Crossing The Boundaries Of Social Worlds: How LGBTQIA+ Latinx Students Conceptualize And Present Their Identities

Having adequate social networks and community connections is important for individuals, as it allows them to connect to resources, receive support from friends and family. This is especially important for individuals who identify with multiple minority identities, with this study focusing on LGBTQIA+ Latinx college students. The purpose of this study is to determine how individuals in social organizations, specifically ones that cater to specific minority identities, shift their multiple identities and self-presentation in response to the boundaries of membership and community. The study also looks at how they adapt these concepts to their social worlds, in which I describe social boundaries. Throughout the course of the study, by interviewing participants, observing their events, and analyzing the responses to the survey, it was found that queer Latinx students were interested in creating their own social worlds suited for their specific multiple marginalized identities. This was primarily due to participants acknowledging that due to the organizations focusing on only one aspect of their identity, they sometimes did not have the full support of their community. Participants also found that, by creating their own organizations, it allowed them to not only build their own support network but also provide one for other students. Even so, participants have also found that by making connections in their student organization and with friends within the greater LGBTQIA+ Latinx community at ASU, their interpersonal relationships have a higher determining factor in whether they feel connected to their respective communities, rather than through their participation in social worlds.