McConnell Elizabeth A, Tull Peggy, Birkett Michelle
Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, 1791 Arastradero Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94304.
Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2219 North Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL 60614.
Sex Roles. 2021 Nov;85(9-10):606-624. doi: 10.1007/s11199-021-01238-1. Epub 2021 Sep 14.
Intersectionality, minority stress, and social ecological theories have all been important frameworks for understanding mechanisms that create and maintain sexual and gender minority health disparities. In this study, we integrated these frameworks to guide a grounded theory examination of identity-related experiences in specific settings among 33 Black, White, and Latino young sexual minority cisgender men who lived in Chicago. Analyses identified four key categories: Racism Manifests in Context- and Sexual Minority-Specific Ways, Sexual Orientation Can Mean Feeling Safe and Seen or Threatened and Alone, Gender is a Matter of Self-Expression, and Bodies Are Not Always Made to Fit In. Participants reported both identity-based privilege and marginalization as well as unique forms of minority stress at the intersection of specific identities. Across these categories, participants' experiences of their intersecting identities and associated forms of minority stress were in their physical appearance, in specific neighborhoods and contexts, and through their interpersonal interactions with others. Further, participants' narratives provide powerful insights about the nuanced ways in which young sexual minority men understand and negotiate their lived experiences. Findings highlight how experiences of identity and minority stress are both intersectional and located within specific social ecological contexts, which has important implications for research, clinical practice, and advocacy.
交叉性理论、少数群体压力理论和社会生态理论一直都是理解导致和维持性取向和性别少数群体健康差异机制的重要框架。在本研究中，我们整合了这些框架，以指导一项扎根理论研究，该研究考察了居住在芝加哥的33名黑人、白人及拉丁裔年轻性取向少数群体顺性别男性在特定环境中与身份认同相关的经历。分析确定了四个关键类别：种族主义以特定于环境和性取向少数群体的方式表现出来、性取向可能意味着感到安全和被接纳或受到威胁和孤独、性别是自我表达的问题、身体并非总是适合所处环境。参与者报告了基于身份的特权和边缘化，以及在特定身份交叉点上独特的少数群体压力形式。在这些类别中，参与者对其交叉身份及相关少数群体压力形式的体验在他们的外貌、特定社区和环境中，以及通过他们与他人的人际互动中有所体现。此外，参与者的叙述提供了关于年轻性取向少数群体男性理解和应对其生活经历的细微方式的深刻见解。研究结果凸显了身份认同和少数群体压力的经历如何既具有交叉性又存在于特定的社会生态环境中，这对研究、临床实践和宣传具有重要意义。
