How do the unequal multilevel processes of social capital and work shape the life course outcomes of queer folx?

My final paper topic explores how queer people build community through food and other quotidian moments involving food. Unequal multilevel processes of social capital and work shape the life course outcomes of these individuals. Social capital is crucial in understanding how communities form and function. Bankston and Zhou emphasize that social capital is not confined to a single level of analysis but emerges across different levels, emphasizing the intricacies and variability of the process. Applying this lens to the queer community, the access to social resources and support, as well as the ability to influence and leverage community resources, may be contingent on the dynamics of social capital given that social ties are potential conveyors of resources. The composition and structure of social networks within the queer community become integral elements in the creation and sustainability of linked lives around food. Occupation within the queer community also plays a pivotal role in shaping life course outcomes as it influences access to opportunities, resources, and diverse positions. Lin and Dumin's assertion that personal and structural factors impact general access to better social resources suggests that the idea that the nature of work and occupations within the queer community contributes to the construction of social networks and the development of community through linked lives. Access to occupations can be an indicator of social resources and is thus relevant in the context of understanding how individuals within the queer community navigate and develop their professional lives through this network. The reproduction of inequality, particularly along the lines of race/ethnicity and gender, complicates life course outcomes for queer folx as well. For example, Bankston and Zhou's observation of a consistent pattern of advantage in the production of social capital among Whites underscores the racial dimensions of social capital, which likely influences the queer community in an intersectional way. Queer life, like heterosexual life, is influenced by issues of segregation, life course homophily, and stereotypes, which can contribute to the reproduction of inequality within the queer community, particularly in the context of using food as a community-building tool. Birds of a feather may flock together, but only if those birds are white, have a college degree, and a 9-to-5 job, holding down six figures. In other words, homophily reinforces these patterns, as individuals connect based on shared experiences, contributing to the reproduction of specific culinary attitudes, behaviors, and practices within subgroups. In considering food as a community building phenomenon, we consider who shapes communal food practices, whose culinary traditions are celebrated, and whose voices are heard, but also what inequalities are perpetuated within the queer community’s culinary landscape. Understanding these processes is vital for comprehending the nuanced life course outcomes of queer individuals and addressing potential inequalities within their communities.