Contesting everyday violence: Resilience pathways of gay and transgender youth in Peru

Within Peru, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer/questioning (LGBTIQ) groups experience significant levels of violence, particularly LGBTIQ youth. This study explored youth responses to violence in two cities: Lima and Ayacucho. We sought to formulate key factors facilitating LGBTIQ youth resilience to inform local practice and policy. Focus groups were conducted with youth that self-identified as gay and transgender. We used thematic analysis to identify both inductive and deductive themes. Deductive themes were driven from resilience and structural violence theories. Structural and direct violence was reported by all youth with differences regarding the role of self, place and people in their resilience pathways. Despite experiencing everyday violence, LGBTIQ youth participants displayed remarkable resilience, though the resilience strategies and experiences of violence were distinctive for each group. Transgender youth relied more on their collective rather than individual resilience. In contrast, gay youth revealed a high level of individual resilience. Overall, the participants exhibited a fluidity of resilient and resistant behaviours toward violence. The use of place theory and a social resistance framework is suggested for interventions that effectively honour and foster the courageous resilience of LGBTIQ youth and effectively equalize their opportunities.