Queer Joy

• Cathryn McAllister, Psychology, University of Delaware

• Eric Layland, Human Development Family Science, University of Delaware

Queer joy captures the celebration, authenticity, and resistance of LGBTQ+ individuals. An overwhelming majority of research on LGBTQ+ folks focuses on negative aspects of being queer. Research focused on queer joy facilitates a more accurate understanding of LGBTQ+ individuals, informing interventions and fostering inclusivity and hope. This project aims to discover with whom and where queer people experience queer joy. Our sample included 565 participants from the US (54%) and New Zealand (46%). Through an online survey LGBTQ+ individuals aged 16 and older shared impactful and empowering experiences related to their sexual and gender identities. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis with a deductive approach. Our results demonstrated that queer joy was commonly experienced with other LGBTQ+ people (97.2%), only 6.9% of participants identified non-LGBTQ+ folks. Participants most often described experiencing queer joy with peers (61.4%), romantic partners (43.0%), family (17.3%), and in parasocial relationships (12.7%). Many participants also named how queer joy intersected with other dimensions of their identity, including race and ethnicity (18.8%), gender (11.9%), neurodivergence (11.0%), and religion (8.7%). Participants experienced queer joy across many contexts, including in free time (51.9%), in queer spaces (49.7%), and in public (47.8%). Participants heard queer joy discussed on social media (41.9%) and other online spaces (20.5%), in queer spaces  (42.1%), and among queer people (29.2%). Connections to other queer people are vital in promoting queer joy, while families and religious spaces need development to facilitate this. By understanding who sparks queer joy and where it occurs, we have a better grasp of what places and who play an impactful, positive role in queer lives and the relationships and places that need improvement in order to create queer joy.