Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA.
J Homosex. 2023 Jun 7;70(7):1240-1262. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2021.2018879. Epub 2022 Jan 10.
Homophobia and anti-LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) discrimination within ethnic communities can negatively impact the health of LGBTQ people. The formation of chosen families has been a source of social support that may have health benefits for LGBTQ people. This ethnographic study explores how participation in a LGBTQ Vietnamese American community organization reveals the salience of chosen family in informing individual members' perceptions of their health and well-being. Fifteen members were interviewed and over 30 were included in a 6-month participant-observation period. Three themes emerged: 1) queering family and kinship, 2) Vietnamese motherhood and the social reproduction of the family, 3) social ties and community connectedness as relational dimensions of health. Findings suggest that specific ethnic social support via chosen family formations for LGBTQ Vietnamese Americans can shape individuals' sense of self, sense of belonging, purpose in life, and consequently perceptions of well-being.
族群内的恐同和反 LGBTQ（女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别和酷儿）歧视会对 LGBTQ 人群的健康产生负面影响。选择家庭的形成一直是一种社会支持来源，可能对 LGBTQ 人群的健康有益。这项民族志研究探讨了参与越南裔美国 LGBTQ 社区组织如何揭示选择家庭在告知个人成员对自己健康和幸福的看法方面的重要性。对 15 名成员进行了访谈，并在 6 个月的参与观察期间纳入了 30 多名成员。出现了三个主题：1）同性恋家庭和亲属关系，2）越南母亲身份和家庭的社会再生产，3）社会关系和社区联系作为健康的关系维度。研究结果表明，通过选择家庭形式为 LGBTQ 越南裔美国人提供特定的族裔社会支持，可以塑造个人的自我意识、归属感、生活目标，从而影响幸福感的认知。
