"Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Better": LGBTQ + People's Reactions to the 2020 US Presidential Election

Introduction

Previous research has found that political discourse over proposed legislation that impacts lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ +) people serves as a distal stressor which is associated with poorer mental and physical health. This study sought to document responses to the 2020 US Presidential election among LGBTQ + people living in the USA.

Methods

Nineteen LGBTQ + people ages 20 to 76 (M = 47.20; SD = 17.66) living across the USA were interviewed via Zoom video conferencing software between October and early December 2020. The modal participant was female (36.8%), identified as gay or lesbian (47.3%), and White (84.2%). Interviews were coded using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003).

Results

Seventeen codes emerged, which were grouped into three themes. Participants viewed specific political figures, namely then-President Trump and Supreme Court nominee Coney-Barrett, as symbolic of the potential loss of rights and disenfranchisement of LGBTQ + people. Participants exhibited uncertainty about the future; however, a Biden presidential win was viewed as potentially instilling complacency and leading to fracturing of the LGBTQ + community. While some participants avoided news, most were engaged with the political process as a means of coping with election uncertainty.

Conclusions

The findings have implications for better understanding the concerns of LGBTQ + folks as it relates to how they view political discourse and the future of the equality movement.

Policy Implications

Policies which beneficially impact and engage a diverse range of LGBTQ + people would facilitate mobilization of LGBTQ + political communities.

Resentment Is Like Drinking Poison? The Heterogeneous Health Effects of Affective Polarization

Affective polarization-the tendency for individuals to exhibit animosity toward those on the opposite side of the partisan divide-has increased in the United States in recent years. This article presents evidence that this trend may have consequences for Americans' health. Structural equation model analyses of nationally representative survey data from Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel (n = 4,685) showed heterogeneous relationships between affectively polarized attitudes and self-rated health. On one hand, such attitudes were directly negatively associated with health such that the polarized political environment was proposed to operate as a sociopolitical stressor. Simultaneously, affective polarization was positively associated with political participation, which in turn was positively associated with health, although the direct negative effect was substantially larger than the indirect positive one. These results suggest that today's increasingly hostile and pervasive form of partisanship may undermine Americans' health even as it induces greater political engagement.

Discrimination keeps transgender people awake at night: A nationwide cross-sectional survey of 583 transgender adults in South Korea

OBJECTIVES

We sought to investigate the association between transgender identity discrimination and sleep problems among transgender people in South Korea (hereafter, Korea), and whether family support for transgender identity plays a protective role in the association.

DESIGN & SETTING

We analyzed a nationwide cross-sectional survey of 583 Korean transgender adults which was anonymously conducted through an online platform.

MEASUREMENTS

Transgender identity discrimination was assessed using a single-item question. Sleep problems were defined as having any of the following problems: poor sleep quality, short sleep duration, and use of alcohol or sleep medications to fall asleep. Family support for transgender identity was classified into 3 groups as follows: not supportive, supportive, and unaware of participants' transgender identity.

RESULTS

Of 583 participants, 383 (65.7%) experienced transgender identity discrimination over the past 12 months. Participants who experienced transgender identity discrimination were 1.48 times (95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 1.19-1.83) more likely to have any sleep problems, compared to those who never experienced transgender identity discrimination. When stratified by family support level, the associations between transgender identity discrimination and sleep problems remained statistically significant only among those with a family unsupportive (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.16-2.31) or unaware (aPR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.01-2.52) of participants' transgender identity. However, the association was not statistically significant among those with a supportive family (aPR = 1.41; 95% CI = 0.96-2.07).

CONCLUSION

Given transphobic environments in Korea, legal and institutional efforts are required to reduce transgender identity discrimination (eg, anti-discrimination laws) as well as to build trans-specific family resources.

I Am Not A Virus: Status-Based Rejection Sensitivity and Sleep Among East Asian People in the United States During COVID-19

As COVID-19 spread in the United States, anti-East Asian bias increased. This article aimed to (1) show that thinking about COVID-19 heightened East Asian individuals’ anxious expectations of discrimination and (2) explore these expectations’ health correlates. Specifically, the paper focused on COVID-19-triggered race-based rejection sensitivity, defined as (1) East Asian individuals’ expectations of rejection due to the stereotype that they spread the virus and (2) high levels of anxiety about this possibility. Study 1 ( N = 412) showed that reminders of COVID-19 increased COVID-19-triggered race-based rejection sensitivity among Chinese citizens living in the United States and East Asian Americans, but not Americans of other races. Study 2 ( N = 473) demonstrated that East Asian people who habitually focused on COVID-19 experienced greater COVID-19-triggered race-based rejection sensitivity and, in turn, greater sleep difficulties. Thus, societal-level shifts that target minoritized groups may increase minoritized group members’ concerns about discrimination in ways that undermine their health.

The 2016 United States presidential election's impact on families with transgender adolescents in New England

During and after the 2016 United States (U.S.) presidential election, discriminatory policies and stigmatizing rhetoric have been increasingly directed toward the transgender community at state and national levels. Transgender and/or nonbinary (TNB) adolescents, already at elevated risk for poorer health relative to their cisgender (nontransgender) peers, may have been adversely impacted by the shifting sociopolitical climate. This secondary analysis used qualitative data from the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project to investigate how perceived shifts in the sociopolitical climate following the 2016 election affected families with TNB adolescents in the New England region of the U.S. (states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). Data included two waves of semistructured interviews conducted with TNB adolescents and their caregivers and siblings (N = 20 families, 60 family members). Two coders analyzed transcripts using a thematic analysis approach. Emergent themes included: contemporary life for trans people in America (e.g., being discriminated against and dehumanized), perceptions of the national sociopolitical climate (e.g., anger toward political figures), forms of resistance and advocacy (e.g., confronting misinformation), and factors amplifying or buffering effects of the sociopolitical climate (e.g., the formation of alliances or coalitions within the family). Findings indicate the 2016 election spurred the redefinition of communication boundaries within, and outside, the immediate family, particularly regarding online communication and social media. TNB adolescents and their families anxiously anticipated changes in the sociopolitical climate and their foreseen impact on TNB adolescents' rights and safety. Implications for family therapy, intervention design, and policy reform are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Oppression and resistance: An analysis of Muslims' experiences of structural violence

Discrimination and vilification of Muslims in the United States have historical and political roots. This study explores everyday incidents of marginalization and oppression through the framework of structural violence. Structural violence refers to the systemic inequalities embedded within societal structures that create and support these oppressive conditions. In this community-engaged qualitative study, 10 self-identified Muslims from the northeastern United States were interviewed to understand their lived experiences of structural violence. Using thematic analysis, seven themes were identified: Racialized and xenophobic Islamophobia; normalized violence against Muslims and fear of safety; exclusion, marginalization, and subjugation through policies; Muslims as spokespersons for Islam; Intersecting marginalized identities and oppression; challenges of navigating Muslim identities; resilience and resistance through faith, activism, and community. This study aims to understand and contextualize the experiences of Muslims within a systemic and geopolitical framework. Another critical objective is to promote a discourse to address how academics and clinicians reproduce and maintain structural violence and to instead engage in socially transformative approaches embedded in the principles of decolonizing and mutually-liberating cross-struggle solidarity. These must be cultivated through community-informed intersectional collaborative strategies for dismantling oppressive structures and promoting agency, resilience, activism, and resistance.

Mental Health Among Black and Latinx Sexual Minority Adults Leading Up to and Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: Results from a Natural Experiment

Purpose: Multi-level hostility toward sexual minority (SM; includes, but is not limited to those identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or same-gender loving) and other minority populations (e.g., racial/ethnic) increased after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This may generate stress and mental health problems among those groups, and particularly among SM people of color. This study assessed whether the mental health of Black and Latinx SM adults declined after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Methods: Data were from a daily national probability survey (thus, mean changes in mental health outcomes over time may reflect population shifts in mental health) of Black and Latinx SM adults (N = 537), recruited 7 months before and 17 months after the November 8, 2016 election. Using a between-subjects design, spline-based regressions (spline set at election date), adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, estimated four mental health outcomes (past-month number of "poor mental health" days and psychological distress, past-year suicidal ideation, and social wellbeing) as a function of survey completion date. Results: There was marked worsening in each of the mental health outcomes over the postelection period (past-month poor mental health days, B = 0.05, standard error [SE] = 0.02, p < 0.05; psychological distress, B = 0.28, SE = 0.14, p < 0.05; suicidal ideation, odds ratio = 1.13, 95% confidence interval >1.00-1.26, p < 0.05; and social wellbeing, B = -0.05, SE = 0.02, p < 0.05). None of the outcomes varied over the pre-election period. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of worsening mental health among Black and Latinx SM adults in the United States during the 1.5 years after the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Personality Psychology

Personality psychology, which seeks to study individual differences in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persist over time and place, has experienced a renaissance in the last few decades. It has also not been reviewed as a field in the Annual Review of Psychology since 2001. In this article, we seek to provide an update as well as a meta-organizational structure to the field. In particular, personality psychology has a prescribed set of four responsibilities that it implicitly or explicitly tackles as a field: (a) describing what personality is-i.e., what the units of analysis in the field are; (b) documenting how it develops; (c) explaining the processes of personality and why they affect functioning; and (d) providing a framework for understanding individuals and explaining their actions, feelings, and motivations. We review progress made over the last 20 years to address these four agendas and conclude by highlighting future directions and ongoing challenges to the field. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Impact of the 2016 Election on the Quality of Life of Sexual and Gender Minority Adults: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Purpose: The 2016 U.S. election significantly changed the political landscape for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. The current study assessed the consequences of the election and transition to a new overtly discriminatory administration on the health-related quality of life of SGM adults compared with their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. Methods: The study used repeated cross-sectional data from the 17 states that administered the sexual orientation and gender identity module in the 2015 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys. The sample included 268,851 adult respondents: 12,006 SGM adults (5.35%) and 256,845 cisgender and heterosexual adults (94.65%). Outcomes were frequent (≥14 days in the last month) physical distress, mental distress, limited activity, and/or fair/poor general health. Difference-in-differences estimates were calculated from logistic regression models, controlling for sociodemographic, health care coverage, and chronic medical condition confounders. Results: Compared with the cisgender and heterosexual population, frequent mental distress among SGM adults increased by 5% points, corresponding to a relative increase of 32.5% (p < 0.001) from 2015. Rates of frequent physical distress, limited activity, and fair/poor general health were not significantly altered between the two populations. Gender minority adults were most negatively affected with a relative increase in frequent mental distress of 117.5% (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The 2016 U.S. election and administration changeover were associated with a substantial increase in the proportion of SGM adults reporting frequent mental distress. These data provide empirical evidence as to the psychological effects of an abrupt political realignment on SGM mental health.

First comes marriage, then comes the election: Macro-level event impacts on African-American, Latina/x, and White sexual minority women

Sexual minority women (SMW) may have different experiences of macro-level events, such as changes in marriage laws or election outcomes, related to their multiple identities. African American, Latina/x, and White identities intersect with gender/sex and sexual identity to influence experiences at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, social, and political levels of the socio-ecological environment. Participants include 100 African American, 35 Latina/x, and 164 White SMW (N = 299) in Wave 4 (2017-2019) of a longitudinal study of SMW's health conducted in the United States (Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women Study). Responses to nine open-ended survey questions about marriage equality and the 2016 Presidential election were examined. Thematic analysis noted similarities across groups and focused on group differences in four areas: 1) personal well-being (including fear and anxiety about discrimination; risk associated with masculine presentation; and religion as stress and support); 2) interpersonal relationships (including relationships with partners, family, and in a community); 3) societal discrimination and prejudice (including harassment in public spaces and concerns about travel); and 4) civil rights, government harassment, and police-state violence. Emerging differences emphasized the impact of race/ethnicity and the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender on experiences of marriage equality and the 2016 election. Findings suggest that a more nuanced understanding of the experiences of individuals with different racial/racialized identities and the intersection of race/ethnicity with sexual identities is essential to creating culturally competent and effective supports for SMW.

Online negative sentiment towards Mexicans and Hispanics and impact on mental well-being: A time-series analysis of social media data during the 2016 United States presidential election

Purpose

The purpose was to use Twitter to conduct online surveillance of negative sentiment towards Mexicans and Hispanics during the 2016 United States presidential election, and to examine its relationship with mental well-being in this targeted group at the population level.

Methods

Tweets containing the terms Mexican(s) and Hispanic(s) were collected within a 20-week period of the 2016 United States presidential election (November 9th 2016). Sentiment analysis was used to capture percent negative tweets. A time series lag regression model was used to examine the association between percent count of negative tweets mentioning Mexicans and Hispanics and percent count of worry among Hispanic Gallup poll respondents.

Results

Of 2,809,641 tweets containing terms Mexican(s) and Hispanic(s), 687,291 tweets were negative. Among 8,314 Hispanic Gallup respondents, a mean of 33.5% responded to be worried on a daily basis. A significant lead time of 1 week was observed, showing that negative tweets mentioning Mexicans and Hispanics appeared to forecast daily worry among Hispanics by 1 week.

Conclusion

Surveillance of online negative sentiment towards racially vulnerable population groups can be captured using social media. This has potential to identify early warning signals for symptoms of mental well-being among targeted groups at the population level.

Logotherapy to Mitigate the Harmful Psychological Effects of Current Events: A Tool for Nurses

Evidence suggests that political or current events can have adverse effects on mental health. Since the 2016 election, many mental health professionals have also noted a surge among Americans who associate their mental health symptoms with current events. It is therefore possible that when nurses speak with patients, discussions of current events will arise. Logotherapy is introduced as a tool that can help facilitate these discussions and a way that nurses might assist patients who are adversely affected by current events. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(4), 38-42.].

Why are bathrooms inclusive if the stacks exclude?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to deploy a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to consider exclusionary practices enacted by academic libraries as evidenced through resource provision. Specifically, this paper looks at the inclusion of trans and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals in library guides, TGNC naming practices in abstracts and the physical shelving of transgender studies texts. This paper concludes with a discussion of methods to overcome such exclusionary practices in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper deploys CDA as informed by queer theory, affording a lens to consider how language and information are structured such that particular power dynamics emerge placing symbolic value on discursively normal identities. CDA helps illuminate when, how and why TGNC individuals remain excluded within academic librarianship practices.

Findings

Findings show continued investments in heteronormative and cisnormative structures concerning information provision and access for TGNC patrons. TGNC patrons using library guides consistently fail to see any mentioned made of their respective identities aside from research about their identities. Patrons seeking information of personal value (i.e. coming out resources) find few resources. Further, library stacks and databases enact consistent microaggressions such as fetishizing, deadnaming and misgendering.

Research limitations/implications

This project contains considerable social implications, as it pushes against a continued recalcitrance on the part of academic libraries to invest in neutrality by showing its failures regarding TGNC persons.

Practical implications

This study possesses a considerable set of practical implications and highlights tangible problems that could be addressed with relative ease by academic librarians through either systemic reorganization of information or TGNC patrons. Alternatively, this work also suggests that if such reformations are not possible, academic librarians can take it upon themselves to call attention to such issues and purposefully mark these failings, thus making it clear that it is a current limitation of how libraries function and invite patrons (both cisgender and transgender) to challenge and change these representations through research and advocacy.

Social implications

This project contains considerable social implications as it pushes against a continued recalcitrance on the part of academic libraries (and librarianship more broadly) to invest in neutrality. This study contests the idea that while possessing neutrality academic libraries also posit themselves as inherently good and inclusive. By showing the violence that remains enacted upon transgender and gender nonconforming folks through multiple venues within the academic library, this study makes clear that statements of negativity are thrust onto TGNC patrons and they remain excluded from an institution that purports to have their well-being as one of its core values.

Originality/value

The deployment of CDA within information science is still a relatively new one. While linguists have long understood the multiplicity of discourse beyond language, the application of this method to the academic library as a discursive institution proves generative. Furthermore, the relationship between academic libraries and their LGBTQ+ populations is both underrepresented and undervalued, a problem exacerbated when focusing on how transgender and gender nonconforming patrons see themselves and their relationships to the academic library. This paper shows the dire state of representation for these particular patrons and provides groundwork for positively changing such representations.