Gender and sexually diverse youth in rural communities across the globe face devastating adversities that compromise their physical and psychological wellbeing. Despite this, they have developed unique pathways to resilience, which are informed by multiple systems that influence resistance, adaptation and transformation. Current theorisations view resilience as a product of multi-systems that intersect to enhance the wellbeing of young people, yet almost nothing was known about the gender and sexually diverse youth resilience processes obtaining in a Free State rural community. As a result, research into the multisystemic resilience of this cohort was needed. This study followed a qualitative phenomenological design, with semi-structured interviews being conducted with 12 rural youngsters from the Free State, who identify as gender and sexually diverse. The participants were selected using non-probability purposive and snowball sampling methods. Apart from the devastating risk factors facing the participants, which are perpetuated by intersecting variables such as cultural and conservative Christian community norms, poverty, unemployment and orphanhood, resilience accounts were also documented. The study found that multiple resources, such as the participants’ psychological qualities, recreational activities, family, friends and peers, teachers, community members, local non-profit organisations, and their natural and structural environment, played an important role in their resilience processes. Although family affirmation seemed to be a crucial factor in the psychological adjustment of LGBTQ+ youth, their resilience processes were enabled by different intersecting systems in their community. Four themes derived from this study: 1) the distal and proximal stressors and resources LGBTQ+ youth need; 2) individualistic qualities that foster resilience; 3) relational and structural supports within the rural ecology, cultivating self-acceptance and coping with minority stress; and 4) a sense of safety and connection with the environment. The complex compromises between different systems found to foster resilience in this research, call for a holistic intervention that engages the micro, meso and macro systems for a more responsive intervention. Furthermore, this research indicates that, to promote resilience in LGBTQ+ youth, structural hetero-cis-normativity must be challenged through policy reform and implementation, as well as psychoeducation on gender and sexual diversity.
Batjha ba metseng e mahaeng ba bong bo fapanang lefatsheng ka bophara ba tobane le ditsietsi tse senyang bophelo ba bona ba mmele le ba kelello. Ho sa tsotellehe sena, ba thehile ditsela tse ikgethang tsa ho mamella, tse tshehetswang ke mekgwa e mengata e susumetsang kganyetso, ho ikamahanya le maemo le phetoho. Dikgopolo tsa morao-rao di bona ho mamella e le phello ya mekgwa e mengata e kopaneng ho ntlafatsa bophelo bo botle ba batjha, leha ele hore ho ne ho se letho le tsejwang ka bong le mekgwa e fapaneng ya bong ya batjha e fumanwang motseng wa mahaeng wa Foreisetata. Ka lebaka leo, ho ne ho hlokahala dipatlisiso mabapi le ho mamella ha ditsamaiso tse ngata tsa sehlopha sena. Phuputso ena e latetse moralo wa boleng wa kutlwisiso ka dipuisano, mme dipuisano tse batlang di hlophisitswe di entswe le batjha ba 12 ba mahaeng ba Foreisetata, ba ikgethang e le ba bong bo fapaneng. Bankakarolo ba kgethuwe ho sebediswa mekgwa e sa tlwaelehang ya sepheo le ya ho thaotha bankakarolo. Ntle le dikotsi tse sithabetsang tse tobaneng le bankakarolo, tse tswelang pele ka mefuta e fapa-fapaneng e kang meetlo le ditlwaelo tsa setjhaba sa Bakreste ba latelang melao e tlwaelehileng, bofutsana, ho hloka mosebetsi le bokgutsana, ditlaleho tsa ho mamella le tsona di tlalehwa. Phuputso e fumane hore mehlodi e mengata, e kang ditshwaneleho tsa kelello tsa bankakarolo, mesebetsi ya ho itlosa bodutu, lelapa, metswalle le dithaka, matitjhere, ditho tsa setjhaba, mekgatlo ya lehae e sa etseng phaello, le tikoloho ya bona ya tlhaho le ya meralo, e phethile karolo ya bohlokwa tshebetsong ya bona ya ho mamella. Leha tiiso ya lelapa e ne e bonahala e le ntlha ya bohlokwa tokisong ya kelello ya batjha ba LGBTQ+, ditshebetso tsa bona tsa mamello di ile tsa thuswa ke ditsamaiso tse fapaneng tse hokahaneng setjhabeng sa bona. Dihlooho tse nne tse fumanweng phuputsong ena: 1) kgatello ya maikutlo le mehlodi e hlokahalang ho batjha ba LGBTQ+; 2) ditshwaneleho tsa botho tse kgothalletsang mamello; 3) ditshehetso tsa dikamano le tsa sebopeho kahara tikoloho ya mahaeng, ho ba le ho ikamohela le ho sebetsana le kgatello ya maikutlo e fokolang; le 4) maikutlo a polokeho le kamano le tikoloho. Dikamano tse rarahaneng dipakeng tsa ditsamaiso tse fapaneng tse fumanweng ho kgothaletsa boitelo phuputsong ena, di hloka hore ho be le tshebetso e akaretsang e kenyang ditshebetso tse nyane, tse mahareng le tse kgolo bakeng sa tshebetso e arabelang haholwanyane. Ho feta moo, phuputso ena e bontsha hore, ho ntshetsapele mamello ho batjha ba LGBTQ+, sebopeho sa tlwaeleho ya kgahleho ya bong bo tshwanang se tlameha ho phephetswa ka tokiso ya maano le tshebetsong, hammoho le thuto ya kelello mabapi le bong le phapang ya bong.
Ulutsha olunezini nobuni obahlukeneyo olusemaphandleni kwihlabathi liphela lujongene neembandezelo ezitshabalalisayo nezidodobalisa impilo qete yabo ngokwasemzimbeni nangokwasengqondweni. Nangona kunjalo, babonakalise iindlela ezizodwa zonyamezelo, ezibangelwe ziinkqubo ezininzi eziphembelela uxhathalazo, ukulungelana neemeko kunye nenguqu. Iithiyori zakutshanje zilubona unyamezelo njengesiqhamo seenkqubo ezininzi ezinqamlezanayo ukuze ziphucule impilo qete yabantu abatsha, ngelo xesha kungaphantse kuthiwe kwakungekho kwanto yayisaziwa ngeenkqubo zolutsha olunezini nobuni obahlukeneyo obufumaneka kuluntu lwasemaphandleni eFreyistata. Ngenxa yaloo nto, uphando olungonyameko olunkquboninzi kweli qela lwaba yimfuneko. Esi sifundo silandele inkqubophando ephicotha intsingiselo nesiseko sokuthile (qualitative phenomenological design), nodliwanondlebe olungacwangiswanga ngokupheleleyo oluthe lwenziwa kubantu abatsha abali12 eFreyistata, nabathe baqapheleka njengabanesini nobuni obahlukileyo. Abathathinxaxheba bakhethwa ngokusebenzisa imethodi yosampulo oluqingqekileyo nolo lumana ukongezwa (non-probability and snowball sampling). Ngaphandle kweemeko ezingumngcipheko ezitshabalalisayo eziphenjelelwa ziimeko eziguqukugukayo ezixananazileyo ezinjengezithethe zoluntu zobuKrestu zabadla ngendeb’ endala nenkcubeko, indlala, intswelangqesho, ubunkedama, iinkcazo ezingokunyameka zaye zashicilelwa nazo. Uphando lufumanise ukuba izinto ezilulutho ezininzi ezinjengeempawu ngokwasengqondweni zabathathinxaxheba, ezemidlalo, usapho, abahlobo noontangandini, ootitshala, abahlali, imibutho yasekuhlaleni engenzi nzuzo, okubangqongileyo ngokwendalo nangokwakhiwa kudlale indima ebaluleke gqitha kwiinkqubo zabo zonyameko. Nangona ukubalulwa kweentsapho kukhangeleka kungumba ophambili kulungelelwaniso lwengqondo yeLGBTQ+youth, iinkqubo zonyameko lwabo zavunyelwa ziinkqubo ezahlukileyo ekuhlaleni. Mine imixholo efumaneke kolu phando: 1) izibangelixinzelelo ezikude nezikufuphi kunye nezinto ezisetyenziswayo ezifunwa yiLGBTQ+youth; 2) iimpawu zomntu ngamnye ezikhuthaza unyamezelo; 3) inkxaso yobuhlobo nemo ngaphakathi kwiekholoji yasemaphandleni ibethelela ukuzamkela nokumelana noxinzelelo olungephi; kunye 4) novakalelo lokhuseleko nonxibelelwano nokusingqongileyo. Uhlangabezwano olumbaxa oluphakathi kweenkqubo ezahlukeneyo ezifumaniseke ziyikhulisa unyamezelo kolu phando, zihlaba ikhwelo kungenelelo olupheleleyo olunokubandakanya iinkqubo zabantu ngabanye, ezamaqela namaqumrhu, ezentlalo nezamaziko (micro, meso, and macro). Kwakhona olu phando lubonisa ukuba uphuhliso lwenyameko kwiLGBTQ+youth, ucalulo lwamaqela (hetero-cis-nomarcity) malucelelwe umngeni ngokusebenzisa inguqu yomgaqonkqubo nokusebenza kwawo, kwanemfundo yezengqondo kwisini nobuni obahlukeneyo.
