From Self-Stigmatization to Self-Affirmation
Plurisexual People’s Experiences with Internalized Sexual Stigma and Positive Identity Attitudes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12759246 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Clara McNamee (0000-0001-7863-4108, University of Toronto, corresponding author), J Roy Gillis (0000-0001-7187-4221, University of Toronto), Abby L Goldstein (0000-0003-3051-1007, University of Toronto) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-33 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Bisexuality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1529-9716 • E-ISSN: 1529-9724 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15299716.2026.2633762 |
| OpenAlex | W7137911014 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 65 |
Plurisexual people—those who have sexual orientations characterized by attraction to multiple genders—form the majority of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and may face worse mental health outcomes than lesbian and gay populations. Internalized sexual stigma (ISS) and positive identity attitudes (PIA), representing the negative and positive dimensions of sexual orientation attitudes, respectively, have been linked to numerous mental health outcomes, yet little research has been conducted on how ISS and PIA are experienced in plurisexual people. This study used reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with n = 18 plurisexual people to explore the cognitive and affective experience of ISS and PIA, producing the following three themes: Doubting and Validating Myself, Avoiding My Truth and Owning It, and Shaming and Celebrating Myself. Implications for measurement development, research, and clinical practice are discussed.
Heteronormativity · Identity (music · Lesbian · Sexual identity · Sexual minority · Stigma (botany · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health
Internalized stigma among sexual minority adults
Bisexual-Specific Minority Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality in Bisexual Individuals
Revision and extension of a multidimensional measure of sexual minority identity
Attitudes toward Bisexual Men and Women among a Nationally Representative Probability Sample of Adults in the United States
Bisexuality, Minority Stress, and Health
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Disparities in the Prevalence of Suicide Ideation and Attempt Among Bisexual Populations
Positionality and reflexivity
Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches
Thematic Analysis
Thematic Analysis
Differences in Minority Stress Experiences, Mental Health, and Relationship Quality Outcomes Among Bisexual, Pansexual, and Queer Women
Internalized Homonegativity
Minority Stress and Mental Health
Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Bisexual People Compared to Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Individuals
A multifactor Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure (LGB-PIM)
Minority stress, community involvement, and mental health among bisexual women
Bipositive events
In order to be bi, you have to prove it”
Anti-bisexual discrimination as insidious trauma and impacts on mental and physical health
Measuring dimensions of bisexual identity
The perks of being bi
Sexual minority self-identification
Bisexual women’s experiences of microaggressions and microaffirmations and their relation to mental health
Anxiety and depression across gender and sexual minorities
Disclosure, minority stress, and mental health among bisexual, pansexual, and queer (Bi+) adults
Reducing internalized binegativity
Differences between Australian bisexual and pansexual women
Why is it so different now I’m bisexual?’
The positive aspects of a bisexual self-identification
Development and validation of the Positive Bisexual Identity (PBI) scale
Bisexual Discrimination, Internalized Binegativity and their Impact on Mental Health
Regardless of Their Gender”
Mental Health Clinicians' Perceived Competence for Affirmative Practice with Bisexual Clients in Comparison to Lesbian and Gay Clients
The Roles of Identity Centrality and Affirmation in the Associations Between Discrimination and Mental Health Among Bi+ Adults
Wellbeing beyond Binaries
I Had Already Reconciled With Being a Slut When I Came out as Bisexual”
We can Shapeshift and Build Bridges”
Discrimination at the Intersections
I Am Double The Bi”
What's in a Name? Exploring Pansexuality Online
The Black Sheep of the Pink Flock
Testing a model of minority identity achievement, identity affirmation, and psychological well-being among ethnic minority and sexual minority individuals
As a Sort of Blanket Term”
The Unfaithful Lover
Longitudinal Examination of a Bisexual-Specific Minority Stress Process Among Bisexual Cisgender Women
Current Intimate Relationship Status, Depression, and Alcohol Use Among Bisexual Women
Confronting Sexual Stigma and Prejudice
Stereotype Deduction About Bisexual Women
An Exploratory Analysis of Minority Stress Experiences and Mental Ill-Health in Bisexual Adults
Comparing Pansexual- and Bisexual-Identified Participants on Demographics, Psychological Well-Being, and Political Ideology in a New Zealand National Sample
Differences in sexual identity dimensions between bisexual and other sexual minority individuals
Lay Conceptions of Sexual Minority Groups
The Invisible Stereotypes of Bisexual Men
Gender and Binegativity
A Transdiagnostic Minority Stress Treatment Approach for Gay and Bisexual Men’s Syndemic Health Conditions
Coming In
Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations
Positive Identity Experiences of Young Bisexual and Other Nonmonosexual People
The Development of an Internalized Homonegativity Inventory for Gay Men
Bipositivity
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |