Coethnic neighborhoods may lose their protective shield for Black and Latinx sexual minorities who experience intersectional discrimination.
Article
Vargas, SM, Yu, SH, Chen, B et al. (2026). Coethnic neighborhoods may lose their protective shield for Black and Latinx sexual minorities who experience intersectional discrimination.
. 10.1037/sah0000679
Vargas, SM, Yu, SH, Chen, B et al. (2026). Coethnic neighborhoods may lose their protective shield for Black and Latinx sexual minorities who experience intersectional discrimination.
. 10.1037/sah0000679
Sexual minority people of color are subject to both racism and heterosexism. Prior studies have shown that, compared to people who report a single type of discrimination, those who experience intersectional discrimination exhibit heightened risk for mental health problems. The present study explored how living in a neighborhood with high coethnic density may either expose or shield sexual minority people of color from discrimination experiences. Participants (N = 90) residing in Los Angeles and New Orleans completed a survey as part of a larger study beginning in 2016. Their addresses were geotagged using 2010 census tract-level data to reflect their neighborhood ethnic composition. Participants reported their demographic characteristics and completed the two-stage Everyday Discrimination Scale. Results based on reversed odds ratios indicated that for every 10% increase in neighborhood coethnic density, participants were 49% more likely to report intersectional discrimination than heterosexist discrimination only. Additionally, for every 10% increase in coethnic density, participants were 20% more likely to report intersectional discrimination than racial discrimination only. Findings preliminarily suggest that living in coethnic neighborhoods may increase exposure to intersectional discrimination among sexual minority people of color. Given the study limitations, these findings should be interpreted with caution, and future larger studies should further examine this question. Interventions that buffer against the impact of intersectional discrimination are needed, and community-based interventions should aim to reduce experiences of intersectional minority stress. Additionally, public health research focused on neighborhood-level factors should integrate intersectional perspectives to promote equity in health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
