Binary ways of thinking about gender and affectional orientation permeate broader society—male-female, woman-man, gay-straight, to name a few. Such binary thought may even contribute to further marginalization within, among, and between individuals of the LGBTQQIAA2P community. The presenters of this roundtable will share findings of their study of genderism in the LGBTQQIAA2P community and facilitate discussion of the themes with implications for counselors, counselor educators, and clinical supervisors.

The purpose of this study was to research gender, affectional/sexual orientation, and sex roles to determine how people respond to the Expanded Reasons for Living Scale by Linehan, Goodstein, Nielsen, and Chiles (1983). This study used the Bem Sex Role Inventory, short form (Bem, 1981) to assess androgynous and nonandrogynous people. Results from the statistical analysis revealed that bisexuals had the lowest reasons for living score followed by gay men/lesbians, and then heterosexuals on the Total RFL, as well as on the Responsiblility to Family and Moral Objections subscales. On the Child-Related Concerns subscale heterosexuals had a higher RFL score than both homosexuals and bisexuals. The Fear of Social Disapproval subscale revealed that heterosexuals and homosexuals were significantly higher than bisexuals. Androgynous people had a higher RFL on the Moral Objections subscale than nonandrogynous people and Androgynous women scored higher than nonandrogynous women on the Survival and Coping Belief subscale.

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the researchers examined experiences of genderism within, among, and between members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally (LGBTQQIA) community. Genderism, or bias resulting from a gender binary view, was explored with regard to gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, and gender-based assumptions. Responses from 10 participants were analyzed for themes within and across participants using IPA. Seven themes are presented, discussed, and supported by participant extracts. Implications for counseling with LGBTQQIA clients are presented, along with considerations for advocacy at a systemic level.