“Where do I belong?”: Intersectional experiences of home/lessness and un/belonging among South Asian trans and gender-diverse migrants

Abstract

Introduction ‘Home’ is often conceptualized as a site of belonging, yet research remains sparse on how it manifests for individuals occupying the multiply marginalized intersection of transgender, people of colour, ethnic minority and migrant identities. Objectives This qualitative study explores the meanings and experiences of home for South Asian trans and gender-diverse migrants in the Global North, through an intersectional lens. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 individuals (aged 21-34) who self-identified across binary and non-binary gender labels. Results Reflexive thematic analysis yielded five themes and four sub-themes: Home/lessness in Intersectional Un/belonging, Intersectional Uniqueness of Oppression, Disconnect from Collectivist Cultural Roots, Home as Dynamic and Plural, Home in Intangible Feelings, Home in Community, Home as Agentic Place-Making, Yearning for a Missing Home Drives the Future and Systemic Change as the Path to Home. Findings highlighted the experience of home as an elusive and unattainable construct. Their yearning for a missing sense of home significantly drove participants’ decision-making about their future plans. The term ‘intersectional unbelonging’ was coined to describe the layered sense of unbelonging in home and host countries which participants explained as resulting from their intersecting marginalized identities. Intersectional unbelonging contributed to affective homelessness, which in turn shaped extreme isolation—forming what appears to be a vicious cycle in which these conditions seem to reinforce one another. Conclusion These findings call for systemic policy reform and participatory future research to holistically address the intersectional, structural discrimination that hinders homemaking and belonging for this uniquely marginalized population.