Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Vol 11(2), Jun 2024, 225-236; doi:10.1037/sgd0000602
Research has indicated that queer (i.e., gay, bisexual, or another minority sexual orientation) Asian American men may internalize negative views about Asian men’s attractiveness from the broader queer community which may then affect their own perceptions of desirability. To further understand racialized dating preferences among this underrepresented population, we examined the extent to which internalized racism and resistance and empowerment against racism were associated with queer Asian American men’s dating preferences (i.e., Asian preference, White preference, or no racial preference). We also investigated the mediating role of self-efficacy in the associations of internalized racism and empowerment against racism with the different dating preferences. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 180 queer Asian American men who completed an online survey. Results showed that internalized racism was positively associated with a White dating preference and negatively associated with an Asian dating preference. Resistance and empowerment was positively associated with having no racial dating preference and was negatively associated with a White dating preference. Furthermore, self-efficacy mediated a negative indirect association of resistance and empowerment with having a White dating preference, whereas self-efficacy did not mediate any other associations. The results of our study highlight the importance of considering psychological, racially relevant factors that may be associated with queer Asian American men’s racialized dating preferences. Implications for practitioners and interventionists working with queer Asian American men are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)