Binegativity Exacerbates the Effects of Sexual Victimization Disclosure on Posttraumatic Stress and Drinking Among Bisexual Women

Bisexual women experience higher rates of sexual victimization and mental health problems compared to heterosexual and lesbian women. Bisexual women also receive more unsupportive or overtly negative reactions when they disclose experiences of sexual victimization. The current study aimed to examine the interaction of negative social reactions and binegativity (i.e., experiences of stigma due to bisexual identity) in predicting posttraumatic stress, depression, and hazardous drinking among bisexual women. The sample consisted of 161 young adult bisexual women (ages 18–35) who disclosed a sexual victimization experience to at least one person. Moderation analyses were conducted via the PROCESS macro for SPSS. “Turning against” reactions to disclosure (e.g., victim blame and avoidance of the victim) predicted increased posttraumatic stress and hazardous drinking in the presence of binegativity. In addition, reactions to disclosure that acknowledged the experience but were unsupportive predicted increased drinking in the context of binegativity. Depression was not associated with either type of negative reactions, regardless of binegativity. Thus, findings suggest that binegativity in combination with negative responses to disclosure of sexual victimization are important factors in specific types of distress related to sexual violence among bisexual women. Implications for research, clinical intervention, and policy are discussed.

Credibility Assessment in Asylum Claims Based on Sexual Orientation by the Greek Asylum Service: A Deep-Rooted Culture of Disbelief

The aim of this article is to describe and analyze the main practices that the Greek Asylum Service applies to assess credibility in asylum claims based on sexual orientation. The analysis is based on a survey of 60 cases (interviews and first instance decisions). According to the results of the survey, the practices used could be divided into two categories. On the one hand, practices that do not conform with refugee law, the Common European Asylum System, and human rights standards, such as questions around sexual practices of the asylum seekers, stereotyped expectations about applicants’ behavior and knowledge, and arbitrary assessments lacking any legal reasoning. On the other hand, practices that, at first sight, comply with international and European guidelines for credibility assessment but are based on an essentialist understanding of lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity. According to the research, applicants are expected to have passed through a hard process of self-realization which has to be accompanied, by default, by feelings of difference, shame, and suffering. In the article, the author critically reflects on the practices applied, concluding that this notion of sexual orientation as innate and defining one’s identity, fails to take into account the intersections of gender, class, ethnicity, and race, and could lead to unjust judgments.

Factors Associated with Intention to Vaccinate against COVID-19 in Puerto Rico: An Online Survey of Adults (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED COVID-19 has been particularly devastating to Black and Latinx communities in the U.S. However, data on acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccines among minority populations are limited. We conducted an online survey among adults in Puerto Rico to identify factors associated with intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed independently for association with intention to vaccinate. Significant associations were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 1016 responses were available for analysis. In the bivariate analysis, younger age, higher education, pre-covid employment, male sex, gay/bisexual identity, and single marital status were associated with increased intention to vaccinate. In the multivariate logistic regression, younger, male respondents who had higher educational attainment reported higher intention to vaccinate. Lower-income and living outside the San Juan metro region were associated with lower intention to vaccinate. National and international health organizations were identified as the most reliable sources of information, followed by healthcare professionals. These findings highlight the importance of considering sociodemographic characteristics identified with low intention to vaccinate as well as using trusted sources of information when designing public messaging related to increasing COVID-19 vaccinations.

Straight Culture

The men interviewed considered straightness as an identity, a way of life, or a community. Identifying as straight meant they could continue relationships with their women partners, children, extended family, friends, and other people in their straight communities, relationships they did not think possible with a gay or bisexual identity. It also meant they could avoid stigma and could feel connected to a socially dominant group. In terms of identity, having sex with men was largely irrelevant. They were not “closeted” gay or bisexual men. They identified as straight. In short, the men interviewed were secretive about their sex with men, not their identities. Embeddedness in heterosexual culture reinforces their straight identity, regardless of the fact that they might have sex with men. Key straight institutions described by the men interviewed included their childhood families of origin; religion; school or youth sports; and the families they formed as adults. Most felt that part of a straight man’s life in a rural area or small town was being a husband or father and found great meaning in this. Not coincidentally, many also perceived partnerships with women or childrearing as central to their straight and masculine identities.

Factors Associated with Intention to Vaccinate against COVID-19 in Puerto Rico

COVID-19 has been particularly devastating to Black and Latinx communities in the U.S. However, data on acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccines among minority populations are limited. We conducted an online survey among adults in Puerto Rico to identify factors associated with intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed independently for association with intention to vaccinate. Significant associations were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 1016 responses were available for analysis. In the bivariate analysis, younger age, higher education, pre-covid employment, male sex, gay/bisexual identity, and single marital status were associated with increased intention to vaccinate. In the multivariate logistic regression, younger, male respondents who had higher educational attainment reported higher intention to vaccinate. Lower-income and living outside the San Juan metro region were associated with lower intention to vaccinate. National and international health organizations were identified as the most reliable sources of information, followed by healthcare professionals. These findings highlight the importance of considering sociodemographic characteristics identified with low intention to vaccinate as well as using trusted sources of information when designing public messaging related to increasing COVID-19 vaccinations.

Sexual Identity and Birth Outcomes: A Focus on the Moderating Role of Race-ethnicity

Race-ethnic disparities in birth outcomes are well established, and new research suggests that there may also be important sexual identity disparities in birth weight and preterm birth. This study uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and is the first to examine disparities in birth outcomes at the intersection of race-ethnicity and sexual identity. We use ordinary least sqaures and logistic regression models with live births (n = 10,318) as the unit of analysis clustered on mother ID (n = 5,105), allowing us to adjust for preconception and pregnancy-specific perinatal risk factors as well as neighborhood characteristics. Results show a striking reversal in the effect of lesbian or bisexual identity on birth outcomes across race-ethnicities: For white women, a bisexual or lesbian identity is associated with better birth outcomes than their white heterosexual counterparts, but for Black and Latina women, it is associated with worse birth outcomes than their heterosexual peers.

Acolhimento como ativismo: ações de um coletivo bissexual na criação de espaços “monodissidentes”

Este artigo tem como objeto a atuação de um coletivo bissexual da cidade de São Paulo, tendo por objetivo explorar a bissexualidade enquanto organização política, em especial no que diz respeito à criação de espaços de acolhimento. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com doze ativistas, além de observação participante em uma atividade presencial e análise de documentos publicados pelo coletivo. Foi constatado que o coletivo adota uma política de biolegitimidade na medida em que reivindica direitos às pessoas bissexuais, afirmando a existência de um sofrimento que teria origem na bifobia que as vitimiza. Por sua vez, nas narrativas individuais, os interlocutores utilizam a noção de “descoberta da bissexualidade”, na qual encontrar acolhimento em uma comunidade bissexual aparece como um fator fundamental para a construção de uma identidade bissexual e para o combate ao sofrimento psíquico. Palavras-chave: Bissexualidade; Monodissidência; Ativismo; Movimentos LGBTQIA+. Abstract The object of this article is the performance of a bisexual collective in Sao Paulo city, intending to explore bisexuality as a political organization, especially regarding the creation of welcoming spaces for bisexuals. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with twelve activists, as well as participant observation in one activity and analyses of documents published by the collective. It was found that the collective adopts a policy of biolegitimacy by claiming rights to bisexual people through the affirmation of the existence of a kind of suffering originated in biphobia which victimizes them. In their individual narratives, the interlocutors use the notion of a “discovery of bisexuality”, in which finding welcoming in a bisexual community appears as a fundamental factor for the construction of bisexual identity and the fight against psychological suffering. Keywords: Bisexuality; Monodissidence; Activism; LGBTQIA+ Movements. Resumen Este artículo tiene como objeto la actuación de un colectivo bisexual en la ciudad de São Paulo, con el objetivo de explorar la bisexualidad como organización política, especialmente en lo que respecta a la creación de espacios de acogida. La investigación se realizó a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas con doce activistas, además de la observación participante en una actividad presencial y el análisis de documentos publicados por el colectivo. Se constató que el colectivo adopta una política de biolegitimidad en la medida en que reivindica derechos a las personas bisexuales afirmando la existencia de un sufrimiento que se originaría en la bifobia que las victimiza. A su vez, en las narrativas individuales, los interlocutores utilizan la noción de “descubrimiento de la bisexualidad”, donde encontrar acogida de una comunidad bisexual aparece como factor fundamental para la construcción de una identidad bisexual y la lucha contra el sufrimiento psicológico. Palabras clave: Bisexualidad; Monodisidencia; Activismo; Movimientos LGBTQIA+.

Differential Effects of Social Support by Sexual Orientation: A Study of Depression Symptoms Among Older Canadians in the CLSA

This study examined differences in symptoms of mental illness, specifically depression, by sexual orientation and examined the protective role of social support among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) older Canadians. Data were drawn from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a national study of adults aged 45–85 years at baseline ( n = 46,157). We examined whether the effect of sexual orientation on depression symptoms was moderated by four types of social support: emotional/informational support, affectionate support, tangible support, and positive social interaction. LGB identification was associated with increased depression symptoms relative to heterosexual participants. After adjustment for covariates, bisexual identity remained a significant predictor of depression symptoms. Low emotional/informational social support was associated with increased depression symptoms, an effect that was most pronounced for lesbian and gay participants. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on the mental health of older LGB people.