Sexuality-based Discrimination Research Articles

Minority stressors, traumatic events, and associations with mental health and school climate among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia: Findings from a nationally representative cohort study.

Population-level, nationally representative data on the prevalence of minority stressors and traumatic events, mental ill-health effects, and the preventative utility of school climate, among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia, is significantly lacking. In this study, we estimated the prevalence and distribution of minority stressors and traumatic events among young people by sexuality identity (gay/lesbian, bisexual, other sexuality, heterosexual), sexuality diversity (sexuality diverse, not sexuality diverse), and gender identity (transgender, cisgender) and assessed associations with mental ill-health and the moderating role of school climate factors. Using Wave 8 (2018) follow-up data from a population-level, nationally representative longitudinal cohort study, the sample comprised 3037 young people aged 17-19 years in Australia. Prevalence ratios for minority stressors and traumatic events were calculated for gender and sexuality diverse categories using logistic regression models. Linear regression models were used to test associations between traumatic events and minority stressors, and mental ill-health. Multivariate linear regression tested school climate factors as effect modifier between minority stressors and mental ill-health among sexuality diverse young people. Rates of traumatic events and minority stressors were highest among bisexual and gay/lesbian young people and were significantly associated with mental ill-health among all gender and sexuality diverse young people. Highest mental ill-health effects were observed among trans young people. Among sexuality diverse young people, positive and negative feelings toward school climate were associated with decreased and increased mental ill-health, respectively. After accounting for sexuality diversity, positive overall school climate appeared protective of mental ill-health effects of sexuality-based discrimination. Minority stressors, traumatic events, and associated mental ill-health are prevalent among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia, especially trans, bisexual, and gay/lesbian young people. Promotion of affirmative, safe, and inclusive school climate demonstrates significant promise for the prevention and early intervention of mental ill-health among gender and sexuality diverse young people.

Parental Sexuality Disclosure, Discrimination, and Depression Among Black Sexual Minority Men and Black Transgender Women.

Racial and sexuality-based discrimination can induce depressive symptoms among Black sexual minority men and transgender women (BSMM/BTW). BSMM and BTW who disclose their sexuality to parents may be better prepared to cope with discrimination. We explored the relationship between discrimination and depression among BSMM and BTW and whether parental disclosure modified this relationship. Secondary analysis of The MARI Study was used to test the relationship between discrimination and depression modified by level of disclosure of sexuality to parents among 580 BSMM and BTW in Jackson, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia. Bivariate tests and linear regression models were stratified by sexuality disclosure to parents. Discrimination was associated with greater depression, with significant dose-response modification across levels of disclosure. After adjustment, maximum discrimination scores were associated with depression scores 10.7 units higher among participants with very open disclosure (95% CI, 10.4-11.8), 15.3 units higher among participants with somewhat open disclosure (95% CI, 3.7-26.9), and 19.5 units higher among participants with no disclosure (95% CI, 10.2-26.8). Disclosure of sexuality to supportive parents can substantially benefit the mental health of BSMM and BTW. Future studies should explore intervention approaches to providing social support for BSMM and BTW in unsupportive families.

Facets of Gender Expression and Discrimination in Relation to Alcohol and Other Drug Use Severity Among Sexual Minority Women and Gender Diverse Individuals Assigned Female at Birth.

Purpose: Sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals assigned female at birth (SMW+) consistently report more alcohol and other drug (AOD) use severity than heterosexual women, with greater disparities reported among bisexual plus (bi+) SMW (including bisexual, pansexual, queer, and those with attractions to more than one gender regardless of identity). Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that SMW with masculine gender expression (e.g., SMW with masculine gender appearance) disproportionately experience problematic AOD use compared to those with feminine gender expression. The minority stress model, which has predominantly been investigated in relation to internalized homonegativity and sexuality-based discrimination, may also account for these AOD use disparities. This study examined gender expression, related discrimination, and AOD use severity among SMW+. Methods: In a 2020 sample of SMW+ (n = 236), we investigated AOD use severity in relation to gender expression (appearance, emotional expression, and gender roles) and gender expression-based discrimination after controlling for internalized homonegativity and sexuality-based discrimination through an online survey. Results: Masculine gender roles were associated with AOD use severity, whereas masculine appearance and emotional expression were not. In multivariable models, gender identity was inconsistently associated with alcohol use severity, sexuality-based discrimination was consistently associated with alcohol use severity and inconsistently associated with other drug use severity, and gender expression-based discrimination was associated with neither. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of examining intersecting aspects of minority identity among SMW+, including facets of gender expression, in relation to AOD use severity.

Explaining behavioral health differences in urban and rural sexual minority adolescents: A longitudinal investigation of minority stress in a diverse national sample of sexual minority adolescents: A longitudinal investigation of minority stress in a diverse national sample of sexual minority adolescents.

Experiences of sexuality-based discrimination (ie, minority stressors) against youth who identify as nonheterosexual (ie, sexual minority) have been associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for sexual minority adolescents (SMA; ages 14-17). However, little is known about the experiences of SMA living in rural communities across the United States. Thus, the present study sought to examine differences in mental health patterns between urban and rural dwelling SMA, and to see whether these differences are, at least in part, explained by experiences of lifetime minority stress. A nationwide sample of SMA residing in the United States (N = 2,558; aged 14-17, M = 15.90 years, SD = 0.98) was recruited through purposive social media and respondent-driven sampling methods to complete a cross-sectional survey online. Measures included those of minority stress, urbanicity, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Parallel multiple mediation (PMM) analysis was employed to test whether urbanicity was associated with anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms through reported lifetime minority stress. On average, SMA living in rural areas significantly reported more lifetime minority stress, depressive, and PTSD symptoms than SMA living in urban settings. Results from our PMM analysis indicated that heightened experiences of lifetime minority stress indirectly linked the effects of living in rural areas on anxiety (b = -0.288, 95% CI = [-0.491, -0.085]), depressive (b = -0.158, 95% CI = [-0.270, -0.047), and PTSD symptoms PTSD (b = -0.349, 95% CI = [-0.596, -0.105]). The model accounted for 16.8%, 18%, and 24.1% of the variability in anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and PTSD symptoms, respectively. SMA in our study who reside in rural areas reported elevated minority stress, depressive, and PTSD symptoms as compared to their urban dwelling peers. Our study found that lifetime experiences of minority stress fully mediated the relationship between urbanicity and both depressive and PTSD symptoms, and partially mediated the relationship between urbanicity and anxiety. These findings highlight the need to increase support for rural youth who are growing into adulthood and may find continuing challenges in their family, peer, and community relationships.

Discrimination and Rejection: The Effects of Ethnic and Sexuality-Based Discrimination Against Latino Gay and Bisexual Men.

Latino gay and bisexual men (GBM) may experience discrimination attributed to their sexual orientation and ethnicity, necessitating an examination of their experiences from an intersectional lens. While relationships between discrimination and the internalization of those messages have been previously researched, less is known about experiencing discrimination attributed to different identities and its relationships with discrete attributions of internalized stigma. Understanding how different attributes of identity-based discrimination are related to different attributes of identity-based internalization of stigma among gay and bisexual men of color may be important in the design of interventions to help Latino GBM cope with discrimination and prevent negative mental health outcomes. In order to achieve this aim, the current study utilized data from the Latino MSM Community Involvement: HIV Protective Effects Study, which included 571 self-identified Latino GBM. Results demonstrate that experiences of external anti-Latino discrimination were significantly linked to both internalized ethnicity- and sexuality-based stigma, whereas experiences of external sexuality-based discrimination were not significantly linked with internalized ethnicity- or sexuality-based stigma. Results suggest a need for future research to further examine effects of external ethnic discrimination on the psychosocial health of Latino GBM.

Situating sexuality: An interconnecting research agenda in the urban global south

Significant opportunities exist to connect more directly sexuality research to urbanisation research in the global South. This article considers such connections in relation to the informal sector, the state, and urban health. It highlights how such connections can help surface the strategic and pragmatic choices made by same-sex communities in the face of persistent urban challenges in the global South. The article draws on examples from sub-Saharan Africa, a region that exhibits significant sexuality-based discrimination and which has had significant urban research attention.

The Cultural Silencing of LGBT Voices in India with Reference to Do the Needful: A Radio Play

Culture deliberates the arts and philosophy, which are considered to be important for the development of civilization and mentality of the people. In a multicultural and multilingual country like India marginalisation of certain communities, including homosexual, is a significant problem that threads the fabric of our society. In modern society, gender and sexuality-based discrimination are witnessed all over the world. The term homosexuality has never gained social acceptance and has been treated down the ages as taboo subjects. Although sexual desires are a matter of instinctive behaviour, yet are controlled by social norms and morals. Therefore, heterosexuality is the only acceptable mode of relationship and is considered as a centre to our culture. The homosexual relationships are still stigmatized as unnatural and unacceptable in Indian social context and therefore often hidden under the shroud of privacy. Mahesh Dattani, an Indian writer, has chosen such taboo subjects and treated them with great confidence and sublimity to bring them from the boundary to the main stream. This paper focuses on the pathetic conditions of those who struggle between instinct and social culture concerning queer theory in the play DO THE NEEDFUL: A RADIO PLAY by Mahesh Dattani.

An Updated Review of the Literature on LGBTQ+ Intimate Partner Violence

This paper reviews the LGBTQ+ intimate partner violence (IPV) literature published since 2015. Though LGBTQ+ IPV mirrors heterosexual cisgender IPV in most ways, sexual and gender minorities face higher rates of IPV, potentially worse outcomes, and different IPV trajectories. Therefore, shared risk factors cannot fully explain these differences. Researchers attribute this variability to minority stress, such as sexuality-based discrimination and internalized homophobia, which explain differences in IPV among LGBTQ+ individuals and heterosexual cisgender individuals. Indeed, recent findings support the importance of minority stress factors, especially internalized homophobia, as risk factors for IPV. Future research should focus on identifying protective factors against IPV within the LGBTQ+ community, as well as improving understanding of the variables that influence IPV at various levels of the social ecological model. Strategies for the prevention and intervention of LGBTQ+ IPV remain under-researched and poorly understood. Reducing minority stress is likely to be a key part of IPV prevention and intervention among LGBTQ+ persons.

Hegemony and Heteronormativity: Homonormative Discourses of LGBTQ Activists About Lesbian and Gay Parenting

ABSTRACTLGBTQ activists have a crucial role in fighting sexuality-based discrimination. However, homonormativity can lead activists to adhere to hegemonic heteronormativity, thus threatening their efforts to widen the concept of family. Drawing on the Gramscian notion of hegemony, this article analyzes the notion of heteronormativity and its homonormative facet as a form of hegemony that impacts activists, sustaining the premises of heteronormativity and seeking inclusion within such norms. This research investigates the hegemonic heteronormative assumptions that endure in the discourses of Italian LGBTQ activists when they talk about lesbian and gay parenting. Findings highlight the presence of heteronormative traces in their discourses, namely in terms of access to reproduction, the parents’ place within the regime of gender, and the right standards for child rearing. Hegemonic heteronormativity appears in multiform ways, and as largely consensual even to those it more directly oppresses, making it difficult to detect and therefore to deconstruct.

Minority Stress and Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Atlanta.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) rates are disproportionately high among sexual minority populations. Few studies have examined the plausible relationship between minority stress and IPV among men who have sex with men. This study examines the associations between IPV and three indicators of minority stress: internalized homophobia, sexuality-based discrimination, and racism, in a large venue-based sample of gay and bisexual men from Atlanta, USA. Each of the minority stress measures was found to be significantly associated with increased odds of self-reporting any form of receipt of IPV. Significant associations were also identified between perpetration of IPV and minority stressors, with most types of IPV perpetration linked to internalized homophobia. This study confirms findings in a growing body of research supporting the relationship between minority stress and increased prevalence of IPV among men who have sex with men, and points to the need to address structural factors in IPV prevention programs for male–male couples.

Race, Ethnicity, Sexuality, and Women’s Political Consciousness of Gender

Existing research emphasizes the importance of group identification and perceived similarity in the development of group consciousness. Intersectionality suggests that for many women, a political consciousness of gender may also stem from experiences with race, ethnicity, and sexuality and may be interconnected with a consciousness of other forms of inequality. This study analyzes data from a recent national survey to investigate how race, ethnicity, and sexuality intersect with women’s gendered political consciousness. Analyses reveal no support for the proposition that membership in racial, sexual, and ethnic minority groups significantly reduces women’s gendered political consciousness. In addition, women who perceive high levels of racial, ethnic, or sexuality-based discrimination are more likely than other women to hold a strong political consciousness of gender. Results challenge the idea that gendered political consciousness emerges primarily from perceived similarity and highlight the need to conceptualize gendered political consciousness within the context of multiple inequalities.

Acceptance of sexual minorities, discrimination, social capital and health and well-being: a cross-European study among members of same-sex and opposite-sex couples.

BackgroundAwareness of health disparities based on sexual orientation has increased in the past decades, and many official public health agencies throughout Europe call for programs addressing the specific needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. However, the acceptance of LGB individuals varies significantly in different countries, which potentially influences health and well-being in this population. We explored differences in self-rated health and subjective well-being between individuals living in same-sex and opposite-sex couples. We also examined the effects of discrimination and country-level variations in LGB acceptance on health and well-being and the potential mediating role of social capital in these associations.MethodsUsing the 2010 European Social Survey (n = 50,781), 315 individuals living with a same-sex partner were matched and compared with an equal number of individuals living in opposite-sex couples. We performed structural equation modeling analyses to estimate path coefficients, mediations and interactions.ResultsLGB acceptance was significantly related to better self-rated health and subjective well-being among all individuals, and these associations were partially mediated by individual social capital. No differences in these associations were found between individuals living in same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Sexuality-based discrimination had an additional significantly negative effect on self-related health and subjective well-being.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest a negative association between exposure to discrimination based on sexual orientation and both health and well-being of individuals living in same-sex couples. Members of same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples alike may benefit from living in societies with a high level of LGB acceptance to promote better health and well-being.

Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of sexuality-based discrimination and their appearance concerns

Lesbian and bisexual women frequently experience sexuality-based discrimination, which is often based on others' judgements about their appearance. This short article aims to explore whether there is a relationship between lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of sexuality-based discrimination and their satisfaction with the way that they look. Findings from an online survey suggest that discrimination is negatively related to appearance satisfaction for lesbian women, but not for bisexual women. It is argued that this difference exists because lesbian appearance norms are more recognisable and distinctive than bisexual women's appearance norms.

Policy implications of gay men's workplace experiences: public service employees in Australia's capital, Canberra

In 2008, changes in Australian federal legislation commenced the removal of workplace policies that historically discriminated against non-heterosexual employees. Academic research, however, reveals that much workplace discrimination is covert. To examine perceptions of covert workplace discrimination, experiences of gay men employed in the public service in the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra were investigated using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed a range of workplace experiences by gay male employees including perceived positive cultural change and continued sexuality-based discrimination. Participants’ workplace experiences included perceived general acceptance of homosexuality as well as workplace cliques and discrimination in specific instances. These perceptions occurred despite official changes in workplace legislation and the unanimous existence of employment opportunity, anti-discrimination and/or anti-bullying or harassment policies. This research advocates the need to prioritise identifying, managing and reviewing existing workplace policies and practices that fail to include covert sexuality-based discrimination as a means to improve workplace dynamics for all employees, thereby reducing social inequality.

The ‘rights’ (and ‘wrongs’) of articulating race with sexuality: the conflicting nature of hegemonic legitimisation in South African queer politics

Much work has recently explored the remarkable legislative achievements that have benefited queer groups in South Africa. Less well understood has been an appreciation as to how the links between histories of racism and histories of sexuality deployed to legitimate such legal challenges may also have directly helped to entrench the ability of others to argue against queer rights. Drawing on the work of Stuart Hall, this article will explore how queer activist's association with an ideology of ‘equality’ (and the link between racism and sexuality-based discrimination) has not simply concluded discussion about the rights (or wrongs) of queer rights. Instead that association has helped align the issue of sexuality within a far broader debate as to what the ‘New South Africa’ should mean after a racist past. This may help us appreciate a so far little understood and yet key reason why homophobia remains such a pervasive problem in the country.

Connecting, Supporting, Colliding: The Work-Based Interactions of Young LGBQ-Identifying Workers and Older Queer Colleagues

While attention has been given to older employees’ experiences of sexuality-based discrimination and harassment, this paper explores young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer identifying employees’ (18–26 years old) accounts of working with queer coworkers and managers in Australian workplaces. Two sets of relationships are evidenced and discussed: (a) relationships of connection, affirmation, and support, and (b) relationships of conflict and division. These relationships highlight the multiple points of difference in organizational power and social status between younger and older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer identifying employees. This sparks a critical appraisal of the limitations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer employee groups and networks as a strategy for developing inclusive organizations.

From exclusion to inclusion: young queer workers' negotiations of sexually exclusive and inclusive spaces in Australian workplaces

Equal participation in paid employment is regarded as a basic entitlement within human rights discourse. Recent organizational studies highlight how the workplace can operate as a socially divided space for queer (or non-heterosexual) workers, depicting the workplace as a problematic site of sexuality-based discrimination and abuse. The aim of this paper is to locate the experiences of young queer workers as newcomers to the Australian labour market and to shed light on how young queer people negotiate sexually exclusive and inclusive workspaces. The findings from this qualitative study were developed from a series of interviews with 34 young people (18–26 years old) who primarily identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer (LGBQ) and were employed in a diverse range of industries. Based on their stories, this paper will argue that workplaces can function as both sexually exclusive and inclusive spaces. Within exclusive spaces, young people experienced a series of symbolically and materially violent practices that reinforced the boundaries of sexual normalcy in the workplace. Within inclusive spaces, young people gave weight to everyday ‘micro-practices’ of inclusion over wider workplace policy and procedures. Findings from this research hold significant implications for informing organizational change.

Learning Difference

SUMMARY This paper explores some of the relationships between the ways in which (White) dominant group children learn about racial differences and the ways in which difference is represented within gay and lesbian families. Research in the latter area has typically provided two dominant (though contrasting) accounts of difference within gay or lesbian families: (1) that children of gay or lesbian parents will have a better understanding of difference; and (2) that there are no significant differences between heterosexual and gay or lesbian families. In order to explore the implications of this current research in regards to constructions of difference within predominantly White gay and lesbian families, an analysis of storybooks aimed at children with gay or lesbian parents was conducted. The findings suggest that representations of difference within such books often reinforce a White heterosexual norm for parenting. To counter this, it is proposed that a shift is required in research focusing on gay and lesbian families, the intent being both to examine the simultaneous ways in which race privilege and sexuality-based discrimination shape the lives of White lesbian or gay parents and to broaden the scope of research in this area to more adequately reflect the diverse communities it seeks to represent.

Lesbian and Gay Refugees in Australia: Now that 'Acting Discreetly' is no Longer an Option, will Equality be Forthcoming?

This paper will analyse a recent decision of the Australian Refugee Review Tribunal in which a young gay Iranian man was denied refugee status on the basis that he could avoid persecution in Iran by ‘acting more discreetly’ and by leading a less ‘public’ sexual profile. Contrasting this decision with a recent decision of the High Court of Australia in which the ‘discretionary option’ was explicitly rejected by a majority of the Court hearing the case of two gay Bangladeshi men, this paper will highlight that the reasoning used by the Tribunal misunderstands the nature of sexuality-based discrimination and offers a line of reasoning that is central to ensuring the types of inequalities and biases that are at the heart of sexuality-based discrimination and that perpetuate the inequalities which international human rights instruments seek to eradicate. While applauding the High Court's rejection of the ‘discretionary option’ used by the Refugee Review Tribunal, this paper will argue that a much stronger understanding of the sex equality implications of the Tribunal's decisions in this regard is needed if lesbian and gay refugee claimants are to find real protection in Australia. Some have criticised the High Court's latest judgment on lesbian and gay refugees as ‘interventionist’, even ‘radical’. These critics do so because they fail to recognise what homophobia is and what the demands of equality require of the Court in its interpretation of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Overall, it will be argued that, applying a sex equality analysis of anti-lesbian and anti-gay discrimination, it is clear that, while the High Court has now recognised the errors of discretion, it has yet to find the voice that true systemic equality demands.