A latent profile analysis of 266 young Black cisgender gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living without HIV identified four distinct profiles of everyday discrimination, differing in frequency and in the attributed reasons (race/ethnicity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, education/income), providing a foundation for examining how heterogeneous intersectional discrimination affects sexual health outcomes.
A four-profile model was the best-fitting latent profile solution for YBMSM's intersectional discrimination experiences.
The largest profile (n = 155) was characterized by a low EDS score, with race/ethnicity and sexual orientation being the most selected discrimination reasons.
A low-to-moderate discrimination profile (n = 34) was characterized by endorsement of race/ethnicity, physical appearance, and education/income as reasons for discrimination.
A moderate discrimination profile (n = 31) endorsed all four discrimination reasons.
The highest discrimination profile (n = 46) selected race/ethnicity, physical appearance, and sexual orientation as reasons for discrimination.
Intersectional discrimination experiences among YBMSM are heterogeneous in both frequency and attributed reasons, rather than uniform.
This study looked at how young Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the U.S. experience discrimination in everyday life. The researchers analyzed survey responses from 266 men ages 18-29 who were living without HIV. They considered both how often the men experienced discrimination and what reasons they gave for it, such as race, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or education/income. Using a statistical method that groups people with similar response patterns, they found four distinct groups. The largest group (155 men) reported low discrimination, mostly linked to race and sexual orientation. Two middle groups reported low-to-moderate (34 men) and moderate (31 men) discrimination with different mixes of reasons; the moderate group cited all four reasons. The smallest and most affected group (46 men) reported the highest discrimination, tied to race, physical appearance, and sexual orientation. This research suggests that discrimination experiences among young Black men who have sex with men are not all the same, and that treating them as one average could hide important differences. The findings may help future research examine how different patterns of discrimination relate to sexual health outcomes, and may help guide more tailored efforts to address the structural causes of health inequities. The study describes patterns only and does not itself test health effects.
S. Janek, Wei-Cong Pan, Rahim Z. Miller, Miles C. Perry, Adrian Williams, R. Gonzalez-Guarda, et al.. (2026). Heterogeneity of Intersectional Discrimination Experiences Among Young Black Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States.. Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2026.2696909