Exoticization of LGBTQ People of Color

Exoticization is a process wherein people who are outside culturally dominant groups are marginalized and diminished to stereotypes for entertainment or consumption by people in privileged groups. For example, given the racially White majority in the United States, people of color are often exoticized and seen as ethnic/racial “Others.” Asians and Latinas/Latinos are often labeled “exotic” based on their ethnic/racial identity and also with regard to their sexuality (e.g., Asian people are seen as sexually passive; Latinas/Latinos are seen as fiery). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals can also be subjected to exoticization and seen as Others, given their marginalized status in a heteronormative U.S. society. One prominent example of this is the representation of women engaging in same-sex sexual behaviors for the ...