Session: Contemporary Heterosexism and Cisgenderism Among Lgbtq Adolescents and Youth: Nature, Consequences, and Protective Factors (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Although physical assaults and other blatant forms of discrimination occur today, subtle, covert, and often-unconscious forms of discrimination (e.g., microaggressions) are more common (Hebl & Dovidio, 2005), including among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth (Kosciw et al., 2012; Woodford et al., 2014). Microaggressions are everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate negative messages to a targeted group (Sue, 2010). They can occur interpersonally (e.g., negative comments, avoidance behaviors) and in the larger social environment (e.g., social norms, ambient discrimination; Sue, 2010). Research on sexual orientation and transgender microaggressions is growing; however, few studies document the prevalence and covariates of various types of microaggressions, specifically among transgender youth, and no published studies examine microaggressions targeting LGBTQ youth in middle/high school settings or other contexts. Given the pervasiveness of heterosexism and cisgenderism, LGBTQ youth likely encounter microaggressions within their families and the broader community.

Minority stress theory suggests that discrimination can increase LGBTQ individuals’ risk for negative outcomes, while personal assets and community resources can promote resilience to minority-stressors (Meyer, 2003). Few studies have applied this theory to microaggressions, and a substantial gap exists concerning resilience, which is critical to fostering wellbeing in the context of adversity.

LGBTQ youth may also experience microaffirmations: “apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed” (Rowe, 2008). No empirical attention has been given to microaffirmations among LGBTQ youth. Furthermore, little research has simultaneously examined microaggressions and microaffirmations within the family context—a profound gap because of the importance of the family environment to adolescent development. The contextual factors influencing microaggressions in schools and families have also not been examined, thus little is known about factors that may be related to microaggressive school environments and families.

This symposium aims to address these issues by examining microaggressions targeting sexual minority and gender minority youth in school and family contexts. Specifically, paper one utilizes a national sample of LGBT youth (N = 1179) to examine the associations between family-level microaggressions and microaffirmations on polyvictimization rates across 42 different forms of violence. Paper two draws on the same national sample and identifies the individual- and family-level factors associated with ambient and direct microaggressions within the family system. Paper three compares LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ students’ (N = 778) experiences of school-based microaggressions in middle and high school settings, including their prevalence and nature, and examines the frequency of bystander intervention. Paper four draws on a national study of LGBTQ collegians (N = 788) to explore the role of interpersonal and environmental microaggressions and overt victimization, as well as intrapersonal protective factors on the mental health of cisgender LGBQ and trans* students.

Collectively, these studies highlight the pervasiveness, social ecological correlates, and consequences of microaggressions and the importance of resilience, including microaffirmations, in fostering wellbeing among LGBTQ youth. This symposium helps to advance social work research to combat microaggressions and promote LGBTQ youth wellbeing and inclusion.