Daily Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minorities Living in Rural Nebraska

Daily Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minorities Living in Rural Nebraska

Principal Investigator: Rebecca Brock

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) have long been marginalized within society and encounter a range of stressors related to their minority status. One prevailing theory for understanding the origins and impact of these experiences is Meyer’s (2003) minority stress model, which holds that SGM individuals endure a host of distal and proximal stressors including discrimination, harassment, and stigma. According to this model, these stressors perpetuate structural, systematic, and interpersonal disadvantage, resulting in dysfunction. As challenging as these experiences are more generally, stigma and related prejudices towards sexual and gender non-conformity are higher in rural locations, which may expose rural SGM persons to increased stress. The objective of this project is to understand the daily experiences of SGM individuals living in rural Nebraska, including forms of discrimination, stigmatization, and marginalization that cause distress and impairment.

Meet Rebecca Brock

Questions? Contact Trey Andrews.