Marginalising the marginalised: challenges of embarking on LGBTQ+-related research

This chapter explores some of the key challenges LGBTQ+ early-career academics face when they embark on research with a view to publishing, including the paradox of coming out both explicitly and implicitly through one’s published work, the risk of microaggressions associated with this, and the effects these can have on a researcher’s willingness or ability to publish. We also consider the complexities of trying to recruit to less well represented groups in the LGBTQ+ community such as trans people. We reflect on a critical incident in which we experienced in-group hostility when reaching out to LGBTQ+ networks and, in relation to this, discuss researcher positionality and the importance of nuanced use of language.