Contextual Non-Consent: Notes From a “Failed” Interview Study with LGBTQ+ Youth in State Care

This article explores the ethical complexities encountered during a research project, where one sub-study aimed at interviewing LGBTQ+ youth in state care. Using a theoretical framework of ethics of care and the concept of consent, we discuss our difficulties finding interviewees and our decision to stop recruiting because of ethical considerations. We aim to show: (1) How different forms of care were expressed during the fieldwork process, and (2) How care practices and non-actions during this process constituted a contextual non-consent. We analyze the ethical dimensions of the fieldwork process and argue that this was an example of how a contextual non-consent was developed, based on lack of response from youth, gatekeepers’ hesitations, the signals we received from allied professionals within NGOs acting as gate-keepers and the professionals in care facilities we interviewed, together with our own mitigations of the risks of contacting youth in facilities where we reached the conclusion that not conducting a certain study will sometimes be the most ethical way of doing research with a vulnerable groups. The study highlights the importance of continuous ethical reflection and the potential need to abandon research plans to protect vulnerable groups. The findings underscore the ethical responsibility of researchers to prioritize the well-being of participants over the pursuit of data, especially when dealing with marginalized populations. This case study contributes to the broader discourse on ethical research practices and the nuanced understanding of consent in qualitative research.