Coping with the Australian marriage law postal survey and its legacy: “I create meaning and joy and connection and community”

Abstract

People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or other diverse sexual or gender identities (LGBTQ+) experience psychological distress in the face of public votes regarding their human rights. This was the case during Australia’s 2017 vote on marriage equality. The present study retrospectively explored two key concepts: how LGBTQ + people coped with Australia’s marriage equality vote and its perceived long-term impacts. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with LGBTQ + Australians two-and-a-half years after the vote and analyzed transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis. Coping strategies included social withdrawal, seeking affirming spaces, turning helplessness into action, and seeking professional support. Perceived legacy included changed relationships, greater emphasis on LGBTQ + identity and community, losing faith in social and political institutions, commitment to pursuing minority group rights, and changed views on marriage.

Keywords:

• Coping
• LGBTQ+
• marriage equality
• minority stress
• reflexive thematic analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program stipend.