Sexual minority self-identification: Multiple identities and complexity.

Abstract

The present research explores the range and complexity of sexual minority self-identification. Using a feminist intersectional approach, patterns of self-identification are considered across both sexual identity and gender identity. Participants represent an online convenience sample and included 448 sexual minority individuals. Participants endorsed monosexual (lesbian, gay) and plurisexual (bisexual, pansexual, queer, fluid) sexual identity labels and included both cisgender and transgender individuals. Participants answered a series of open-and closed-ended questions regarding their primary and secondary sexual identities. Monosexual participants were less likely to provide a definition for their primary sexual identity than were plurisexual individuals; and when they did provide a definition they used fewer words. Likewise, monosexual participants were less likely to report secondary sexual identities; and when they did, they provided fewer secondary identities than plurisexual individuals. Transgender individuals were more likely than cisgender individuals to provide a definition for their primary sexual identity and to indicate a secondary sexual identity. These findings suggest that individuals with non-normative identities (plurisexual and transgender) were less likely to endorse single identity labels, and more likely to provide additional context for their identity labels than were individuals with normative identities (monosexual and cisgender). The present findings support the notion that with regard to sexual identity normative identities go unexamined, and that both sexual identity and gender identity contribute to the normative conceptualization of sexuality. This is consistent with our finding that sexual orientation rumination is explained, in part, by primary sexual orientation identity and sexual orientation complexity.

Disclosure Stress, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms Among Cisgender Bisexual Youth

“…Sexual minority youth have been found to ruminate more than their heterosexual counterparts, which in turn mediated their higher reports of depression and anxiety (Hatzenbuehler, McLaughlin, & Nolen‐Hoeksema, ). Furthermore, bisexual people report more sexual identity rumination than do gay men and lesbians (Galupo, Mitchell, & Davis, ). Considering the high levels of close friend support reported by the bisexual youth in this study and evidence that sexual minority youth tend to go to their LGB close friends for support regarding sexual identity concerns (Mufioz‐Plaza et al, ; Nesmith et al, ), this rumination could be especially harmful to bisexual men.…”

Bisexuality, Minority Stress, and Health

“…The process of managing one’s sexual identity and making decisions about disclosure can be especially complicated for bisexual individuals (43, 44). Bisexual and other non-monosexual individuals are more likely than monosexual individuals to identify with multiple sexual identity labels (43).…”

“…Bisexual and other non-monosexual individuals are more likely than monosexual individuals to identify with multiple sexual identity labels (43). Often, these secondary identities are also non-monosexual identities (e.g., someone may identify primarily as bisexual and also as pansexual), but these secondary identities can also be monosexual identities (e.g., someone may identify primarily as pansexual and also as lesbian).…”

Evidence of Diverse Identities in a Large National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents

“…For example, gay and bisexual identified youth have been shown to significantly differ on a number of health indicators (Institute of Medicine, ), suggesting that the antecedents of these health outcomes systematically differ between the identity subgroups. Similarly, youth who do not identify as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual but instead identify their sexual identities in some other way (i.e., those who check the “something else” or “other” response options in common survey formats) are also a very heterogeneous group, who differ on health indicators (Galupo, Mitchell, & Davis, ; White et al., ). The same has been found to be true among gender minority adolescents (Egan & Perry, ).…”