Foreign background queer individuals face struggles in the Finnish society

Picture: Mire Mroué Instagram @thequeerdomofgod.

Individuals who self-identify as sexual and/or gender minorities and of being members of the foreign-origin population experience challenges in Finnish society due to their migration status, and due to their queerness. These experiences are often emphasized by the intersection of class and to an extent also ethnicity.

These findings are based on new qualitative data from THL’s Manifold More project’s study on sexual and gender minorities who also identify as belonging to the foreign origin populations in Finland. The data is comprised of individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews, in which experiences of sexual and gender minorities in the population with a foreign background in Finland are studied. The research report is published later this year.

The study finds that persons who fall onto the intersections of various marginalized identities (such as queer asylum seekers or refugees, or racialized individuals) are in especially vulnerable positions in the Finnish society. They often experience both overt and covert forms of discrimination, physically and verbally abusive behavior and various challenges related to exclusion in Finnish society. Challenges are experienced in different life domains from employment and education to the service system and personal life.

Promoting equality through inclusive knowledge production

The report addresses gaps in knowledge on the wellbeing of sexual and gender minorities within the foreign origin populations in Finland. Through new knowledge existing inequalities within the Finnish society can be better understood and fixed.

“It was important for us to do the research in the most inclusive way possible. We tried to accommodate the needs of both the focus group and the individual participants in various means and forms throughout the data collection. In practice, this meant that we conducted the interviews flexibly when it was convenient for the interviewees, or that we sought for interpreters with whom the participants felt comfortable”, says THL’s Senior Researcher Mercédesz Czimbalmos.

The report also includes recommendations on how to improve the situation of sexual and gender minorities within different minorities, for example by strengthening knowledge of different professionals who work with this segment of the population.

Further information

Mercédesz Czimbalmos
Senior Researcher
tel. +358 29 524 8129
e-mail: [email protected]

The Manifold More project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). More about the project on our website. Twitter: @moninaisesti