Sexual orientation and gender differences in sexual minority identity in China: Extension to asexuality

Abstract

Sexual minority identity had far-reaching influences on psychological outcomes among lesbian women, gay men, and bisexual people. Previous studies conducted in Western nations revealed significant gender and sexual orientation differences in experiences of sexual minority stress. However, few studies have focused on the identity of asexual people. Confucian culture has exerted important influences on the formulation of sexual minority identity in China, but less is known about sexual minority identity among Chinese sexual minorities. This study, using Chinese sexual minority samples, aimed to test whether it is consistent with the findings in Western culture that males and bisexual minorities had more negative sexual identities than females and lesbian/gay individuals; asexual people were also included to extend the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) identity to sexual minority identity. We further tested whether asexual people, similar to bisexual people, have more of a negative identity compared with lesbian/gay individuals. Eight hundred seventy-three participants (464 lesbian and gay men, 200 bisexual and 209 asexual people) completed the Lesbian and Gay Identity Scale (LGIS) or the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale (LGBIS). The results showed that bisexual people had a more negative identity than the lesbian and gay male people. Asexual people showed similar patterns to bisexual people in terms of sexual minority identity when compared with lesbian and gay male people, but they reported less Difficulty Process than did the bisexual people. The findings of this study indicate the cross-cultural consistency of sexual minority identity in terms of gender and sexual orientation.