“She’s Always Been a Fighter for Me”: Indigenous Mothers as Advocates and Defenders of Their LGBTIQSB + Children

There is no research into the experiences of Indigenous LGBTIQSB + young people and their mothers in the country now known as Australia. Based on a series of nine narrative interviews with young LGBTIQSB + people living in New South Wales, this article is the first to discuss Indigenous LGBTIQSB + children’s relationship with their Indigenous mothers. Indigenous mothers have been framed in ways that justified targeted settler state interventions situated within broader racialised biopolitical governance practices and the regulation of Indigenous lives. The findings of this research project provide a counter narrative to the current framing of Indigenous mothers and families as dysfunctional and in need of intervention by state and welfare agencies. Indigenous LGBTIQSB + young people speak to their experiences of coming out and the ways their Indigenous mothers defended, affirmed and advocated for them. Participants spoke of how Indigenous mothers provided them with protective skills and strategies that allowed them to effectively navigate close and extended familial and community contexts. This article demonstrates the significance of Indigenous mothering practices and values for the wellbeing of their LGBTIQSB + children.

这篇文章探讨了澳大利亚原住民LGBTIQSB+儿童（包括Sistergirls和Brotherboys）与他们的原住民母亲之间的关系，这一话题在研究中鲜有涉及。文章挑战了殖民视角下对原住民家庭，尤其是母亲的功能失调描绘，强调了这些关系中的力量、同情和肯定。研究突出了家庭和社区支持对原住民LGBTIQSB+青少年福祉的重要性，反驳了主流观点中对原住民文化敌视性别和性取向多样性的假设。文章还为原住民母亲育儿的有限文献作出了贡献，强调了集体抚养的方式以及在殖民压力下，原住民价值观的坚韧与延续。

本文采用主题分析法，对来自新南威尔士州的9名土著LGBTIQSB+青年的访谈数据进行分析。数据通过社交网络、广播、社交媒体等渠道招募，访谈形式包括面对面和在线访谈。分析过程采用归纳方法，结合开放式、轴向和选择性编码技术，从访谈文本中提炼出主题和概念，并进行反复推敲以确保分析结果贴近原始数据。

本文发现，土著LGBTIQSB+青少年与其土著母亲的关系在支持其应对殖民异性恋规范和种族主义方面至关重要。参与者的母亲为他们提供了基本的照顾和支持，帮助他们在家庭和社区中更好地实现性别和性取向的多样性。文章反驳了将土著母亲视为无能和忽视孩子的殖民主义负面叙事，强调母亲在LGBTIQSB+孩子的生活中扮演着至关重要的角色。研究表明，尽管一些土著LGBTIQSB+年轻人初时对出柜感到紧张，但他们的母亲始终以支持和接受的态度回应，并积极担任家人和社区中的倡导者和调解者。此外，研究还补充了当前关于土著LGBTIQSB+儿童经验的文献，突出母亲在孩子的性别和性取向多样性表达中的重要作用。土著母亲不仅容忍LGBTIQSB+的性别表达，还通过纠正家人和社区成员的偏见，促进性别和性取向的正向接纳