Heterogeneity of Intersectional Discrimination Experiences Among Young Black Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States.

To understand the sexual health inequities experienced by young Black cisgender gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YBMSM) in the United States, it is essential to investigate structural causes, including the intersecting forms of oppression experienced by YBMSM. In this study, we aim to understand the heterogeneity of YBMSM's intersectional discrimination experiences through a latent profile analysis (LPA). We analyzed self-report data from a national sample of YBMSM, ages 18-29 and living without HIV (n = 266), focusing on the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS). Participants reported their frequency of experiencing discrimination (range: 1-4), and selected reasons they associated with this discrimination (e.g., race/ethnicity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and education or income level) to capture manifestations of oppression as identified by participants. The LPA used indicators comprised of participants' mean (M) EDS scores in addition to selected discrimination reasons. A four-profile model emerged as the best fit. The largest profile (n = 155) was characterized by a low EDS score with race/ethnicity and sexual orientation being the most selected discrimination reasons. A low-to-moderate discrimination profile emerged (n = 34), characterized by endorsement of race/ethnicity, physical appearance, and education/income. A moderate discrimination profile included all four indicators selected (n = 31), while the highest discrimination profile (n = 46) selected race/ethnicity, physical appearance, and sexual orientation. This analysis provides a foundation for examining the impact of heterogeneous intersectional discrimination on sexual health outcomes in future research.