Two, four, six, eight horizontal ellipsis why we want to participate: Motivations and barriers to LGBTQ plus activism

The qualitative content analysis examines the motivations and barriers to engagement in activism of 1360 LGBTQ+ people (M-age = 21.05, SD = 7.46). Data on motivators and barriers to activism were collected through force choice and write-in responses. Content analysis of the write-in responses revealed six themes for motivation for activist participation (social justice, empathy for others, internal motivation, personal experience with heterosexism, improving one's own situation, and build LGBTQ+ community) and six themes for barriers to activism (lack of resources, concern about others' disapproval, lack of opportunity, concerns about safety, disagree with practices/attitudes of some groups, and no interest/lack of commitment). This study adds to the understanding of various motivations and impediments to activism by understanding engagement or lack of engagement in activism in participants' own words, which can help make opportunities for activism more accessible to more individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.