“I went into the bathroom and cried”: vicarious stigma traces in biographical narratives of parents of LGBTQ+ children from Poland

Courtesy stigma, defined as the subjective experience of stigma, encountering prejudice and discrimination despite not belonging to a minority group, may affect parents of LGBTQ+ children. Although the topic has been explored, there is limited research measuring courtesy stigma in this group while considering factors such as social proximity and sociopolitical conditions. Courtesy stigma may manifest as vicarious stigma which refers to suffering experienced by relatives and friends of stigmatised individuals when they witness discrimination, prejudice, and mistreatment directed at loved ones. This article examines vicarious stigma among parents of LGBTQ+ children in Poland. The study used a narrative approach and was based on nine autobiographical interviews with five women and four men, all parents of LGBTQ+ individuals aged 16 to 34. The parents’ biographical experiences were analysed thematically, resulting in three main thematic threads and related subthemes: (1) parents’ reactions to learning about their child’s LGBTQ+ identity, including coming out and initial attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people; (2) coping strategies, such as faith, providing support, seeking professional help, and shifts in parental attitudes; and (3) parental experiences within social and institutional contexts, including fear of others’ reactions, concerns for the child’s safety, and evaluations of the broader context in Poland.