The role of multiple social identities in discrimination and perceived smoking-related stigma among sexual and gender minority current or former smokers

Abstract

Aims: We investigated how intersections of being a racial minority (i.e. being African American) and economically disadvantaged (i.e. housing insecurity) may influence experiences with discrimination and perceptions of smoking-related stigma among sexual and gender minority (SGM) current and former smokers.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 227 SGM current and former smokers in California (19–65 years old), oversampling African American participants. Participants reported their race, ethnicity, past month housing insecurity, number of lifetime experiences with SGM discrimination, and perceptions of smoking-related stigma.

Findings: Using univariate General Linear Models and controlling for age, ethnicity, and SGM visibility, we found a significant interaction between being African American and facing housing insecurity on experiences with SGM discrimination [F(1,220) = 7.21, p = .01], perceived smoker stigma [F(1,220) = 5.48, p = .02], perceived differential treatment due to smoking [F(1,220) = 10.03, p = .00], and social withdrawal from nonsmokers [F(1,220) = 6.18, p = .01]. These interactions suggest that economically disadvantaged African American SGM current or former smokers experience increased levels of SGM discrimination and perceive more smoking-related stigma compared with other SGM current and former smokers.

Conclusions: Results suggest that people’s multiple identities intersect to intensify oppression and inequities for some people and raise questions about the unintended consequences of stigmatizing smokers for reducing smoking among SGM adults.

Keywords:

• Gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender
• public health
• survey research
• stigma
• intersectionality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research and preparation of this manuscript were supported by grant R01-CA190238-01A1 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NCI or NIH.