Introduction: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and the consequent restrictive measures challenged the lives of billions of people in terms of psychological well-being and social attitudes. These dynamics had a peculiar impact on the members of the LGBT+ community, especially on those who chose to live in big cities. Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the personal experience of 14 gay and bisexual young adults who used to spend part of the pandemic in Paris, going to explore challenges and chances they had because of their living in a metropolis. Methods: Participants attended a semi-structured interview on their personal experience of pandemic, with a focus on how their lives changed in terms of routine and social life. Results: Participants reported various difficulties due to the restrictive measures put in place because of the pandemic. Living in very small flats, sometimes shared with unsupportive people, let participants feel vulnerable because of the lack of anonymity, whereas the absence of associative life and safe spaces for the LGBT+ community resulted in suffering from loneliness and the impossibility to be oneself at home. On the other hand, even if non-significant changes in minority stress perception were recorded, most of participants reported a general hate towards various minority groups at the beginning of pandemic, especially towards foreigners and the LGBT+ community since they were repeatedly accused of spreading the virus because of their “too libertarian lifestyle”. Conclusions: Results of this study shed light on interesting elements regarding the LGBT+ community that need a deeper investigation: the importance of having safe places, the concept of anonymity as prerequisite for being safe and the stress due to belonging to two or more minority communities emerged as fundamental factors in these narratives.
Introduzione: La diffusione della pandemia COVID-19 in tutto il mondo e le conseguenti misure restrittive hanno sfidato la vita di miliardi di persone in termini di benessere psicologico e atteggiamenti sociali. Queste dinamiche hanno avuto un impatto particolare sui membri della comunità LGBT+, specialmente su coloro che hanno scelto di vivere nelle grandi città. Obiettivi: Lo scopo di questo studio è quello di indagare l'esperienza personale di 14 giovani gay e bisessuali che hanno trascorso parte della pandemia a Parigi, andando ad esplorare le sfide e le possibilità che avevano a causa della loro vita in una metropoli. Metodi: I partecipanti hanno partecipato a un colloquio semi-strutturato sulla loro esperienza personale di pandemia, con un focus su come le loro vite sono cambiate in termini di routine e vita sociale. Risultati: I partecipanti hanno segnalato varie difficoltà dovute alle misure restrittive messe in atto a causa della pandemia. Vivere in appartamenti molto piccoli, a volte condivisi con persone non favorevoli, lasciare che i partecipanti si sentano vulnerabili a causa della mancanza di anonimato, considerando che l'assenza di vita associativa e di spazi sicuri per la comunità LGBT+ ha causato la sofferenza della solitudine e l'impossibilità di essere se stessi a casa. D'altra parte, anche se sono stati registrati cambiamenti non significativi nella percezione dello stress delle minoranze, la maggior parte dei partecipanti ha riferito un odio generale verso vari gruppi minoritari all'inizio della pandemia, soprattutto verso gli stranieri e la comunità LGBT+ dal momento che sono stati ripetutamente accusati di diffondere il virus a causa del loro "stile di vita troppo libertino". Conclusioni: I risultati di questo studio hanno fatto luce su elementi interessanti riguardanti la comunità LGBT+ che necessitano di un'indagine più approfondita: l'importanza di avere luoghi sicuri, il concetto di anonimato come prerequisito per essere sicuri e lo stress dovuto all'appartenenza a due o più comunità minoritarie sono emersi come fattori fondamentali in queste narrazioni.
Ritrovarsi soli con milioni di persone intorno: le esperienze del lockdown di giovani adulti gay e bisessuali a Parigi
ACCETTURA, ALESSANDRO
2021/2022
Abstract
Introduction: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and the consequent restrictive measures challenged the lives of billions of people in terms of psychological well-being and social attitudes. These dynamics had a peculiar impact on the members of the LGBT+ community, especially on those who chose to live in big cities. Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the personal experience of 14 gay and bisexual young adults who used to spend part of the pandemic in Paris, going to explore challenges and chances they had because of their living in a metropolis. Methods: Participants attended a semi-structured interview on their personal experience of pandemic, with a focus on how their lives changed in terms of routine and social life. Results: Participants reported various difficulties due to the restrictive measures put in place because of the pandemic. Living in very small flats, sometimes shared with unsupportive people, let participants feel vulnerable because of the lack of anonymity, whereas the absence of associative life and safe spaces for the LGBT+ community resulted in suffering from loneliness and the impossibility to be oneself at home. On the other hand, even if non-significant changes in minority stress perception were recorded, most of participants reported a general hate towards various minority groups at the beginning of pandemic, especially towards foreigners and the LGBT+ community since they were repeatedly accused of spreading the virus because of their “too libertarian lifestyle”. Conclusions: Results of this study shed light on interesting elements regarding the LGBT+ community that need a deeper investigation: the importance of having safe places, the concept of anonymity as prerequisite for being safe and the stress due to belonging to two or more minority communities emerged as fundamental factors in these narratives.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/32138