Nineteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

The LGBTQ+ community is a grouping of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning. The “plus” is a symbol that’s come to be valuable due to its wide-ranging significance. The questioning of one’s gender is the stage where a person goes through confusion with their sexual orientation. Questioning individuals undergo struggles to find their place and be accepted in the society due to their multiplicity of their gender status. The researchers would like to explore what the LGBTQ+ community experienced when they were questioning. The researchers aimed to answer the following questions: a.) What are the impact of sexual orientation discrimination on LGBTQ+ youths and adolescents? b.) How do LGBTQ+ youths and adolescents cope up with the society’s reaction during their questioning? c.) What are the support given to LGBTQ+ youths and adolescents from the following: Family, Peers & Community. The researchers interviewed LGBTQ+ members to gather their ideas, experiences, and perspectives. Online qualitative research and storytelling method were used to conduct this study. Base on their responses, sexual orientation discrimination is a common occurrence during questioning. Almost all the respondents experienced it and was affected negatively and positively. Their way of coping with the society’s reaction is through defiance. By not addressing what people say about them and by focusing on their careers. The respondents weren’t able to emphasize the support given to them by the community, but they received support from their families and friends.