Introduction: The experience of social safety and belonging, rather than merely the absence of stigmatization or discrimination, may better account for the psychological well-being and flourishing of LGBTQ+ individuals. However, the mechanisms through which specific behaviors and situations are perceived as safe by the LGBTQ+ individuals, and the reactions associated with such experiences, remain underexplored. Thus, this exploratory study seeks to address this gap.


Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore how LGBTQ+ individuals evaluate the safety of unfamiliar social situations and to identify the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral consequences of experiencing social safety.


Method: Nine semi-structured interviews have been conducted with LGBTQ+ adults (aged 21-35) living in Lithuania about their experiences of social safety. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), using inductive coding was employed to analyze and interpret the data.


Results: Six out of nine participants identified the feelings of unsafety as their primary reaction in unfamiliar situations, although all participants highlighted 47 visible, behavioral, and situational signs of safety that transformed social situation from unsafe to safe. This presentation focuses on the most frequently mentioned signs of safety (e.g. rainbow iconography, the presence of other LGBTQ+ individuals, normalization of LGBTQ+ identity) and the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions that follow them (e.g. reduced tension and overthinking, the sense of normality).


Conclusions: These findings highlight social safety as a crucial factor of LGBTQ individuals' psychological functioning. Importantly, such safety can be strengthened through clear, unambiguous behaviors that foster a welcoming environment. Psychologists can apply this knowledge by actively cultivating safety in therapeutic contexts and broader community settings, thereby enhancing the well-being of LGBTQ individuals.