Hammer, TonyaKavanaugh, Katherine E.2022-01-212022-01-212021-07https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14446/333758The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, is one of the most well-known pop culture fandoms in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The experience of belonging to a fandom (or fan community) has been shown to heighten sense of community and is implicated in LGBTQ identity development. Relational Cultural Theory provided a conceptual framework through which to understand the phenomenon of identifying as an LGBTQ member of the Harry Potter fandom. This qualitative study utilized a feminist phenomenological approach to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the experiences of LGBTQ individuals in the Harry Potter fan community? (2) How might involvement with the Harry Potter fan community have contributed to LGBTQ identity formation? (3) How has belonging to the Harry Potter fan community contributed to the lives of LGBTQ individuals? 17 self-identified LGBTQ members of the Harry Potter fandom created timelines of their fandom engagement and "coming out" journey and participated in a semi structured interview about their experiences. Following thematic analysis of the data, five themes emerged: (a) fandom engagement, (b) developing LGBTQ identity, (c) navigating marginalization, (d) supporting mental health, and (e) empowered voices. Limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for clinical practice and advocacy were discussed.application/pdfCopyright is held by the author who has granted the Oklahoma State University Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its institutional repository. Contact Digital Library Services at lib-dls@okstate.edu or 405-744-9161 for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.Dissertationfandomfeminist phenomenologyharry potterlgbtqmediarelational-cultural theory