A Queer Resilience: Reviving Indigenous-Pacific Perspectives and Practices

Abstract

In the face of ongoing discrimination, stigma, ostracism, and violence, Pacific Islanders of Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities, Intersex Expressions, and Sex Characteristics (PIDSOGIESC+) display a marked resilience. And yet, this resilience does not come lightly, nor is it cheap. This research draws on a mixed-methods data set to explore the complicated notion of resilience among PIDSOGIESC+ communities. Through engaging in rich talanoas, along with a wide-reaching survey, a nuanced picture emerges of communities that draw on a range of indigenous cultural perspectives across the Tropical Pacific to develop creative strategies for engaging meaningfully with the world around them. Highlighting a strengths-based approach to research and service delivery, we explore the unique skillset of the PIDSOGIESC+ community, the changes they have won, and the vision of a more inclusive society they are fighting for.

Keywords

• Queer Resilience
• LGBTQIA
• Tropical Pacific
• Indigenous Pacific
• Talanoa
• PIDSOGIESC