Queer Activism in Czechia: Balancing Collective Struggle and Individual Well-Being

HENDRYCHOVÁ, Simona a Zuzana SCOTT. Queer Activism in Czechia: Balancing Collective Struggle and Individual Well-Being. In Community Psychology Conference 2025 (Comenius Univiersity Bratislava). 2025.

Základní údaje

Originální název

Queer Activism in Czechia: Balancing Collective Struggle and Individual Well-Being

Název anglicky

Queer Activism in Czechia: Balancing Collective Struggle and Individual Well-Being

Autoři

HENDRYCHOVÁ, Simona ORCID a Zuzana SCOTT

Vydání

Community Psychology Conference 2025 (Comenius Univiersity Bratislava), 2025

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Další údaje

Typ výsledku

Prezentace na konferencích

Odkazy

Community Psychology Conference 2025

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Ne

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Anotace

V originále

Queer activism brings a lot to the lives of the activists but also takes its price. We focused on the experiences of queer activist from the perspective of the Community Psychology as embedded in the existing social structures — especially inequalities in Czechia and collective queer struggle. Their well-being, motivations and goals are understood not only as individual but as connected to the whole queer community and collective strive for a better life. We conducted a qualitative inquiry to explore how queer activists frame their activism in relation to well-being, community, and social change. Fourteen activists aged 18-30 (diverse in gender identity and activist involvement) were interviewed in late 2023 through in-depth semi-structured conversations. Using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), we interpreted participants’ narratives of motivation, practice, strains and ways of renewal. Two overarching themes capture the dynamics of queer justice activism: First, “I’m doing it for us” encompasses deeply personal motivations—identity, necessity, and moral imperative—and the psychosocial resources activism cultivates: belonging, solidarity, safe spaces, and visibility. These functions act as community-level buffers, enhancing resilience against stigma. Second, “Burden of care” captures the weight of responsibility internalized by activists when institutional systems fail: emotional exhaustion, time and financial costs, relational strain, even burnout. Rather than opposing forces, resilience and resistance emerged intertwined—activists simultaneously cultivate supportive community infrastructures while challenging structural power. Activism was experienced as both a source of meaning and a potentially depleting labor, revealing how empowerment and care are negotiated in community contexts that lack institutional support.