“School Shouldn’t Be Something You Have to Survive”: Queer Women’s Experiences with Microaggressions at a Canadian University

Sierra K. Dimberg, D. Anthony Clark, Lisa B. Spanierman, Rachel A. VanDaalen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The authors used an interpretative phenomenological analysis of focus-group data provided by eight research participants to investigate microaggressions that target queer women at an urban Canadian university. Four themes emerged from the data that support and extend prior sexual orientation microaggressions typologies research: (a) facing skepticism as response to sexual orientation, (b) living with surveillance as response to gender presentation, (c) encountering heteronormative assumptions, and (d) experiencing vulnerability. The authors discuss these findings in the context of previous research, outline future research directions, and provide implications for campus life.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)709-732
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Homosexuality
Volume68
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Sexual orientation microaggressions
  • gender identity microaggressions
  • queer women
  • subtle discrimination

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Social Psychology
  • Education
  • Psychology(all)

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