By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Reen Renaud (right) and Wanda Maldonado at Seattle Pride Parade on June 30. (Photo by Anna Maldonado )
The fastest-growing racial group in the United States—Asian Americans—is also one that is consistently perceived as “foreign.”
But for Asian Americans who are gay or lesbian, their sexual orientation may make them seem more “American” than those who are presumed straight. A new University of Washington (UW) study, the latest in research to examine stereotypes, identity, and ideas about who is “American,” focuses on how sexual orientation and race come together to influence others’ perceptions.
“Research on race is often separate from research on sexual orientation. Here we bring the two together to understand how they interact to influence judgments of how American someone is considered,” said Sapna Cheryan, a UW associate professor of psychology.
In one study, participants were randomly assigned to read a brief descriptive phrase of a person named John, identified either as “an Asian American man” or “a gay Asian American man.” They were then asked to rate, using a seven-point scale, how American they considered him through questions, such as “How fluently do you think this person speaks English?” and “How integrated is this person in American culture?” Researchers found that the hypothetical “gay Asian American man” was perceived as significantly more American than the hypothetical “Asian American man,” whose sexual orientation wasn’t specified.
That doesn’t mean LGBTQ Asian Americans face less discrimination, Cheryan said.
While sexual orientation may affect a person’s perceived “foreignness,” it doesn’t protect against other forms of discrimination and harassment, she added.
“One possible extension of this work is that gay Asian Americans may be less likely to have their American identities questioned than straight Asian Americans,” said Cheryan. “At the same time, being gay puts people more at risk for other forms of prejudice based on sexual orientation.”
Other co-authors of the study were Linda Zou, Mika Semrow, and Shuyang Liu of the UW.
Staff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.