Identity Conflict and Language Use Among Queer Lebanese Individuals: a Psychological and Sociocultural Approach

This research aimed to explore both the facets of identity conflict that queer people in Lebanon experience between their sexual identity and their sociocultural one, as well as their use of language tools to manage it. The study consisted of 11 queer Lebanese participants (aged 22 to 25) who are multilingual and from either rural or urban areas of the country. Through 55-minute semi-standardized interviews, results showed that identity as a queer person clashes with the perceived conservative Lebanese context and consequently with the need to socially belong. Although some manage to navigate this through protective factors like parental openness, most still struggle. Then, the queer identity undergoes interference when the sociocultural identity is salient. Internally, these individuals start perceiving the West as the only world in which they may reach self-acceptance, driving them to identify more with the English language as opposed to their native one. Not only is this linked to the harsh nature of Arabic terminology, but also to its emotional demands. Thus, queer Lebanese individuals engage in code-switching, meaning the constant switching between Arabic and English. On one hand, they use Arabic in family settings and English in peer ones, based on how much they think it connects them to the environment. On another hand, they also switch languages during topics with queer themes, due to the perception of English as more congruent with and emotionally fulfilling to the queer identity. In summary, choice of language is deeply intertwined with identity conflict in queer Lebanese individuals.