Breaking the Binary Mold: Understanding Social Representations of Nonbinary Gender Identities among the LGBTQIA+ Italian Population

To comprehend nonbinary identity, it is necessary to incorporate new and more inclusive social representations (SRs). Transnormativity, cisnormativity, and genderism may characterize LGBTQIA+ people so that nonbinary people risk being invalidated and excluded by the community. A sense of community, social justice, and interpersonal contact may represent protective factors. This study aimed to provide empirical data on the SRs of nonbinary gender identities within the LGBTQIA+ Italian population, utilizing free word association and quantitative data. A total of 1,486 LGBTQIA+ people aged between 18 to 65 years old (M=25.8, SD=7.1) took part in an online survey. The sample included monosexual (lesbian, gay, heterosexual), polysexual (e.g., queer, pansexual), asexual, cisgender (men and women), trans (men and women), and nonbinary individuals. Participants’ responses were categorized into five main SRs, from affirmative to dissonant. Participants with a high sense of community and social justice showed more affirmative SRs; those with affirmative beliefs regarding gender/sex diversity and low levels of transphobia shared more affirmative and less dissonant SRs. Youth, plurisexual individuals, and nonbinary individuals exhibited higher levels of affirmative SRs compared to monosexual individuals, cisgender men, and trans women. Cisgender women and trans men did not show significant differences in representations from other groups. Participants with close contact with nonbinary individuals exhibited more affirmative and less descriptive SRs than their counterparts. Research is essential in understanding how the LGBTQIA+ communities perceive and support nonbinary individuals to promote affirmative SRs and reduce stigma.