Across LGBTQ communication studies, there are many fields that research and teach about LGBTQ+ communication. LGBTQ+ communication studies researches have examined sex, sexuality, and gender identity across interpersonal relationships, families, small groups, organizations, intercultural and international contexts, rhetoric and society, performance studies and narratives, and media studies.
LGBTQ+ interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication is process of communicating between two people, which can be by verbal and nonverbal channels. Interpersonal communication includes both personal relationships and professional relationships. In LGBTQ+ relationships, these dynamics can include dating, marriage, friendship, peers, and supervisor/subordinate relationships. LGBTQ+ interpersonal communication also focuses on disabled queer and trans people's relationships and voice at work. LGBTQ+ individuals engage in communication practices that challenge heteronormativity within their interpersonal relationships. By navigating and researching these interpersonal relationships, scholars and practitioners can explore intimacy, commitment, and family structures.
LGBTQ+ dating and communication Interpersonal communication research involves navigating various challenges related to identity, disclosure, and making connection. Researchers have found that for individuals in LGBTQ+ communities, dating apps have become a primary way for gaining connections. Platforms like Grindr are not only used to find romantic partners but also with helping in seeking social support. A study found that the use of dating apps "helped strengthen the feeling of having a gay neighborhood". Digital media platforms are important for gay communities and relationship building in various parts of the world, such as in China. Interpersonal communication is significantly influenced by stressors within only the LGBTQ+ communities, including societal discrimination, stigmas, and internalized negative beliefs. Communication studies research shows that offline and online harassment affect LGBTQ+ community members, and the use of LGBTQ+ Facebook groups may serve as a factor.
Researchers also investigate how trans individuals engage interpersonal dating communication through safer sex talks with their partners when they feel safe enough to do so. Scholarship has shown that transgender people who engage in safe sex talks with their partner also engage in safe sex practices like using a condom and dental dams.
LGBTQ+ marriage and communication Interpersonal communication scholars examine how same-sex couples manage privacy from not only society but also from their families. Navigating privacy affects the overall relationships of these couples including issues with intimacy and trust and support within their own relationship and family relationships. LGBTQ+ individuals may withhold information about their marriage out of fear of lack of understanding from in their interpersonal relationships with their family such as parents or siblings. LGBTQ+ people learn how to navigate communicating with their families while still trying to foster intimacy and connection in their marriage. Within LGBTQ+ marriages, spouses have to navigate communicating with their larger family individually and also together as a couple. In their marriages, research shows that LGBTQ+ people often create their own families as well, and within these families, they encounter unique obstacles like discrimination, legal issues, barriers to accessing to benefits, and overall societal critiques of their marriage.
LGBTQ+ friendship and communication Friendships are made through communication, and creating friendships is important for members of the LGBTQ community. Interpersonal communication researchers look at how social media platforms provide ways for queer communities to establish friendships and connections. Types of connections range from dating opportunities, casual hookups, mental/physical support, and safety. Research shows that LGBTQ+ people use social media apps for establishing safe connections with others, including sites such as Gaydar and Gay.com. Another study recommended LGBTQ+ people remain cautious when using social media apps, especially when some can be victims of catfishing or harassment.
Language is also another way that LGBTQ+ people build friendships through communication to form their own way of communicating with one another that others may not understand. Researchers have found that there are many terms that have their own definitions; terms such as SNAP or Playful Putdowns can be used as a safety measure to defend LGBTQ+ people from mental and physical assault. This study showed that LGBTQ+ people feel safe when gender and sexuality terms are spoken by others who speak the language.
Communicating friendship can be distinct in different LGBTQ+ groups. Research on gay male friendship circles found that communicating vibrant personalities and through putting on drag performances, gay men can gain the attention of a potential friend. A study also found that friendship and inclusion was created by not only LGBTQ+ people but also heterosexuals and cisgender people who respected someone's pronouns and creating more gender inclusive spaces. For example, youth summer camps can create safe spaces including inclusive bathrooms, sorting by age, and providing name tags with pronouns to help LGBTQ+ youth connect.
LGBTQ+ peer bullying Interpersonal communication scholars have researched LGBTQ+ bullying by peers in schools and universities, which has been a reoccurring issue throughout the United States and the globe. The data gathered from the GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) and HRC (Human Rights Campaign) surveys show that LGBTQ+ youth experience being bullied and having to deal with rules and regulations that are biased against them. These things not only hurt students' grades, but they also harm the way they feel and their lives.
Studies have shown LGBTQ+ bullying in schools and universities lacks a structure for change to create safer and more supportive environments for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Communication researchers have proposed a solution for LGBTQ+ peer bullying: to promote innovative communication approaches, such as educator training. Researchers have also emphasized how crucial it is to establish inclusive settings and question cultural norms that support bullying behaviors. GSAs (Gay Straight Alliances) can support and speak up for LGBTQ+ students and make schools less intimidating for LGBTQ+ students.
LGBTQ+ supervisor and subordinate communication Research demonstrates that communication between LGBTQ+ employees and their supervisors and subordinates has an impact on their interpersonal relationships, which are crucial to employee satisfaction in organizations. When studying LGBTQ+ relationships at work, research has shown that through verbal indicators like recognizing LGBTQ+ support in discussions, bringing up LGBTQ+ events, and using preferred pronouns, supervisors can convey their intentions of support as allies. A systematic literature review on LGBTQ+ workers in communication studies research highlighted the importance for managers and coworkers to support LGBTQ+ inclusive policies in practice for LGBTQ+ workers' safety and support and to retain queer and trans employees. Others investigate the complex processes by which LGBTQ+ employees choose if a coworker is an ally.
LGBTQ+ family communication Family communication are the interactions within a family that influence behaviors and relationships. It is how family members share information, express feelings, and resolve conflicts; it shapes both personal and social development within the families for the individuals. Within the context of LGBTQ+ family communication, research has found that family can be defined more expansively to include ties that are selected and marked by acceptance, love, and support rather than just biological or married criteria. According to a qualitative study that was captured in an interactive art project during a Pride festival, LGBTQ+ people and their allies typically view family through the prism of unconditional love and acceptance rather than traditional familial relationships.
LGBTQ+ parent-child communication LGBTQ+ family communication scholarship focuses on parent-child communication, which are the interactions within a family that shape children's experiences and influence their lives through different types of conversations. Parent's view of their child after they come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender is important to parent-child communication. Parent's understanding of their child's communicated perspective-taking (CPT), which is the process of viewing someone's situation from their perspective, while their child is in the process of coming out and viewing the themes from each story, helps to make connections; positive well-being is connected to themes like casual acceptance, offering help, and admitting difficulties.
In LGBTQ+ families, researchers found that parents could evaluate family dynamics, bust myths, grieve the loss of a heterosexual family paradigm (the ideal that heterosexual families are the only "right" standard in society), and build a welcoming family atmosphere for LGBTQ+ children. This work emphasizes the evolving social perspectives on queer identities and emphasizes the significance of establishing environments that are affirming and supportive for LGBTQ+ adolescents and their families. LGBTQ+ parenting remains understudied in communication studies compared to other areas of LGBTQ+ Communication Studies.
LGBTQ+ coming out communication in families In family communication literature, "coming out" is often examined as an important act of communication that has the power to alter family dynamics, impacting an individual's identity as well as their relationship ties with their family. Parental rejection, after coming out, leads to the weakening of identity development in young men who identify as gay according to past research, which then heightens feelings of shame and detachment. Romantic relationships may offer a reparative influence on their self-esteem and identity acceptance in replacement of that loss of family acceptance.
Other researchers examine when it is a parent coming out to their child. Lesbian parents identified crucial dialogues for family identity with their children, coming out, dealing with society's opinions, and hosting commitment ceremonies. This open dialogue helps to foster and reinforce a sense of belonging despite societal opinions and bring open communication for the family early on. Children's reactions to their parents' coming out as lesbian or gay can be both negative and positive initially, and research found that parents' coming out communication process leads to better understanding and emotional support in families. To create open dialogue, they found that emphasizing the intricacy and varying nature of children's emotional and verbal responses built a better overall family communication style between parent and child.
LGBTQ+ adoption and communication Researchers in family communication analyze how same sex adoptive parents are faced with the heteronormative attitudes towards sexuality (that heterosexuality is the only normal way to parent) like communicating with adoption agencies that prioritize heterosexual family structures. In LGBTQ+ adoption and communication research, same sex parents are subject to more judgements and social pressures from society. For instance, when starting school, children of LGBTQ+ parents face higher feelings of exclusion than their peers, and LGBTQ+ adoptive parents must negotiate misconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community in their communication.