Queer Asian American men’s racialized dating preferences: The role of internalized racism and resistance and empowerment against racism.

Abstract

Research has indicated that queer (i.e., gay, bisexual, or another minority sexual orientation) Asian American men may internalize negative views about Asian men’s attractiveness from the broader queer community which may then affect their own perceptions of desirability. To further understand racialized dating preferences among this underrepresented population, we examined the extent to which internalized racism and resistance and empowerment against racism were associated with queer Asian American men’s dating preferences (i.e., Asian preference, White preference, or no racial preference). We also investigated the mediating role of self-efficacy in the associations of internalized racism and empowerment against racism with the different dating preferences. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 180 queer Asian American men who completed an online survey. Results showed that internalized racism was positively associated with a White dating preference and negatively associated with an Asian dating preference. Resistance and empowerment was positively associated with having no racial dating preference and was negatively associated with a White dating preference. Furthermore, self-efficacy mediated a negative indirect association of resistance and empowerment with having a White dating preference, whereas self-efficacy did not mediate any other associations. The results of our study highlight the importance of considering psychological, racially relevant factors that may be associated with queer Asian American men’s racialized dating preferences. Implications for practitioners and interventionists working with queer Asian American men are discussed.

Beyond “not my type”: A quantitative examination of intraminority stigma among gay men who use dating apps.

“…The lack of control variables included in the analyses (aside from nationality) limits the robustness of our findings, as associations between dating app use and exposure to intraminority stigma could potentially be influenced by other variables (e.g., level of muscularity, partner-seeking strategies, and internalized stigma/body ideals; Calzo et al, 2013;Convertino et al, 2022;García-Gómez, 2020;Le & Kler, 2022). Because the examined variables were based on self-report data, the subjective nature of participant responses should also be noted.…”

“…For example, online networking platforms geared toward gay men (e.g., dating apps) provide opportunities for coping and connection, granting users of these services identifiable and anonymous access to their community, which may be particularly useful for men who fear exploring or disclosing their sexual identity publicly. However, a growing body of studies with diverse methodologies indicates that “gay spaces”—though intended for nonheterosexual persons to safely socialize (Holloway et al, 2014; Rice, 2012)—may not actually be safe for all gay men and may perpetuate hierarchies of power and stigma that extend beyond the gay community and across the globe when its users uncritically internalize stigmatizing ideologies (Hammack et al, 2022; Le & Kler, 2022; Shepherd, Maki, et al, 2023). Among gay men who utilize dating apps to satisfy social and sexual needs, stigma perpetuated by other gay men based on intersecting, socially undervalued identities or traits (i.e., intracommunity or intraminority stigma) might interfere with their resilience against the adverse social and psychological consequences of stigma (Hammack et al, 2022; Meyer, 2015).…”

“…Within the context of dating and relationships among sexual minoritized men (e.g., gay and bisexual men), masculinity, job/income (i.e., SES), weight, and Whiteness are pretested elements of status that influence sexual capital or currency (i.e., social power a person acquires as a result of their sexual attractiveness to the majority of their social group) and, in turn, sexual decision making (Le & Kler, 2022; Pachankis et al, 2020; Shepherd, Denning, et al, 2023). In addition, emerging evidence suggests intraminority gay community stress is associated with sexual risk-taking (Burton et al, 2020).…”

Daily associations between resilience factors, substance use, and affect among sexual minority youth.

“…In the present study, we examined three unique forms of resilience: general social support, LGBTQ-specific identity affirmation, and LGBTQ community involvement. These forms of resilience were selected based both on the previous research related to SMY substance use as well as research emphasizing the importance of social support, identity affirmation, and community involvement for SMY mental health broadly (Kim et al, 2023; Le & Kler, 2022; Mintz et al, 2021). By examining the distinct impact of these three forms of resilience on the daily level, we can generate insight into which facets of resilience may be most relevant for addressing substance use as it occurs in real time for this vulnerable population.…”

Associations between gendered racism, racial identity, and nicotine use among Asian American men

“…In regard to psychological emasculation, research has pointed to how Asian American men face stereotypes of being nerdy and sexless, which may contribute to negative health outcomes (Keum et al, 2023; Le et al, 2023). Furthermore, in terms of the undesirable partner element of gendered racism, Asian American men report being perceived as undesirable and unattractive both in discriminatory interpersonal interactions as well as through racist media portrayals (Keum et al, 2023; Le & Kler, 2022). To our knowledge, however, the majority of studies that have investigated gendered racism within Asian American men have done so using scores summed from items assessing psychological emasculation, undesirable partner, and the additional facet of a perceived lack of leadership ability (e.g., Keum & Choi, 2023; Keum et al, 2022; Le, Bradshaw, Pease, et al, 2022).…”