Inhabiting the Interstices: A Spatial Analysis of Racialized Lesboqueer Communities' Experience in Montréal
A spatial and intersectional analysis of the community social spaces and territorialization processes experienced by racialized lesboqueer individuals in Montréal
This master’s thesis explores the doubly marginalized experience of being a lesbian, queer, bisexual, or pansexual person and a racialized individual. The research examines the spatial appropriation processes and the experiences of community social spaces for individuals at the intersection of these two identities. A qualitative methodology was employed to address this issue. The analysis is based on 10 interviews conducted with participants who identify both as lesbians, bisexual, or queer individuals, and as visible minorities. The participants were required to reside in the Greater Montreal area and to be able to communicate in either French or English.
This research adopts an intersectional approach to the processes of territorialization within communities. It also sheds light on the experience of being a racialized individual within mainstream lesboqueer spaces of sociability. From a phenomenological perspective, this thesis draws on the lived experiences of the participants to analyze how their personal identities are projected onto space.
Keywords: intersectionality; intersectional minority stress; LGBTQ+ communities; territorialization; spatial appropriation; visible minorities; phenomenology; community organizing; Montréal; identities.
