Using intersectionality to study discrimination and distress experienced by queer people of color

What is it about?

This paper uses an intersectional lens to examine how discrimination is associated with psychological distress among queer people of color. We found that those who experienced heterosexism/cisgenderism expected to also experience racial discrimination, which was associated with psychological distress. Surprisingly, this finding emerged only for those with a weaker belief that prejudices against various social groups go hand-in-hand; those with a stronger belief in the co-occurrence of prejudice likely habitually expect discrimination regardless of their discriminatory experiences.

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Photo by Shingi Rice on Unsplash

Photo by Shingi Rice on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We evaluate the different pathways in which experiencing discrimination may contribute to psychological distress of such an underrepresented population as queer people of color. This paper hence demonstrates the importance of intersectionality in understanding the lived experiences of oppressed people and highlights the need to abolish oppression against queer POC and others with multiple oppressed identities.