Queer Flourishing is a field guide for personal growth that extends far beyond "coming out," offering a resource for readers who yearn to realize their full potential and truly flourish in every aspect of life. Traditional self-help resources often overlook queer lives, assuming a heteronormative perspective that fails to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ readers. This pioneering book delivers personalized guidance that empowers contemporary LGBTQ+ people to live more fully and lead with greater effectiveness.
The author brings queer perspectives to the research on adult development and its map of developmental stages. He highlights ten specific patterns common in queer lives, calling them "queer superpowers." These superpowers represent adaptive postures and capabilities developed in response to the adversities LGBTQ+ individuals face, such as bullying, shaming, and moral condemnation. Exploring these adaptive postures and patterns helps queer individuals understand their own path of development, gain insights about leading and living well, and avoid pitfalls along the way.
Queer Flourishing contends that to grow into highly effective leaders and to live lives of flourishing, queer adults must attend to the woundedness of the most tender and powerful parts of themselves. Therefore, the book emphasizes the importance of a trauma-informed approach to personal growth and leadership development for LGBTQ+ individuals in particular. The author includes for readers many powerful questions to prompt personal reflection and introspection. He also shares the story of his own developmental journey. This approach aims to foster holistic growth, helping readers revive neglected parts of themselves and discover new facets of their identities.
Queer Flourishing fills a void in personal development literature by offering a groundbreaking guide to growth and self-mastery specifically for LGBTQ+ adults.