The Protective Power of Collective Action for Sexual Minority Women of Color: An Investigation of Multiple Discrimination Experiences and Psychological Distress

We utilize an additive intersectionality framework in the present study to examine the relations among perceived racism, sexism, and heterosexism and the psychological distress of self-identified sexual minority women of color. Participants (N = 134) aged 19 to 75 recruited through electronic mailing lists, discussion groups, and virtual communities aimed toward sexual minority women of color completed online surveys. When each form of discrimination was examined in a single multiple regression analysis, only perceived heterosexism explained significant and positive variance in psychological distress. In addition, collective action was tested as a moderator of the effects of racism, sexism, and heterosexism on psychological distress; specifically, the potential attenuating roles of three forms of collective action (race and ethnicity, feminist, and sexual minority) in the respective racism → distress, sexism → distress, and heterosexism → distress links were investigated. Sexual minority collective action buffered the heterosexist experiences → psychological distress link. More specifically, in the context of lower collective action, perceived heterosexism positively predicted distress; however, perceived heterosexism did not predict psychological distress at higher levels of collective action. No other significant interaction effects were found. Our results suggest that discrimination experiences continue to be important to assess in research and practice with marginalized individuals. Also, encouraging clients to engage in collective action could represent a useful intervention tool for counselors.