User:AllisonDN/sandbox

Intersections of race and ethnicity
Compared to White LGBTQ individuals, LGBTQ people of Color often experience prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination on the basis of not only their sexual orientation and gender identity, but also on the basis of race. 1 Nadal and colleagues discuss LGBTQ people of Color and their experience of intersectiona l microaggressions which target various aspects of their social identities. 2 These negative experiences and microaggressions can come from cisgender and heterosexual White individuals, cisgender and heterosexual individuals of their own race 1, and from the LGBTQ community themselves, usually dominated by White people 3.

In fact, some LGBTQ folks of Color do not feel comfortable and represented within LGBTQ spaces. 1 Sadika and colleagues review of the existing literature around the experiences of LGBTQ individuals of color reveals a common theme of exclusion in largely White LGBTQ spaces. 1 These spaces are typically dominated by White LGBTQ individuals, promote White and Western values, and often leave LGBTQ individuals of Color feeling as though they must choose between their racial community or their gender and sexual orientation community. 4 In general, Western society will often subtly code “gay” as White; White LGBTQ folks are often seen as the face of LGBTQ culture and values. 5

For example, even the topic of coming out and revealing one’s sexual orientation and gender identity to the public is associated with White values and expectations in mainstream discussions. 3 Where White Western culture places value on the ability to speak openly about one’s identity with family, one particular study found their LGBTQ participants of Color viewed their family’s silence about their identity as supportive and accepting. 3 Furthermore, the annual National Coming Out Day centers White perspectives as an event meant to help an LGBTQ person feel liberated and comfortable in their own skin. 1 However, for some LGBTQ folks of Color, National Coming Out Day is viewed in a negative light. 6 In communities of Color, coming out publicly can have adverse consequences, risking their sense of safety and their familial and communal relationships. 7 Unfortunately, White LGBTQ folks tend to collectively reject these differences in perspective on coming out and further isolate their LGBTQ siblings of Color. 3