Abstract
Non-binary people simultaneously identify outside the binary and experience the consequences of living in societies that embrace the gender binary to varying levels. The current study used a qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach to understand how non-binary people experience sexual objectification, which historically has focused on binary gender assumptions and populations. A sample of 10 non-binary people in the United States participated in 45–90-minute individual semi-structured interviews related to their sexual objectification experiences (SOE). Three broad categories of findings emerged from the analysis: (1) the intersectional and ubiquitous nature of SOE; (2) the embodied and burdensome impact of SOE; and (3) individual and communal acts of resistance against SOE. Participants highlighted difficulties navigating multiple marginalized identities through SOE, such as racialized fetishization and being perceived as women. Participants offered vivid descriptions of what SOE does to them physically, such as increasing chronic pain, anxiety, and dissociation. Individuals and communities reclaimed their bodies and built community in resistance to SOE. Understanding the unique SOE experiences of non-binary people may provide information for counseling psychologists to build affirming interventions that are tailored to non-binary people managing SOEs. Implications for future research on the experiences of SOE among non-binary people are discussed.
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Appendix A
Appendix A
Interview Protocol
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1.
How do you identify within the queer/transgender community? What pronouns do you use?
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2.
How else do you identify? In what ways do those identities inform your self-concept?
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3.
In what ways does your identity as a non-binary person shape your life experiences?
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4.
The purpose of this study is to learn about the experiences of sexual objectification faced by non-binary people. Please tell me about some of your experiences of sexual objectification.
Sexual objectification is the experience of being treated as a body (or collection.
of body parts) valued predominantly for its use to (or consumption by) others.
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5.
Are there particular experiences that stand out the most? Why do you think this stands out the most to you?
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6.
How do you think being a non-binary person influences your experience of sexual objectification, if at all?
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a.
How do you think your gender identity and/or gender expression influence these experiences, if at all?
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b.
How do other aspects of identity (racial, disability status, ses, etc.) influence these experiences, if at all?
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c.
What do you think is the impact of the combination of your gender and other identities in these experiences, if at all?
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a.
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7.
Why do you think these experiences happen to non-binary people? How do you think the experiences of non-binary people differ from other LGBTQ + people?
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8.
What type of environment(s) and/or situation(s) have you noticed these experiences tend to occur in?
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9.
How do sexual objectification experiences impact you physically?
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a.
What sensations, urges, or emotions happen for you physically during these experiences?
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b.
How do physical aspects of these experiences stay with you afterwards, if at all?
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c.
What internal reactions do you experience in these situations?
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a.
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10.
Do you respond in these moments? If so, how do you respond?
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11.
What impact have these experiences had on your overall wellbeing, if any impact at all?
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12.
What are some ways you cope with these experiences, if at all?
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13.
What impact have your ways of coping had on your wellbeing, if any impact at all?
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14.
How do sexual objectification experiences affect how you identify?
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15.
Have any benefits arisen from these experiences? Please explain.
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16.
What advice/message would you give another non-binary person who may experience sexual objectification?
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17.
Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience with sexual objectification?
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Pradell, L., Parmenter, J.G., Galliher, R.V. et al. The Sexual Objectification Experiences of Non-Binary People: Embodied Impacts and Acts of Resistance. Sex Roles 90, 318–335 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01447-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01447-4