Lesbian and gay (LG) individuals tend to use different identity management strategies (individual and collective) as mechanisms to cope with the effects of discrimination. LG individuals may engage or disengage from their LGBTQ+ in-group to counteract the effects of stigma. Social identity theory suggests that how stigmatized individuals perceive their social- structural context and cultural values may help explain the use of an identity management strategy over another. Gender seems to also play a role due to the different ways lesbian women and gay men identify with and relate to their LGBTQ+ in-group. However, these constructs have been relatively unexplored among LG individuals and are usually not empirically tested. In this pilot study, we explored and assessed instruments of perceived socio-structural context (legitimacy, stability, and permeability), culture (independent and interdependent self-construal) and, LGBTQ+ identification (social support, collective efficacy, and identity meaningfulness) among and across a LG sample. A total of 228 LG individuals completed an online survey through Prolific Academic. Results show that all measures were reliable in assessing the experiences of LG individuals. The overall sample reported higher levels of an independent self- construal and perceived the socio-structural context as stable, illegitimate, and permeable. Subsequent analysis indicated that women reported higher levels of perceived illegitimacy, as well as social support and identity meaningfulness from the LGBTQ+ community. Our findings help paint a picture of the relationship between the perceived context, LGBTQ+ identification, and culture among LG individuals. It also offers researchers a set of hypotheses to further examine LGBTQ+ identities and health.

--

Social identity,social-structural context,self-construal,gay,lesbian