‘We can’t always be visible’: navigating cultural silence and emotional labour among LGBTQ+ case managers in Taiwan’s long-term care services

In Taiwan's long-term care system, LGBTQ+ case managers navigate identity, cultural silence, and resilience within heteronormative institutions shaped by Confucian familialism and postcolonial healthcare governance. Drawing on in-depth interviews with five participants working in public and private long-term care sectors, this research identifies how heteronormative institutional norms, familial expectations, and societal stigma shape their professional and personal identities. Three thematic findings are developed: (1) identity negotiation under cultural silence; (2) emotional labour and self-preservation; and (3) resilience through queer community support. Findings highlight the need for inclusive long-term care policies and culturally safe workplace practices to support LGBTQ+ professionals. Findings advance critical dialogues on intersectionality, queering care practices, and culturally safe governance in postcolonial East Asian long-term care systems.