FAMILY DYNAMICS IN A CONSERVATIVE CONTEXT AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LGBTQ+ TEENAGERS AND PARENTS IN PAKISTAN
- Muhammad Touseef
- Shozab Abbas
- Basharat Ali
- ( paper pages. 161 - 184 )
Abstract
Having strong connections with
family can help LGBTQ+ teenagers, but not many studies have been conducted on
this subject in Pakistani Muslim families, where being LGBTQ+ is often not
accepted. We discussed with 12 Pakistani Muslim LGBTQ+ teenagers about how they
maintain their family relationships since their identities are not supported.
We found that these teenagers avoid talking about their sexual orientation
directly to avoid rejection. Instead, they talk openly about other topics, work
on making their family relationships stronger with patience, and pick ways of
communicating that are less likely to start conflicts. Some of the major issues
they face are feeling distant from family members, finding it hard to talk
about LGBTQ+ issues and religion, and feeling like they are not being true to
themselves because they have to hide who they really are. Even though all
family relationships have some problems, certain issues come from cultural and
religious refusal to accept being LGBTQ+. However, the study showed that
Pakistani LGBTQ+ teenagers are finding creative ways to stay connected to their
families despite the challenges. This gives us a unique perspective on how they
build relationships in cultures that do not accept LGBTQ+ identities.
Citation
Muhammad Touseef, Shozab Abbas, Basharat Ali.
2024.
"FAMILY DYNAMICS IN A CONSERVATIVE CONTEXT AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LGBTQ+ TEENAGERS AND PARENTS IN PAKISTAN"
The Nigerian Journal of Economic and Social Studies,
66 (1): 161 - 184.
JEL Classification
J13, J15, J16
