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Microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, intentional or unintentional, that demonstrate bias toward members of historically marginalized groups. While numerous quantitative studies on racial microaggressions have emerged in recent years, studies on sexual orientation and gender identity microaggressions have been mostly qualitative-likely due to limited measures of anti-LGBTQ microaggressions. In this three-part study, the Sexual Orientation Microaggressions Scale (SOMS) and the Gender Identity Microaggressions Scale (GIMS) are introduced to empirically explore the multifaceted experiences of microaggressions toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) people and transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people. In Study 1 (

Though the Supreme Court of the U.S. legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, heterosexism and transphobia has continued to manifest through many systems in the US — from lack of federal protection in ...

Transgender people have more frequent and negative interactions with police by way of brutality, unwarranted stops, and detainments on the basis of gender identity (Amnesty International, 2005; Wurth, Schleifer, McLemore, Todrys, & Amon, 2013). The present study aims to expand on current psychological literature by understanding the relationship between gender identity, perceptions of police, and willingness to interact with police. A non-equivalent control group design was employed to compare differences among cisgender men, cisgender women, and trans* participants regarding their perceptions of police and level of comfort with interacting with police.

While the literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in academia has increased over the past two decades, there is a dearth of research concentrating on LGBTQ graduate students and faculty of color. The present paper provides an overview of LGBTQ people of color’s experiences across different educational systems and academic levels, from K-12 education to faculty positions. Specific to higher education, social determinants to academic success for LGBTQ people of color are identified - ranging from systemic and interpersonal discrimination, mental health issues, and social support. One organization that has attempted to queer the academy is the LGBTQ Scholars of Color National Network, which was created in 2014 to connect and advance the LGBTQ people of color in academia. Data from the network is introduced – highlighting participants’ need for a network for queer and trans people of color (N = 368), as well as value of having such a network (N = 132). Results support the need to disrupt educational systems by “queering” and “browning” a pipeline for LGBTQ people of color in academia. In doing so, I push to dismantle the inequities experienced by LGBTQ faculty of color and to increase awareness of systemic oppression in higher education.

In 1991 Martin Duberman and his colleagues founded the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the Graduate Center in the City University of New York (CUNY). Since its inception, CLAGS has been at the forefront of queer studies, promoting the study of historical, cultural, and political issues of vital concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and communities. For twenty-five years, CLAGS has sponsored groundbreaking public programs and conferences; has offered fellowships and scholarships to academics, artists, and students; and has functioned as an indispensable conduit of information. As the first university-based LGBTQ research center in the United States, CLAGS (which was rebranded in 2014 as CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies) has served as a national center for the promotion of queer and trans* studies.For decades, CLAGS has been a haven for many queer theorists- from the CLAGS founder Martin Duberman to Kessler Award Winners (e.g., Judith Butler, Jonathan Ned Katz, Susan Stryker) to past CLAGS board members (e.g., Jose Esteban Munoz, Lisa Duggan, and Gayatri Gopinath). Queer theorists aim to challenge the conceptualizations ofwhat is legitimate and acceptable. CLAGS has been a place where people question how "normal" is conceived in society (through gender binaries, sexualities, politics, behavior) while celebrating what is "queer" (applauding that which is different while validating experiences of the oppressed). Queer theorists recognize that systemic heterosexism, sexism, and transphobia are embedded throughout society and that it is imperative to change the ways that scholars approach research, so as to not condone heteronormative and cis-sexist male approaches as the only methods of inquiry.Without the queering of methods of the past, there would be a dearth of LGBTQ academic literature today. If scholars in LGBTQ studies (including those involved with CLAGS for the past twenty-five years) had merely focused on rigid scientific methods as ways of rejecting null hypotheses, it is probable that there would be little academic writing about LGBTQ people. Participant samples would never be large enough, resulting in low effect sizes and few analyses that would be considered scientifically robust. If previous researchers had limited themselves to measures normed on samples of white, heterosexual, and cisgender men, it is likely that LGBTQpeople (and others) would continue to be stereotyped as abnormal, inferior to the dominant groups, or both.Over the years, CLAGS's approach to queering methods has been multifaceted. First, through public programs CLAGS encourages dialogue with people affiliated with the academy, as well as those who are not. In doing so, CLAGS offers CUNY students a queer education in that they learn not just from professors and textbooks but also from community members from multiple educational backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. Concurrently, CLAGS also queers education for individuals without scholastic opportunities, who now have access to learn about theoretical concepts that they might not ever be exposed to otherwise. For instance, since 1998, the CLAGS Seminar in the City series has allowed community members to take weekly classes, taught by a professor, on some topic related to LGBTQ studies. Often, the topic is one that is not offered by traditional academic institutions, such as "Queering the Crip/ Cripping the Queer: Introduction to Queer and Disability Studies" in 2003.CLAGS has also queered research methods to reframe the narrative of LGBTQ research. For centuries, non-LGBTQ-identified researchers studied individuals who were deemed to have nontraditional sexual orientations and gender identities in pathologizing and harmful ways. Scientists performed castrations, lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and other heinous acts to "cure" people of their "disorders." It was not until 1973 that "homosexuality" was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) on psychiatric disorders. …

Previous literature has found historically marginalized groups report more negative perceptions of the criminal justice system and lower levels of procedural justice, which then influences their mental health and their willingness to report crimes. While previous research on procedural justice has focused mostly on racial and ethnic minority groups, it is hypothesized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals would also report negative experiences of the criminal justice system. The current study utilized focus groups with 16 participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ), with ages ranging from 26 to 35 years (M = 30.5 years, SD = 3.5). Participants were asked open-ended questions about how they felt about various aspects of the criminal justice system (e.g., police officers, courts, legal processes, etc.). Through the consensual qualitative research (CQR) process, researchers identified five domains that influenced participants’ experiences of the c...

Over the last decade, several authors have described the role of racial microaggressions in the lives of historically marginalized populations. However, the exact mechanisms in which racial microaggressions manifest in psychotherapy remain an area in need of further exploration. Drawing from research and scholarship on Feminist therapy and microaggressions, we use a case vignette of a 40-year-old African-American woman in treatment for depression with a White female therapist to demonstrate how microaggressions may unwittingly occur in a clinician–client dyad. We underscore the challenges that White therapists may encounter and provide suggestions and recommendations for culturally responsive therapy.

Microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination, often unintentional and unconscious, which send negative and denigrating messages to various individuals and groups. Previous literature has focused on microaggressions of singular identities, with little attention to the impacts of intersectional microaggressions (i.e., subtle forms of discrimination that may be influenced by more than 1 identity). The current study utilized a unique qualitative technique to address 2 central goals: (a) to explore whether qualitative analysis is an effective way to examine intersectional microaggressions and (b) to examine whether people with multiple identities could identify intersectional microaggressions in their everyday lives. Utilizing Qualitative Secondary Analysis (QSA) and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methods, the researchers analyzed data from 6 previous qualitative studies with self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, women, Filipino Americans, multiracial people, and Muslims (N = 80). Sample themes include (a) Exoticization of Women of Color, (b) Disapproval of LGBT Identity by Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Groups, (c) Assumptions of Inferiority or Criminality of Men of Color, and (d) Gender-Based Stereotypes of Muslim Men and Women. Implications for psychology (particularly for research and practice) are discussed. Finally, the authors advocate for the use of secondary analysis of qualitative data, to understand concepts that would not have been studied or reported through a singular qualitative analysis.

In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature focusing on microaggressions, or subtle forms of discrimination, toward people of color; women; people with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. Despite this, there is a dearth of literature that describes the types of microaggressions experienced by transgender people as well as the ways that transgender people cope with, or react to, microaggressions. The current qualitative study (N 9) used a directed content analysis to examine transgender people’s psychological processes and coping mechanisms when gender identity microaggressions occur in their lives. Participants’ perspectives are categorized into 3 major domains: emotional reactions, behavioral reactions, and cognitive reactions. Psychological implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

In the Philippines, the terms “tomboy” and “bakla” describe lesbian women and gay men, and are often used synonymously to label transgender people. Although there is some literature that describes the experiences of gay men in the Philippines, there is a dearth of psychological research that examines experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Filipino Americans in the U.S. The current exploratory study utilized focus groups (N 24) with lesbian and gay Filipino Americans on both the East and West coasts of the United States. Five domains emerged: (1) Religious influence on sexual and gender identity, (2) Family influence on gender and sexual identity, (3) Experiences with race, (4) Process of negotiating multiple identities, and (5) Variant experiences between Filipino subgroups. Findings indicate that religion, culture, and family expectations influenced one’s ability to accept one’s sexuality and that lesbian and gay Filipino Americans experience several psychological stressors as a result of balancing their multiple identities. Participants described the types of racism they experience in the LGBT community, as well as the heterosexism they face in their families and in their ethnic communities. Implications for Asian American psychology and clinical practice are discussed.

Because of the long colonial history of Filipinos and the highly Americanized climate of postcolonial Philippines, many scholars from various disciplines have speculated that colonialism and its legacies may play major roles in Filipino emigration to the United States. However, there are no known empirical studies in psychology that specifically investigate whether colonialism and its effects have influenced the psychological experiences of Filipino American immigrants prior to their arrival in the United States. Further, there is no existing empirical study that specifically investigates the extent to which colonialism and its legacies continue to influence Filipino American immigrants' mental health. Thus, using interviews (N = 6) and surveys (N = 219) with Filipino American immigrants, two studies found that colonialism and its consequences are important factors to consider when conceptualizing the psychological experiences of Filipino American immigrants. Specifically, the findings suggest that (a) Filipino American immigrants experienced ethnic and cultural denigration in the Philippines prior to their U.S. arrival, (b) ethnic and cultural denigration in the Philippines and in the United States may lead to the development of colonial mentality (CM), and (c) that CM may have negative mental health consequences among Filipino American immigrants. The two studies' findings suggest that the Filipino American immigration experience cannot be completely captured by the voluntary immigrant narrative, as they provide empirical support to the notion that the Filipino American immigration experience needs to be understood in the context of colonialism and its most insidious psychological legacy- CM.

This study utilized a qualitative method with transgender female and male participants (N = 9) to identify types of microaggressions, or subtle forms of discrimination, that transgender people experience. Twelve categories of microaggressions were identified: (a) use of transphobic and/or incorrectly gendered terminology, (b) assumption of universal transgender experience, (c) exoticization, (d) discomfort/disapproval of transgender experience, (e) endorsement of gender normative and binary culture or behaviors, (f) denial of existence of transphobia, (g) assumption of sexual pathology/abnormality, (h) physical threat or harassment, (i) denial of individual transphobia, (j) denial of bodily privacy, (k) familial microaggressions, and (l) systemic and environmental microaggressions. Implications for counseling are discussed.

In recent years, there has been a growth of literature examining the mental health impacts of microaggressions, which are defined as subtle forms of discrimination toward oppressed groups. The current study utilized a qualitative focus group method and directed content analysis to categorize several types of sexual orientation microaggressions that exist. Eight themes were identified, including “Use of heterosexist terminology” and “Endorsement of heteronormative culture/behaviors.” Results suggest that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience both conscious and unconscious microaggressions from heterosexuals and support that microaggressions negatively impact LGB individual's mental health. Implications for youth development are discussed.

Previous literature on microaggressions has suggested that oppressed groups including lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are affected by overt discrimination. However, there has been little research to explore how LGB individuals cope with microaggressions (subtle forms of discrimination), or how microaggressions affect their mental health. This article uses a qualitative focus group method and directed content analysis to categorize the types of processes that exist. With a sample of 26 LGB participants, results were categorized into five domains: (a) behavioral reactions, (b) cognitive reactions, (c) emotional reactions, (d) mental health, and (e) systems and groups who enact microaggressions. Themes were classified under each domain, with examples including passive coping, resiliency and empowerment, and anger/frustration toward sexual orientation microaggressions. Recommendations for culturally competent counseling with LGB populations in school and clinical mental health settings are discussed.

Filipino Americans are one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States and the second largest Asian American/Pacific Islander ethnic group. However, there is little research focusing on the unique experiences of this group, particularly in higher education. This paper presents a qualitative exploration of the experiences of Filipino American graduate students utilizing consensual qualitative research methodology. Results were categorized into domains and themes, with an example of a domain being "deficiencies and lack of resources" and an example of a theme being "Filipino Americans as different from Asian Americans." Implications for higher education administrators and researchers are discussed.

Racial microaggressions were examined through a focus group analysis of 10 self-identified Asian American participants using a semistructured interview and brief demographic questionnaire. Results identified 8 major microaggressive themes directed toward this group: (a) alien in own land, (b) ascription of intelligence, (c) exoticization of Asian women, (d) invalidation of interethnic differences, (e) denial of racial reality, (f) pathologizing cultural values/communication styles, (g) second class citizenship, and (h) invisibility. A ninth category, "undeveloped incidents/responses" was used to categorize microaggressions that were mentioned by only a few members. There were strong indications that the types of subtle racism directed at Asian Americans may be qualitatively and quantitatively different from other marginalized groups. Implications are discussed.

Previous research suggests that microaggressions, or subtle and covert manifestations of bias, are commonplace in the life experience of people of color, women, and sexual minorities. However, there is a dearth of research focusing on microaggressions toward people from religious minority groups. Using a qualitative approach and directed content analysis with Muslim American participants (N=10), six themes emerged: 1) Endorsing Religious Stereotypes of Muslims as Terrorists, 2) Pathology of the Muslim Religion, 3) Assumption of Religious Homogeneity, 4) Exoticization, 5) Islamophobic and Mocking Language, and 6) Alien in Own Land. Implications for Muslim mental health are discussed.