How far can stigma-based empathy reach? Effects of societal (in)equity of LGB people on their allyship with transgender and Black people.

Abstract

The shared experience of societal discrimination and affirmation can provide a basis for empathy among members of different marginalized groups. However, the potential mechanisms and moderating conditions involved in this process have been little studied. This experiment examined how perceived societal (in)equity of one’s own group may influence one’s reaction to other marginalized groups. We randomly assigned 310 cisgender White lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults to conditions varying in LGB (in)equity salience (discrimination, affirmation, control) and in the target outgroup identity (transgender, Black). Participants completed a survey assessing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the outgroup, that is, indicators of allyship. Based on the emerging theory of stigma-based solidarity, we expected LGB discrimination to improve intergroup relations with transgender people (i.e. a group readily sharing a common superordinate identity with LGB people) but worsen relations with Black people (i.e. a group not readily sharing a common superordinate identity). Counter to expectations, allyship variables were not predicted by discrimination as a main effect or in interaction with outgroup identity. However, we found support for the mediating role of emotions in explaining the indirect effect of discrimination on allyship. For example, discrimination produced greater outgroup identification by elevating negative affect, but only when the outgroup was transgender people. Results for transgender and Black targets converged for outcomes requiring participants to consider societal injustice toward the outgroup. We observed only one effect for affirmation: It reduced LGB people’s empathic anger for both transgender and Black people. Results may inform efforts of coalition building. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)Public Policy Relevance Statement: This study of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults suggests that emotion partially explains the positive effects of discrimination salience on LGB people’s support for other marginalized groups. Results also show that LGB people’s responses to other marginalized groups may depend on their sense of shared fate with the outgroup and their awareness of injustice facing the outgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)