The Minority Stress Model can also be thought of in terms of intersectionality.
As described previously, the minority stress model suggests that minority groups, such as LGBTQ2IA people, are more likely to deal with discrimination and stressors compared to dominant groups (e.g. heterosexual people).
Therefore, minority groups, such as LGBTQ2IA people, are also at an increased risk of dealing with mental and physical health issues compared to the dominant group.
LGBTQ2IA PoC must navigate their identity in terms of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, as well as their ethnoracial cultural group/identity. When a person attempts to negotiate their identity with these multiple groups, it can create a complicated view of the self that (a) may at times have conflicting values and (b) lead the individual to have a unique lived experience that isn’t fully understood by their broader LGBTQ2IA community or ethnoracial cultural group.
As an example, we can consider a gay man in Canada, who is a member of an Afro-Caribbean community that holds traditional Christian values.
This individual must navigate their identity as (a) a man, (b) a gay person and (c) an Afro-Caribbean person in Canada from a community with traditional religious values, (d) the intersection of these identities and the cultural values associated with each identity.
For this man, he may be faced with the challenge of reconciling his identity as a gay person, with his deeply-held religious values that frame homosexuality as sinful or undesirable. The combinations of these values, and the challenge of navigating this, is unique to this person and shapes his unique perspective of himself and the world around him as well.
Ultimately, this may lead him to live his life with some religious values not necessarily understood by his broader LGBTQ2IA community. This may also lead him to build a life consistent with his identity as a gay man, that isn’t fully understood or embraced by his ethnoracial cultural community.
