@unpublished{theses_frw4182,
           title = {The perceptions of LGBTQ young adults on rural communities in the North of the Netherlands},
            year = {2023},
          author = {M.C.J. Dijkstra},
             url = {https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4182/},
        abstract = {Youths can feel like their communities are unaccepting of people that identify as LGBTQ. This feeling of unacceptance can have negative effects on the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth. Although a community can feel like a place of stigma, it can also serve as a place of support. This research will examine this dual function of community and the role community size plays in this phenomenon. This research will use the concepts of community climate and community support to explore the perceptions that LGBTQ young adults have of the rural communities in the North of the Netherlands in which they grew up. The central research question for this research is:  How did young adults that identify as LGBTQ perceive their rural community in the North of the Netherlands growing up and how does the community size relate to these perceptions? To answer this research question, a qualitative research method was used. Primary data was collected in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with young adults that identify as LGBTQ and grew up in the North of the Netherlands. The community size did not seem to be a determining factor in the perceptions that the participants have of their rural communities. Other factors could be at play, such as norms and values and what gender or sexual orientation the participants identify with. Finally, the study suggests that future research explores the role that gender or sexual orientation plays in the perceptions of rural communities.}
}