Resources

This article examines the life stories of seven LGBTQ immigrants, from the Global North and South, who live in Montreal. The research on immigration has long been carried out according to a framework heteronormative, which sets aside a whole series of questions relating to the impact of sexual orientation and non-normative gender identity on the migratory experience. Societies impose distinct constraints on LGBTQ people. Once settled in the host society, these subjects can experience more sexual possibilities. However, their origin can become a marker that places them inside a relationship of power with the majority group. This article aims to shed light on how LGBTQ immigrants construct their life stories in a context where their experience is crossed by the interweaving of several aspects of identities such as sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, and religion, to name a few. The intersectional approach makes it possible to identify the systems of binding powers which participants face daily. The thematic analysis gave us allowed to listen to individuals to know the categories of power and the systems of oppression they talk about — the goal being to position respondents as knowledgeable subjects, not mere study objects. Analysis of the interviews shows that LGBTQ individuals who express a diverse combination of identities face specific challenges linked to the migratory route.