An expanded definition of intersectional stigma for public health research and praxis

Abstract

Intersectionality—an analytic tool that enables researchers and historically marginalized communities to investigate how “intersecting power relations influence social relations across diverse societies as well as individual experiences in everyday life”1(p2)—is becoming a prominent lens through which to conduct social and behavioral science research, particularly within the field of public health. Intersectionality is now recognized as critical to ending the HIV epidemic, as well as addressing other public health priorities. Stigma researchers are applying an intersectional lens to understand and address health inequities among groups at the most marginalized intersectional positions, as stigma reduction cannot be fully achieved without centering the structures and systems that drive stigma and discrimination. For example, without understanding how racism and homophobia mutually shape the experiences and opportunities of sexual minority people of color, we cannot fully understand or address the stigma and discrimination they experience.