'I'm a figment of your imagination': epistemic injustice as generative of microinvalidations, microinsults and microassaults directed at bisexual men.

Abstract

Research suggests that microaggressions may contribute to well-documented health disparities among bisexual men. The microaggressions typology framework may provide insights into how microaggressions are conveyed, complementing thematic studies that capture what microaggressions communicate. This study examined the microaggressions encountered by 31 bisexual men (24 cisgender, 7 transgender; 14 Black, 8 Latino, 5 multiracial, 3 White, 1 Asian) using semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that bisexual men primarily experience microinvalidations (nullifications of their experiences), including messages that bisexual men are not real and are simply confused. We posit that the preponderance of microinvalidations reflects the everyday enactment of epistemic injustice (wronging bisexuals in their capacity as knowers), which derives from prevailing notions of sexuality as a binary. Participants additionally reported microinsults (demeaning messages) and microassaults (intentionally discriminatory communication), which we argue serve to keep bisexual men silent. Intersectional themes provide insight into how racialised and gendered norms shape sexuality-based microaggressions. Results point to how microaggressions may impact the health of bisexual men, with critical implications for prevailing frameworks of stress.