LGBT BIPOC in Interracial Relationships: A Model of Stigma, Partner Race, and Cultural Humility

This study examined how partner race and perceptions of cultural humility affect relationship functioning among 146 LGBT BIPOC individuals in interracial relationships. We hypothesized that the interaction between partner race, perceptions of that partner’s cultural humility, and experiences of LGBT racism will be related to commitment and trust. Drawing from prior theory and literature, we expected that broader, social experiences of LGBT racism would be related to lower relationship quality (e.g., commitment and trust) for BIPOC individuals with a White partner. However, we also expected that perceiving a partner as culturally humble would mitigate this association. Although we did not find support for this three-way interaction, we did consistently find positive associations between perceptions of a partner’s cultural humility and relationship quality at both the bivariate level and as a main effect within our regression analyses. Implications and limitations are discussed.