Friendships of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People

Abstract

Friendships of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people relate to key issues in sociological research such as inequalities, social segregation, and community organization, and they have important implications for individual and collective well‐being. LGBTQ people receive unique benefits from their friendships with other LGBTQ people, including opportunities to disclose, share, and affirm their sexual and gender identities, as well as practical suggestions about how to cope with stigmatization in heteronormative, cisnormative society. These friendships may be embedded in LGBTQ people's “family of choice” and can be viewed as dyadic building blocks of the LGBTQ community. Friendships between LGBTQ people and cisgender, straight people have important implications for social inequality. Some studies show that these friendships promote equality by providing cisgender, straight people with opportunities to correct their stereotypes about LGBTQ people. Other studies give more critical views by showing that these friendships reinforce sexual and gender categories and impose greater burden of friendship maintenance on LGBTQ people.