Binary Scripting, Disclosure Decisions, and Agency in Families of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Youth in Mozambique

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines how family dynamics and normative role expectations inform disclosure decisions of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people within a changed legal context, drawing on semi-structured, biographical narrative interviews and focus groups involving 116 LGBTI youth (16–24 years) who were enrolled through a network-based recruitment method in three Provincial capitals. We conducted a thematic analysis with data from digitally recorded interviews transcribed verbatim. Conformity to heteronormative sexuality formed an important part of childhood socialization, and deviance became a growing source of parental-child conflict during puberty. Secrecy, which was commonplace among participants, was a critical strategy to protect against deteriorating family relationships, and financial hardship. Mediation by family elders helped restore communications post-disclosure, and positively influenced the parental role in protecting the child against discriminatory practices. Tension between the legal and social normative framework demonstrates that liberalizing contentious rights in law cannot be transformative without social change strategies. The government has to ensure access and investment in educational interventions that foster critical consciousness on gender and sexuality in family, and other socializing agents such as schools, with a view to addressing a key driver of discrimination against LGBTI people in Mozambique and promoting their social inclusion.Keywords: Socializationgender rolessexuality: discriminationLGBTIMozambique AcknowledgementsThis research forms part of a larger project on strengthening legal and policy environments for reducing HIV risk and improving sexual and reproductive health for young key populations in Southern Africa. The authors would like to thank all colleagues involved in this larger project, and all study participants and collaborating organizations who made the young key populations study in Mozambique possible.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data for this study has not been deposited in a public repository due to the nature of this research, and the necessity to safeguard the anonymity of its participants.Notes1 Queer refers to non-heterosexual and non-gender binaried people, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. While the authors refer in this paper to the commonly used acronym of LGBTI, this is done from an understanding that the acronym encapsulates a group of people whose sexual interests, gender/sex dimensions, and goals for social recognition are different and dynamic.Additional informationFundingThis study was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands as part of their regional HIV/AIDS and SRHR programme in Southern Africa [Grant number: 00091626]. The funder had no role in the design of the study, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funder.