Asian American Journal of Psychology, Vol 15(2), Jun 2024, 63-72; doi:10.1037/aap0000334
Previous literature has examined the areas of stereotype application with reference to gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity/race. However, less has explored the intersection of these areas, particularly in reference to Asian individuals. Stereotypes about gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity/race are interwoven and simultaneously influence perceptions of individuals. In a preregistered study, participants (N = 685, Mage = 27.07, SDage = 10.85) were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions, which varied on the basis of gender (man, woman), sexual orientation (lesbian/gay, straight), and ethnicity/race (Asian, White). Based on a fictitious dating profile stimulus, participants responded to measures concerning perceptions of typicality (i.e., that people are quicker to make category judgments about typical members of a category than they are to make such judgments about atypical members), as well as masculinity/femininity and dominance. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that gay Asian men and gay White men were perceived as equally typical of their social group, though straight Asian men were perceived as more typical of Asian men than gay Asian men. Gay men were perceived as more feminine than straight men, and lesbian women were perceived as more masculine than straight women. Additionally, gay Asian men were perceived as more feminine than straight Asian men, and lesbian Asian women were perceived as more masculine than straight Asian women. Finally, Asian individuals overall were viewed as less dominant than White individuals. Our findings support the need for research that examines the experiences of marginalized communities through intersectional perspectives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)