Queering Belonging in Migration Pathways

How do postmigrant civil society actors in Germany counter democratic backsliding ani-gender and anti-migration politics through everyday practices of remembrance, solidarity, and resistance? This paper examines LGBTQIA+ migrant-led organisations as community spaces where trust, belonging, and political agency are co-produced beyond formal integration frameworks. Drawing on participatory research with LGBTQIA+ activists in Berlin and Leipzig, the study explores how these groups mobilise bottom-up strategies of care, memorialisation, and mutual to confront institutional violence, rising xenophobia, migration and labour regimes, and the erosion of asylum and refuge protections.

Moving beyond policy-centric analyses and traditional integration actors, the paper conceptualises grassroots organisations as key nodes within translocal solidarity networks that reconfigure belonging through grassroots activism, care practices, and community-building initiative. Thus, the paper examines how political agency and community-building emerge at the intersection of migration and postmigration, as actors mobilise solidarity and resistance to co-create belonging within their communities and territories.

The research also explores existing tensions and challenges, highlighting perceptions regarding the dynamics of power, trust, and belonging with traditional and established political actors. By foregrounding postmigrant perspectives, the paper argues that belonging is not an outcome of integration policy but a relational process enacted through complex mechanisms of social interaction that manifest themselves through scenarios involving disputes over participation, visibility, and belonging.
This contribution aligns with the session’s focus on how community spaces produce trust and belonging through pragmatic, relational dynamics. It invites dialogue on how postmigrant solidarities from below function as a mechanism of resistance and identity and as a transformative force in the vertical dynamics of traditional citizen participation, as well as points of escape where identity is reaffirmed through solidarity with the struggles of the territories from which people have migrated.

Keywords: postmigrant solidarity; LGBTQIA+ Migrations; community spaces; remembrance; resistance; trust; belonging; Germany

What does it mean to build a family from scratch? Originating from the 1960s in Harlem, the Ballroom Scene was created for and by Black and Latinx LGBTQIA+ members as a space to express themselves, explore their identities, and find belonging. Houses are the foundation of the Scene, forming ‘chosen families’ that compete against one another at Balls. Houses may function as an extension or replacement of families of origin, as some LGBTQIA+ young people are not accepted by their families of origin due to their gender and/or sexuality. The Ballroom Scene has since spread internationally, with Houses forming in Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. This commentary work, drawing from ethnographic observations in the Finnish Ballroom Scene, explores the journey of establishing a House and what it takes to build trust and belonging among LGBTQIA+ people of colour. It outlines the multitude of considerations including: house identity, values, membership, hierarchy, house work, loyalty, and networks of care. It provides insight into alternative family structures and the types of social support that are sought by young LGBTQIA+ people of colour.

Migration has increasingly challenged societies to rethink the relationship between mobility, inclusion, and social cohesion. While trust is recognised as essential for building sustainable relationships between migrants, communities, and institutions, how trust is experienced and negotiated through gendered migration pathways remains comparatively underexplored. This paper examines how gender shapes migrants’ encounters with institutions, civil society actors, and local communities, influencing their opportunities for inclusion and processes of belonging in Nordic societies. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of trust, belonging, and intersectionality, the paper argues that migrant inclusion is not a linear process of adaptation but a dynamic and relational process shaped by social positions, institutional interactions, and everyday encounters. It explores how gendered experiences influence migrants’ access to resources, recognition, participation, and feelings of safety and belonging. By connecting trust and gender perspectives within migration research, the study highlights how structural inequalities and social hierarchies shape migrants’ ability to develop meaningful relationships with their surrounding societies. Methodologically, the paper adopts a qualitative comparative approach based on existing scholarly literature, policy frameworks, and empirical studies on migration and inclusion in the Nordic context. It examines the role of civil society organisations and social networks as spaces where trust can be cultivated, solidarity can emerge, and migrant participation can be strengthened. The paper contributes to contemporary debates on migration and belonging by demonstrating that trust is not merely an outcome of integration policies but a relational process continuously negotiated between migrants, communities, and institutions. It highlights how trust, gender, and inclusion intersect in shaping sustainable forms of belonging in diverse Nordic societies.

Keywords: Trust; Gender and Migration; Migrant Belonging; Nordic Societies