As mentioned earlier, microaggressions are significant stigmatizing events that impact the health and well-being of LGBTQ2 people.
In addition to previous examples of microaggressions that many LGBTQ2 people experience, LGBTQ2 People of Colour, and others with intersecting minority identities, experience additional microaggressions that may create greater experiences of everday stress and influence their mental health outcomes in unique ways.
The following table summarizes some of these microaggressions:
| Major Theme | Example of Microaggression |
|---|---|
| Exoticization of women of colour | E.g. Being asked by a non-POC whether something is offensive to others.E.g. Being asked by a non-POC whether something is offensive to others.E.g. Being asked by a non-POC whether something is offensive to others.E.g. Being asked by a non-POC whether something is offensive to others. |
| Gender-based stereotypes for lesbians and gay men | (a) Assumption of all gay men as feminine and (b) assumption of all lesbian women as masculine. |
| Disapproval of LGBT identity by racial, ethnic and religious groups | E.g. A QPOC influenced by values of machismo in Latino culture and religious values (Catholic, Christian) in Latino culture. |
| Assumption of inferior status for women of colour | E.g. How Filipino women are often perceived as nannies in real life and/or in the media. |
| Invisibility and desexualization of Asian American men | E.g. The Asian man does not win the girl in media depictions. |
| Assumption of inferiority or criminality of men of colour | E.g. Assuming that African American men can only be successful in athletics and music. |
| Gender-specific expectations for Muslim women and men | E.g. Assuming that Muslim women wearing a hijab are doing this out of obligation and not of choice. |
| Women of colour as spokespersons | E.g. Being asked by a non-POC whether something is offensive to others. |
From, “Multiple minorities as multiple marginalized: Applying the minority stress theory to LGBTQ people of color,” by K. Cyrus, 2017, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, 21(3), p. 199.
