Sexual racism and colourism among Australian men who have sex with men: A qualitative investigation

Sexual racism, referring to discrimination in the context of sexual and romantic partner-seeking, is per-nicious among men who have sex with men (MSM). Two gaps exist in the literature on sexual racism among MSM: the potential role of colourism, wherein non-White MSM experience additional discrimination due to their skin tone; and the lack of current qualitative data about how Australian MSM construe sexual racism and colourism. We qualitatively investigated the manifestations and construals of sexual racism and col-ourism within an Australian sample of MSM (N = 39, 64% non-White) recruited via Grindr. Reflexive the-matic analysis identified three themes: Manifestations of sexual racism; Recognising the racial hierarchy of desirability; and Diverse understandings of sexual racism. Participants recognised a racial hierarchy of de-sirability that privileges Whiteness and gives rise to multiple manifestations of sexual racism that harm non-White MSM. Notably, this hierarchy is intertwined with a skin colour hierarchy that favours lighter complexions among non-White men. Construals of sexual racism and colourism were diverse and ranged from beliefs that race-based sexual preferences are sacrosanct and beyond the purview of moral critique, through to beliefs that race-based sexual preferences are inherently political and entail a moral obligation for individuals to introspect and modify.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.