2023 Volume 30 Issue 3 Pages 269-284
This study quantitatively examined the relationship between implicit attitudes towards gender expression minorities and minority identity using the Implicit Association Test (IAT). In the IAT, paired stimuli of high and low gender consistency images, as well as words indicating good and bad emotional valence, were presented. Higher IAT scores indicated a greater automatic preference for representations of gender expression minorities. Participants completed the IAT and a questionnaire online. Participants whose gender identity did not align with their assigned gender at birth were excluded to minimize ingroup effects within gender minorities and incomplete data were also excluded. Of the 142 participants, 115 data were used in the analysis. One-way ANOVA results showed that gender, minority identity, suffering as a minority, and experiences overcoming suffering were related to the IAT score. Two-way ANOVA showed that the interaction between gender and minority identity was significant. There was a significant difference in scores between women and men in the “none,” “weak,” and “moderate” minority identity groups, with women scoring significantly higher than men. Post-hoc analysis revealed that women with a “strong” minority identity scored significantly lower than other women’s groups. The group with a “strong” minority identity scored closest to 0 within both gender, suggesting that a strong self-identification as a minority may relate to a weaker automatic preference for a particular group.
