Global Bipoc sexualities and the erasure of pleasure
An intersectional review of Psychology & Sexuality , 2010–2024
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23311548 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bill Johnson (0009-0004-0587-7781, University of Illinois System, corresponding author), Jocelyn Markowicz (IS practice) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychology and Sexuality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1941-9902 • E-ISSN: 1941-9899 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19419899.2026.2704519 |
| OpenAlex | W7170045756 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 62 |
Despite calls for intersectional approaches in sexuality research, global Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) sexualities remain underrepresented and narrowly framed in psychological literature. This systematic review examines how Psychology & Sexuality, a leading journal, engaged global BIPOC sexualities from 2010 to 2024. Drawing on 30 empirical studies, the review applies an intersectional framework to assess how race, culture, gender, sexuality, and power shape the journal’s representation of global BIPOC sexual experiences. Studies were conducted in non-Western (56.7%), Western (40.0%), and both Western and non-Western (3.3%) contexts. More than one-third of studies (36.7%) included transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, or gender-diverse participants. Four themes emerged: adversity and structural strain; the absence of sexual pleasure; resisting marginalisation through collective meaning-making; and meaningful inclusion and limited centralisation of gender-diverse perspectives. Although some studies referenced intersecting identities, many did not examine how racism, heteronormativity, and colonial legacies structure BIPOC sexualities. Research aligned with risk-based frameworks often focused on African or African diasporic populations, reflecting broader historical patterns in which Black sexuality has been disproportionately examined through lenses of risk and regulation. This review calls for research beyond deficit models and risk paradigms that centres power, affirms pleasure, and honours the complexity of BIPOC sexualities.
Empirical research · Global South · Human sexuality · Inclusion (mineral) · Intersectionality · Power (physics) · Representation (politics) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
Movement, friction, and cultural navigation in the cultural psychology of sexuality
Methodological diversities in the cultural psychology of sexuality
Towards a critical realist approach to the cultural psychology of sexuality
Sexuality and the three psychologies of culture
The cultural psychology of sexuality in the 21st century
Non-binary/Genderqueer Identities
The PRISMA 2020 statement
Toward a critical reflexivity in qualitative inquiry
Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis
Why Pleasure Matters
Toward a Field of Intersectionality Studies
Sex is not a problem
The Impact of Patient Race on Clinical Decisions Related to Prescribing HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology
Global identification helps increase identity integration among Turkish gay men
LGBTQ+ emerging adults perceptions of discrimination and exclusion within the LGBTQ+ community
Accounting for the ‘invisibility’ of the female paedophile
Is the sexual sensation seeking scale a reliable instrument? addressing multiple factor structures in a Colombian sample
Minority stress and sexual minorities of colour
Intersections between young women’s racial/ethnic identities and sexual orientation on rates of sexual violence and substance use
A structural equation model for predicting depressive symptomatology in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the UK
Scientia sexualis and ars erotica
South African women’s constructions of sexual consent
The intersection of gender-based violence and risky sexual behaviour among university students in Ethiopia
The privilege of perversities
Fractured narratives, fractured identities
Attachment orientation and sexual risk behaviour among young Black gay and bisexual men
Mental health issues and needs of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, refugee claimants and refugees in Toronto, Canada
Intimate partner violence as masculine accomplishment
Intersectional health disparities
Mental health literacy in India and Australia and its relationship to attitudes towards LGBT people
Determinants of condom use among heterosexual young men and women in southeastern Ghana
Sexuality erased, questioned, and explored
Intersectional expansiveness borne at the neuroqueer nexus
From vulnerable to responsible youth? Indonesian youth resisting the dominant discourse of sexual health
A qualitative investigation of the romantic relationship experiences. of South Korean lesbians in early adulthood
Bidimensional self-esteem and sexual functioning among Malaysian young adults
Rethinking the dichotomy of sexual identity and relational intimacies
Between two worlds
Years of Psychology & Sexuality
Perceptions of ‘coming out’ among British Muslim gay men
Anticipated HIV stigma and delays in HIV testing among Brazilian heterosexual male soldiers
How is masculinity ideology related to transprejudice in Turkey
Transgender individuals in Mexico
The intersection of suspect and victim race/ethnicity among anti-gay and anti-lesbian bias crimes
Collective resistance as a means to healing. A narrative participatory study with sexual minority refugee & asylum-seeking people
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Diversity Within”
Latinas Experiences with Sexual Satisfaction, Pleasure and Desire
This isn't a fairy tale we're talking about; this is our real lives”
It was the Best Sex of My Life”
Mapping the Margins
Black queer womanhood matters
Karen—the Prototyped Victim—and an Expanded View of Gendered Racism against Black Men
The neglected 95
Intersectionality and research in psychology
Fighting bisexual erasure with a double-edged sword
I've been cheated, been mistreated, when will I be loved
It Feels So Good
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |