Activism in Southwestern Queer and Trans Young Adults After the Marriage Equality Era
Issue Date
2019-06-19Author
Gandy-Guedes, Megan E.
Paceley, Megan S.
Publisher
Sage
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, author accepted manuscript
Rights
© The Author(s) 2019
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In 2015, marriage equality in the United States was a big win for the gay and lesbian movement. Marriage equality as a primary focus of the movement, however, was not without its critiques, particularly as an issue affecting mostly white, gay, economically secure individuals. Given the history of the movement, it is essential to ask what is next. Young queer and trans people represent the next generation of potential activists and advocates for queer and trans liberation, yet little empirical attention has been paid to their goals for the movement and motivations to be actively involved, particularly among young adults in rural, conservative states. Therefore, this study sought to understand the social, economic, and environmental issues deemed important by queer and trans young adults (aged 18–29), as well as their motivations to get involved in activism efforts. Data came from a mixed-methods program evaluation, which presents a picture of the issues and motivations that led study participants (n = 65) toward activism in one conservative, highly rural, Southwestern state in the United States. The findings of this study are discussed in light of theoretical and empirical literature and then implications for the queer and trans movement, activists, and organizers are offered.
Description
This is the author's accepted manuscript, published in Volume 34, Issue 4 of Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work. Reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses.
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Citation
Gandy-Guedes, M. E., & Paceley, M. S. (2019). Activism in Southwestern Queer and Trans Young Adults After the Marriage Equality Era. Affilia, 34(4), 439–460. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109919857699
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