Abstract
A focus on the intersectional experiences of racial/ethnic LGBTQ is important. A large body of research indicates individuals with sexual minority or gender-diverse identities have an increased risk for psychological distress compared to heterosexual counterparts. Despite an increasing focus on sexual and gender minority stress and its implications for mental health, much of this work does not address the minority stress experience associated with the social marginalization of racial/ethnic LGBTQ identities. This chapter focuses on presenting the concept of intersectionality and the real-world impact of living life at the intersections of identities for racial/ethnic LGBTQ.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams, E. M., Cahill, B. J., & Ackerlind, S. J. (2005). A qualitative study of Latino lesbian and gay youths’ experiences with discrimination and the career development process. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2004.11.002
Balsam, K. F., Molina, Y., Beadnell, B., Simoni, J., & Walters, K. (2011). Measuring multiple minority stress: The LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(2), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023244
Barnett, A. P., del Río-González, A. M., Parchem, B., Pinho, V., Aguayo-Romero, R., Nakamura, N., …, & Zea, M. C. (2019). Content analysis of psychological research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color in the United States: 1969–2018. American Psychologist, 74(8), 898. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000562.
Beehler, G. P. (2001). Original Research: Confronting the culture of medicine: Gay men’s experiences with primary care physicians. Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 5(4), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014210027301
Bieschke, K. J., Paul, P. L., & Blasko, K. A. (2007). Review of empirical research focused on the experience of lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients in counseling and psychotherapy. In K. J. Bieschke, R. M. Perez, & K. A. DeBord (Eds.), Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients (2nd ed., pp. 293–315). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11482-012
Bowleg, L. (2008). When Black + lesbian + woman ≠ Black lesbian woman: The methodological challenges of qualitative and quantitative intersectionality research. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 59(5–6), 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9400-z
Bowleg, L. (2013). “Once you’ve blended the cake, you can’t take the parts back to the main ingredients:” Black gay and bisexual men’s descriptions and experiences of intersectionality. Sex Roles, 68(11–12), 754–767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0152-4
Bowleg, L., Burkholder, G., Teti, M., & Craig, M. L. (2008). The complexities of outness: Psychosocial predictors of coming out to others among Black lesbian and bisexual women. Journal of LGBT Health Research, 4(4), 153–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/15574090903167422
Bridge, J. A., Asti, L., Horowitz, L. M., Greenhouse, J. B., Fontanella, C. A., Sheftall, A. H., … Campo, J. V. (2015). Suicide trends among elementary school–aged children in the United States from 1993 to 2012. JAMA pediatrics, 169(7), 673–677. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0465
Carbado, D. W., Crenshaw, K. W., Mays, V. M., & Tomlinson, B. (2013). Intersectionality: Mapping the movements of a theory. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 10(2), 303–312. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X13000349
Costigan, C. L., Koryzma, C. M., Hua, J. M., & Chance, L. J. (2010). Ethnic identity, achievement, and psychological adjustment: Examining risk and resilience among youth from immigrant Chinese families in Canada. Cultural diversity and ethnic minority psychology, 16(2), 264.
Choi, K. H., Han, C. S., Paul, J., & Ayala, G. (2011). Strategies for managing racism and homophobia among US ethnic and racial minority men who have sex with men. AIDS Education and Prevention, 23(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2011.23.2.145
Coulter, R. W., Kenst, K. S., Bowen, D. J., & Scout. (2014). Research funded by the National Institutes of Health on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. American Journal of Public Health, 104(2), e105–e112. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301501
Díaz, R. M., Ayala, G., Bein, E., Henne, J., & Marin, B. V. (2001). The impact of homophobia, poverty, and racism on the mental health of gay and bisexual Latino men: Findings from 3 U.S. cities. American Journal of Public Health, 91(6), 927–932. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.6.927
Fattoracci, E. S., Revels-Macalinao, M., & Huynh, Q. L. (2020). Greater than the sum of racism and heterosexism: Intersectional microaggressions toward racial/ethnic and sexual minority group members. Cultural diversity and ethnic minority psychology.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (2020). Hate Crime Statistics 2019. Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2019
Frost, D. M., & Meyer, I. H. (2012). Measuring community connectedness among diverse sexual minority populations. Journal of Sex Research, 49(1), 36–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2011.565427
Goffman, E. (2009). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Simon and Schuster. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203793343-4.
hooks, B. (1984). Feminist theory: From margin to center. Boston, MA: South End.
Huang, Y.-P., Brewster, M. E., Moradi, B., Goodman, M. B., Wiseman, M. C., & Martin, A. (2010). Content analysis of literature about LGB people of color: 1998–2007. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(3), 363–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/001100000933555
Hughes, T. L., & Eliason, M. (2002). Substance use and abuse in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 22(3), 263–298. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013669705086
Huynh, Q. L., Devos, T., & Goldberg, R. (2014). The role of ethnic and national identifications in perceived discrimination for Asian Americans: Toward a better understanding of the buffering effect of group identifications on psychological distress. Asian American journal of psychology, 5(3), 161.
Kuper, L. E., Coleman, B. R., & Mustanski, B. S. (2014). Coping with LGBT and racial–ethnic-related stressors: A mixed-methods study of LGBT youth of color. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(4), 703–719. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12079
Lelutiu-Weinberger, C., Pachankis, J. E., Golub, S. A., Ja’Nina, J. W., Bamonte, A. J., & Parsons, J. T. (2013). Age cohort differences in the effects of gay-related stigma, anxiety and identification with the gay community on sexual risk and substance use. AIDS and Behavior, 17(1), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0070-4
Malebranche, D. J., Fields, E. L., Bryant, L. O., & Harper, S. R. (2009). Masculine socialization and sexual risk behaviors among Black men who have sex with men: A qualitative exploration. Men and masculinities, 12(1), 90–112.
McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1<6::AID-JCOP2290140103>3.0.CO;2-I
McCabe, S. E., Bostwick, W. B., Hughes, T. L., West, B. T., & Boyd, C. J. (2010). The relationship between discrimination and substance use disorders among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 100(10), 1946–1952.
McCabe, S. E., West, B. T., Hughes, T. L., & Boyd, C. J. (2013). Sexual orientation and substance abuse treatment utilization in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 44(1), 4–12.
Meyer, I. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137286
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
Meyer, I. H. (2010). Identity, stress, and resilience in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals of color. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(3), 442–454.
Moradi, B., Wiseman, M. C., DeBlaere, C., Goodman, M. B., Sarkees, A., Brewster, M. E., & Huang, Y. P. (2010). LGB of color and white individuals’ perceptions of heterosexist stigma, internalized homophobia, and outness: Comparisons of levels and links. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(3), 397–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000009335263
Nadal, K. L., Griffin, K. E., Wong, Y., Hamit, S., & Rasmus, M. (2014). The impact of racial microaggressions on mental health: Counseling implications for clients of color. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92(1), 57–66.
Phinney, J. S., Horenczyk, G., Liebkind, K., & Vedder, P. (2001). Ethnic identity, immigration, and well‐being: An interactional perspective. Journal of social issues, 57(3), 493–510.
Rhodes, S. D., Alonzo, J., Mann, L., M. Simán, F., Garcia, M., Abraham, C., & Sun, C. J. (2015). Using photovoice, Latina transgender women identify priorities in a new immigrant-destination state. International Journal of Transgenderism, 16(2), 80–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2015.1075928.
Rivas-Drake, D., Seaton, E. K., Markstrom, C., Quintana, S., Syed, M., Lee, R. M., …, & Ethnic and Racial Identity in the 21st Century Study Group. (2014). Ethnic and racial identity in adolescence: Implications for psychosocial, academic, and health outcomes. Child Development, 85(1), 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12200.
Sarno, E. L., Mohr, J. J., Jackson, S. D., & Fassinger, R. E. (2015). When identities collide: Conflicts in allegiances among LGB people of color. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(4), 550–559. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000026
Santos, C. E., & VanDaalen, R. A. (2016). The associations of sexual and ethnic–racial identity commitment, conflicts in allegiances, and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual racial and ethnic minority adults. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(6), 668–676. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000170
Scheim, A. I., & Bauer, G. R. (2019). The Intersectional Discrimination Index: Development and validation of measures of self-reported enacted and anticipated discrimination for intercategorical analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 226, 225–235.
Siegel, K., & Epstein, J. A. (1996). Ethnic-racial differences in psychological stress related to gay lifestyle among HIV-positive men. Psychological Reports, 79(1), 303–312.
Stone, A. L., Nimmons, E. A., Salcido, R., Jr., & Schnarrs, P. W. (2020). Multiplicity, race, and resilience: Transgender and non-binary people building community. Sociological Inquiry, 90(2), 226–248. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12341
Velez, B. L., Watson, L. B., Cox, R., Jr., & Flores, M. J. (2017). Minority stress and racial or ethnic minority status: A test of the greater risk perspective. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 4(3), 257. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000226
Walker, J. J., Longmire-Avital, B., & Golub, S. (2015). Racial and sexual identities as potential buffers to risky sexual behavior for Black gay and bisexual emerging adult men. Health Psychology, 34(8), 841–846. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000187
Weber, L., & Parra-Medina, D. (2003). Intersectionality and women’s health: Charting a path to eliminating health disparities. Advances in Gender Research, 7, 181–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1529-2126(03)07006-1
Woodford, M. R., Kulick, A., & Atteberry, B. (2015). Protective factors, campus climate, and health outcomes among sexual minority college students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 8(2), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1037/a003855
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Akibar, A.P., Langroudi, K.F. (2021). Intersectionality, Lived Social Realities, and LGBTQ PoC Health. In: García, J.J. (eds) Heart, Brain and Mental Health Disparities for LGBTQ People of Color. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70060-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70060-7_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-70059-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70060-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)