At the Intersection of Race, Gender and Sexuality: A Queer of Color Critique of Public Relations Habitus

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article employs queer of color (QOC) critique as an analytical lens for public relations research. Expanding QOC inquiry in public relations is important because transgender people of color have been excluded from mainstream public relations theory and research. To address this gap and empirical opportunity, this article uses qualitative interviews to explore the experiences of transgender communicators of color in the United States who participate in public relations work. Habitus, intersectionality and QOC critique provide a theoretical framework that informs analysis. Advocacy, representation and empowerment are identified as important themes that characterize the experiences of our participants. Structural, representational and political intersectionality emerged as key reasons for their public relations work. The inclusion of QOC critique in public relations research joins and extends critical public relations perspectives that counter hegemonic racial and gender dynamics that characterize the public relations field.