“Trying to Figure Out Where We Belong”: Narratives of Racialized Sexual Minorities on Community, Identity, Discrimination, and Health

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer people of color (LGBTQ-POC) are regularly exposed to unique and contextual forms of prejudice and stigma, which have been linked to stress and increased likelihood of mental and physical health problems. In order to better understand the experiences of this multiply marginalized population, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 LGBTQ-POC to examine how they describe their experiences with identities, communities, discrimination, and health. Data consisted of verbatim interviews, which were guided by intersectionality theory and minority stress theory and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Using intersectionality theory, this study addresses the simultaneity of oppressions and the ways in which having different combinations of marginalized identities may impact LGBTQ-POC well-being. Common issues discussed by respondents include disconnect from communities, relationships between identities, coming out, and stress and anxiety. The primary concepts introduced in this study include positive intersectionality and come out stress.

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