Greater than the sum of racism and heterosexism: Intersectional microaggressions toward racial/ethnic and sexual minority group members.

Abstract

Objectives: Discrimination, once unmistakable, has taken on subtler forms as exemplified by microaggressions-daily, seemingly harmless indignities that send negative messages to minority group members (Sue, Capodilupo, et al., 2007). Furthermore, unique microaggressions exist for individuals who possess more than one stigmatized identity. For example, racial/ethnic minorities who are also lesbian, gay, or bisexual face discrimination that is unlike racism or heterosexism alone or in combination. Thus, to meaningfully investigate how dually marginalized individuals experience various forms of contemporary, covert discrimination, scholars need access to paradigms that better capture their existential realities. Specifically, greater attention must be paid to how interlocking social categories shape experiences of subtle discrimination. To this end, we demonstrate how to conceptualize quantitative research that is mindful of intersectionality-or the interconnection of social identities in creating overlapping and interdependent systems of oppression. Method: We conducted a 2-phase study to examine whether an intersectional methodology better predicted adverse health outcomes for 801 lesbian, gay, and bisexual people of color as compared to an additive/multiplicative approach (i.e., combining scores from two different measures of experiences with racism and heterosexism). Results: Results indicated that intersectionality (vs. additive/multiplicative approach) better measured symptomology for racially diverse sexual minority group members who experienced microaggressions. Conclusions: These findings provide quantitative evidence in support of intersectionality, an achievable methodological approach that captures subtle encounters with discrimination for individuals with interlocking marginalized identities-encounters that would otherwise remain on the fringe of research.

Emotion-focused coping strategies as mediators of the discrimination–mental health association among LGB POC.

“…In actuality, LGB POC experience discrimination based on individual stigmatized identities as well as their intersectional identities. For example, bisexual Asian Americans can experience discrimination based on their sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, or both identities combined (Fattoracci et al, 2020). Future research can extend the current finding by utilizing intersectional measures of discrimination that capture additional forms of discrimination experienced by LGB POC.…”

“…Future research EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING WITH DISCRIMINATION 13 can extend the current finding by utilizing intersectional measures of discrimination that capture additional forms of discrimination experienced by LGB POC. One such measure is the Intersectional Racial/Ethnic and LGB Microaggressions Scale (Fattoracci et al, 2020). This scale asks participants to identify experiences of discrimination that occur as a result of their individual as well as their combined sexual minority and racial/ethnic minority identities.…”

Social inclusion, intersectionality, and profiles of vulnerable groups of young people seeking mental health support

“…As a result of social exclusion in multiple domains, young people may have more complex clinical presentations. Within our sample, we were able to identify the presence of specific subgroups known to experience complex issues and an increased vulnerability to exclusion [37]. Despite identifying only small numbers in our sample, this translates to a considerable number of young people Australia-wide experiencing these issues and presenting at headspace for assistance.…”

“…Despite identifying only small numbers in our sample, this translates to a considerable number of young people Australia-wide experiencing these issues and presenting at headspace for assistance. These groups are at greater risk of disadvantage and may face additional challenges to mental ill-health, such as stigma, discrimination, and feelings of "differentness" [37].…”

Muslim and Jewish Immigrants’ Adjustment: The Role of Religious-American Harmony, Religious-American Identity Centrality, and Discrimination

“…Individuals belong to multiple social groups and define themselves in terms of multiple social identities (Ashmore et al, 2004), such as their gender, cultural, religious, and sexual identities (e.g., queer Muslim Egyptian American woman); however, this multiplicity of social identities is not often reflected in psychological research (Cole, 2009). Although there is extensive research on the association between single social identities and adjustment (e.g., Postmes et al, 2019; Smith & Silva, 2011), psychologists are only beginning to examine the association between multiple social identities and adjustment (e.g., Fattoracci et al, 2020). To more accurately capture the nuances of multiple social identities, we examined Muslim and Jewish American immigrants’ adjustment as it relates to their identification with both their religious and American groups, the harmony they perceive between those two identities, and the discrimination they experience due to their minority religion.…”