Digital microaggressions against LGBTQ+ youth: An exploratory factor analysis

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth are challenged by prejudice and discrimination. Microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination that can harm the well-being of minorities. Anti-LGBTQ+ microaggressions include: homophobic and transphobic language and behaviors; exoticization of LGBTQ+ identities; and assumptions that all LGBTQ+ people have the same experiences or are abnormal. With the increasingly widespread use of the internet, anti-LGBTQ+ microaggressions are becoming more prevalent online. However, no instruments measure the experience of anti-LGBTQ+ digital microaggressions. Thus, this study examined the factor structures of two scales of anti-LGBTQ+ digital microaggressions.