Vietnamese LGBTQ Youth’s Transition to Adulthood: Expressions of Agency

Abstract

The study examines how Vietnamese LGBTQ youth express their agency as they transition to adulthood. Utilizing in-depth interviews with LGBTQ youth between the ages of 18 and 28, the study identifies different forms of strategies these young people employ to define, make sense of, or affirm their gender and sexual identities. In addition to managing their visibility to ensure safety, these youth can make sense of their feelings and experiences through inclusive knowledge about LGBTQ, or they may express themselves publicly and challenge heteronormativity and cisnormativity. The use of social media can give them tools for self-expression and advocacy, while financial independence and mobility can help them negotiate autonomy against normative expectations. As a contribution to LGBTQ emerging adulthood and youth research, the study highlights how social landscapes can limit the choices available for youth’s expressions of agency, while simultaneously providing them with materials to exercise control.