interventions that enable LGBTQ+ people to narrate and reflect on their generational identity in an intergenerational setting. Intergenerational disconnection is a problem across society. However, through a CILIA-LGBTQI+ study on intersectional life course inequalities it has been discovered that this is particularly the case among LGBTQ+ people, whose ‘families of choice’ are often peer-group-based, without descendants and less likely to include members from their ‘family of origin’. The study also found that LGBTQ+ people often have generational identities based on different formative historical developments from mainstream generations (shaped instead by queer-specific events such as the Stonewall riots, Section 28, and marriage equality), and inflected by the life-stage when they came out or transitioned.  This current project works closely with LGBTQ+ charitable organizations to co-design and pilot a set of intergenerational interventions that enable LGBTQ+ people to narrate and reflect on their generational identity in an intergenerational setting.

Team

Impact

Impacts on the LGBTQ+ workshop participants

A greater sense of intergenerational community, confidence in navigating intergenerational exchanges productively, and greater understanding of the perspectives of members of other generations is anticipated. 

Impacts on the partner organisations

Partners will learn about their members’ sense of generational identity, the extent to which they feel represented by or disconnected from cis-heteronormative generational discourse, and their sense of intergenerational connectedness or otherwise.  

Impacts on the partner organisations and project team

Partners and project team will learn about the value of the co-produced creative intergenerational intervention and will adopt best practice going forward. 

Impact Acceleration Account awarded projects

Our projects are all playing their part in turning social science research outcomes into meaningful impact that will touch our lives and communities. 

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