Children and Youth Services Review 139 (2022) 106552 Available online 24 May 2022 0190-7409/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. “I just want to move forward”: Themes of resilience among LGBTQ young adults experiencing family rejection and housing insecurity Jonah P. DeChants a, * , Jama Shelton b , Yolanda Anyon c , Kimberly Bender c a Colorado State University, 450 W Pitkin St, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States b Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, United States c University of Denver, United States A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: LGBTQ youth homelessness Youth homelessness Resilience Family rejection ABSTRACT Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) young adults are overrepresented among young adults experiencing homelessness. Heterosexist and cisgenderist rejection from their families frequently causes and exacerbates this housing instability. Despite these challenges, LGBTQ young adults demonstrate tremendous resilience. Using grounded theory to analyze interviews with 15 young adults experiencing family rejection and housing instability, this study seeks to illuminate the practices and attitudes that allow LGBTQ young adults to develop and maintain resilience. Analysis of the interview data revealed three main themes: (1) strategizing: taking agency, making plans, and learning lessons; (2) connecting: getting support from individuals, institutions, and communities, and engaging in their own altruism; and, (3) coping: focusing on goals, main- taining motivation, and using creativity. This study holds important implications for housing agencies and others who seek to support LGBTQ young adults, suggesting that we should build programs that leverage the existing strengths and resilience of these young adults in efforts to create housing stability. ge the existing strengths and resilience of young adults in efforts to create housing stability. 1. Introduction Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) young adults are overrepresented among young adults expe- riencing homelessness (Choi et al., 2015; Durso & Gates, 2012; Morton et al., 2018). Measuring the prevalence of LGBTQ young adult home- lessness is an inexact science, both because young adults experiencing homelessness are frequently disconnected from service institutions, as well as the complexity of young adults disclosing their LGBTQ identities to service providers. Nonetheless, youth who identify as LGBTQ comprise approximately seven to nine percent of the general population (Wilson et al., 2014), but 29% of youth seeking housing services (Choi et al., 2015). Similarly, estimates suggest transgender youth make up three percent of the general population (Wilson et al., 2014) and four to seven percent of youth seeking housing services (Choi et al., 2015; Whitbeck et al., 2015). In the face of these diffcult experiences, LGBTQ young adults experiencing homelessness exhibit extraordinary resilience (Shelton et al., 2018; Wagaman et al., 2019). This study aims to expand the existing literature on LGBTQ young adult resilience, illuminating the specifc practices and attitudes that young adults develop as they navi- gate family rejection and housing instability. 1.1. Risks and disparities among LGBTQ young adults experiencing homelessness Although all young adults experiencing homelessness encounter signifcant risks to their well-being, conditions are often harsher and more diffcult for LGBTQ young adults experiencing homelessness. Heterosexism and cisgenderism are systematic forms of oppression which marginalize LGBTQ people across all sectors of society (Ansara & Hegarty, 2011; Smith, Oades, & McCarthy, 2012). Heterosexism is an ideology that both denigrates non-heterosexual sexualities and privi- leges heterosexuality over homosexuality (Smith et al., 2012). Similarly, cisgenderism is an ideology which invalidates non-cisgender genders and privileges gender which align with the binary gender assigned at bith (Ansara & Hegarty, 2011). Heterosexism and cisgenderism can be used to describe a wide range of oppressive actions, policies, or beliefs, including anti-LGBTQ microaggressions or discriminiation (Bettcher, Abbreviations: LGBTQ, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: Jonah.DeChants@gmail.com (J.P. DeChants). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Children and Youth Services Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106552 Received 30 June 2021; Received in revised form 10 May 2022; Accepted 20 May 2022