“I learned with the community to love who I am”: Queer, transgender, and nonbinary Black, Indigenous, and people of color’s experiences of resisting and healing from internalized oppression.

Queer, transgender, and nonbinary (QTNB) Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) experience distinct forms of oppression that can become internalized, further heightening this population's risk of developing mental health concerns. While there is a growing movement to uplift the experiences of resilience and coping among QTNB-BIPOC, few have specifically focused on experiences of healing from internalized oppression. Using an intersectional framework and interpretative phenomenological analysis, we interviewed 34 QTNB-BIPOC regarding their experiences of healing from internalized oppression. After examining the qualitative data, member-checking procedures with participants further refined and validated themes. Findings support three broad themes: (a) affirming contexts as a vehicle for healing, (b) journeys of self-healing, and (c) QTNB-BIPOC collective healing, wisdom, and solidarity. QTNB-BIPOC reported experiences of individual and collective healing practices that aided in their own well-being and gave back to future generations of QTNB-BIPOC. We provide ways for researchers, practitioners, and advocates to engage in initiatives that aid the healing of QTNB-BIPOC communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).