Homonegative Microaggressions and Identity in Bisexual Men and Women

Abstract

Homonegative microaggressions are small verbal, behavioral, or environmental slights, intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile or derogatory messages toward sexual minorities. This is an exploratory attempt to investigate how bisexual men and women experience these microaggressions, compared to gay men and lesbians. Bisexual men and women were found to experience the microaggression Alien in Own Land and report more identity confusion than gay men or lesbians. Using a hierarchy of four linear regression models, experience of the microaggression Alien in Own Land was found to mediate the relationship between a bisexual orientation and feelings of identity confusion. These results have implications for future research and for clinicians with bisexual clients.