Lived Experiences of Recent Russian-Speaking LGBT+ Immigrants in the United States: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract The Russian government adopted “anti-gay propaganda” laws in 2013, prompting an exodus of LGBT+ individuals who sought asylum in Western countries. Little is known about this new and diverse group of immigrants and their post-migration experiences in the U.S. An interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze nine semi-structured interviews. Four major themes emerged: “being a new asylum seeker: challenges ranked,” “reconciling multipolar identities,” “a sense of safety and freedom vs. a shock of nonsupport and discrimination,” and “belonging: new communities and their challenges.” The study calls for counselors to gain knowledge of immigration policies and new immigrant LGBT+ communities to address the within-group diversity, immigration and asylum challenges, language barriers, and general institutional barriers to services faced by these populations.