Navigating Intersectional Identities: Clinical Considerations for Working With LGBTQ Asian American Youth

Abstract

LGBTQ Asian American youth face unique challenges related to their marginalized identities. It is well documented that Asian Americans who need mental health treatment access care at lower rates than White populations.¹ Although Asian cultural values are often cited as reasons for decreased help-seeking behavior, research suggests structural barriers including cost, lack of culturally tailored services, and lack of knowledge of available resources as greater contributors to these disparities.¹ Asian Americans have also been subject to the "model minority" myth, the stereotype that the community is universally high achieving, rule following, and well adjusted. This false narrative contributes to negative mental health outcomes driven by racial discrimination and homogenizing the Asian American experience. This masks the diversity in mental health needs among Asian Americans. In addition, LGBTQ Asian Americans experience microaggressions, the perception of being "not queer enough," and racism from LGBTQ spaces that often primarily cater to a White population.².