McNulty, Felix and McDermott, Elizabeth and Eastham, Rachael and Hughes, Elizabeth and Johnson, Katherine and Davis, Stephanie and Pryjmachuk, Steven and Mateus, Ceu and Jenzen, Olu (2025) Being, Doing, Deciding : Cisheteronormativity, Bodily Autonomy, and Mental Health Support for LGBTQ+ Young People. Youth, 5 (2): 53. ISSN 2673-995X
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Cisheteronormativities inform and distort what LGBTQ+ young people’s bodies can be and do, and what choices about the body are possible, profoundly impacting mental health. This article presents findings from a UK study examining ‘what works’ in early intervention mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth to examine how these impacts can be addressed. Data were collected across 12 mental health support services via the following: interviews with LGBTQ+ youth aged 12–25, service staff/volunteers, and parents/carers (n = 93); document review; and non-participant observation. In analysis, ‘Body’ was identified as a key principle underpinning effective early intervention mental health support. This article presents three key areas: the ability to name and define the body; the body’s ability to ‘do’; and the ability to make informed decisions about one’s body, life, and future. This article highlights the urgent importance of upholding bodily autonomy for LGBTQ+ youth if efforts to address mental health inequalities are to have any chance at success.