Abstract
Feminist movements have historically addressed the marginalisation of women only and while there are forms of feminism that do address the complexities of intersectionality and gender marginalisation, many other forms of feminism do not make these same considerations. This means that within non-intersectional forms of feminism the lives and voices of many groups are marginalised – such as those of the queer community. This marginalisation within feminism may contribute to worsened mental health and well-being for the queer community. There is a need for qualitative research into queer people’s perspectives on non-intersectional feminism as currently the literature in this area cover only parallel and similar topics. The current study explored how groups of gender marginalised queer young adults in Ōtepoti-Dunedin discuss and make sense of non-intersectional feminism in the context of social discussion. This study also explored how the participants relate these issues with non-intersectional feminism to their own mental health and well-being. A focus group method was selected to allow for broad discussions where participants can develop their ideas and talk about shared experiences. Five focus groups were conducted with 17 queer and gender marginalised participants aged 18-22 years old. The transcripts of these discussions were then analysed according to Braun and Clarke’s guide to thematic analysis. Six themes were created from this analysis: perceptions of resistance to intersectional feminism, exclusion from feminist discourse, protective behaviours, marginalisation within their friend group/community, experiences with trans-exclusionary radical feminists, and thoughts on the way forward. Ultimately, the participants expressed their desire for non-intersectional feminists to be more open and willing to learn about the queer community, as this widening of one’s perspective may allow them to understand other’s experiences more and therefore understand the need for intersectionality.