(PS8-37) Understanding Differences in Microaggressions and Discriminations Experienced by Black Queer and Heterosexual Women Living with HIV

Background:
Research demonstrates that Black women living with HIV (BWLWH) encounter a variety of discriminatory practices in their daily lives, including sexism, racism, and HIV-related stigma. However, there have been a lack of studies to discern the differences or similarities in forms of discrimination experienced between Black heterosexual and queer women living with HIV. The goal of this research is to assess the microaggressions and discrimination experienced by BWLWH and explore whether there are differences or similarities in the experiences of heterosexual and queer women.   

Method:
Baseline data was utilized from a longitudinal cohort BWLWH in the Southeastern U.S. Women (n = 151) completed self-report measures including the HIV Microaggressions Scale (HMS,  assessed microaggressions targeting HIV status), LGBT People of Color Microaggression Scale (LGBT PCMS, measured the experience of racism in the LGBTQIA+ community, heterosexism in communities of color, and LGBT relationship racism), Gendered Racial Microaggression Scale (GRMS, captured the frequency and distress associated with experiencing gendered racial microaggressions), and the Multiple Discrimination Scale (MDS assessed interpersonal, institutional, and violent discrimination evaluated separately on gender, sexuality, HIV, and race). A binominal logistical regression was conducted to compare the difference in microaggressions and discrimination experienced by queer BWLWH versus heterosexual BWLWH.

Results:
In terms of demographic information, 68.7% of participants had a high school diploma or equivalent, 46.2% had an income between $5,000-$11,99, and 13.2% of our sample size identified as queer. Findings indicated differences in microaggressions experienced, specifically on the LGBT PCMS. Individuals in the study who were queer had 1.046 times the odds of experiencing racism in the LGBTQIA+ community, heterosexism in communities of color, and LGBT relationship racism, b = .045, Wald χ2 = 4.959, p = .026 compared to heterosexual participants. However, there were no differences on the HMS, GRMS, and the MDS suggesting similarities in the experiences of HIV microaggressions, gendered racial microaggressions, and multiple discrimination.

Conclusions:
These novel findings suggest that queer BWLWH compared to heterosexual BWLWH are more likely to simultaneously experience both heterosexism from communities of color and racism from within the queer community. Our findings may have been limited by the percentage of queer BWLWH in the sample. Additional research with larger samples is needed to understand the unique experiences of queer BWLWH and how they impact their mental health (e.g., depression) and HIV-related health outcomes (e.g., viral load) as well as develop needed interventions.