Multiple and Intersecting Minority Identities

This past May, Gallup’s famous—or infamous, depending on your perspective—values and Beliefs survey revealed a growing acceptance of same-sex relations by the American public.

Make no mistake—the issue is still one of the most divisive in American society. Only physician-assisted suicide is more controversial. But with a record-high 52 percent of Americans saying that gay/lesbian relations are morally acceptable, the issue is trending favorably for gay rights advocates and researchers like Cirleen DeBlaere, assistant professor of counseling psychology.

“I think these numbers suggest that progress has been, and continues to be, made in creating an environment of increased acceptance of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) people,” she says. “But there is still much work to be done. These poll results really only get at the tip of the iceberg.”

DeBlaere studies individuals with multiple and intersecting minority identities, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of color. DeBlaere hopes that, by drawing attention to the range of discrimination these people experience every day, mental-health professionals can become more adept at giving them proper support and counsel.

“I think this study highlights a great point—that oftentimes, the gay rights movement has been perceived as a largely white persons’ endeavor,” DeBlaere says. “But let’s draw a parallel to the women’s movement. For a long while, many women of color did not feel that the women’s movement accurately represented their interests as both women of color and people of color.

This distinction often creates a divide that is very difficult for individuals with multiple minority identities to traverse. How do you integrate multiple identities when we exist in a society that forces you to choose between them? Are you a woman or are you a person of color? Are you a gay man or a Latino person?

"The insinuation is that you much choose one paramount identity. At any given moment, one or more identities may feel more salient, but they are all present all of the time," says DeBlaere.

The Values and Beliefs survey doesn't probe Americans' acceptance or understanding of individuals with multiple minority identities. But it does show a growing respect for gay rights, especially among younger men. That's more than just a cultural phenomenon, according to DeBlaere.

This past June, CNN chronicled the gay rights movement, featuring a same-sex Hispanic couple raising a young family.

"Stories like theirs truly show the importance of reaching out to LGBTQ people of color in both of their communities. Inherent in this action is an acknowledgement that people of color exist in the LGBTQ community and that LGBTQ people exist in communities of color," says DeBlaere.