Living on the margins: A South Asian migrant’s experience of disenfranchized grief as an ethnic and sexual minority

Abstract

This article examines disenfranchized grief experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) lesbians in Australia through a narrative single case study approach. This investigates the intersectionality of ethnic minority, homosexuality, and gender. Intersectionality creates a complex form of grief and loss which, in this case, is compounded through societal disenfranchisement. The narrative approach identifies elements of disenfranchized grief facing CALD lesbians when “coming out,” emigrating away from family and culture, getting married, thinking about parenthood, and managing partner death.

Keywords:

• Culturally and linguistically diverse
• disenfranchized grief
• homosexuality
• India
• lesbian