These answers draw in part from “Examining the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in Behavior Analysis” by Shawn Capell, M.S., BCBA., LBA-TX (BehaviorLive), and extend it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. Clinical framing, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how multiple social identities, such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, interact to shape an individual's experiences, opportunities, and challenges. In behavior analysis, intersectionality is relevant because it affects both the clients we serve and the practitioners within the profession. A client who holds multiple marginalized identities may face compounded barriers to accessing culturally appropriate services. A practitioner navigating intersecting identities may experience unique workplace challenges. Understanding these intersections improves clinical effectiveness, supports workforce diversity, and fulfills the ethical obligation to account for diversity factors in professional practice.
The Ethics Code (2022) does not use the term intersectionality specifically, but Section 1.07 requires behavior analysts to be aware of and account for diversity factors including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The listing of multiple diversity factors implicitly acknowledges that individuals hold multiple identities that must be considered. The obligation to treat all individuals with dignity and respect, combined with the requirement for cultural responsiveness, creates an ethical framework that supports intersectional practice. Practitioners who attend to only one identity factor at a time may miss the unique experiences created by intersecting identities.
Black men in behavior analysis navigate the intersection of being both a racial minority and a gender minority in a field that is predominantly white and female. They may face racial stereotypes that affect how colleagues and families perceive their competence and professionalism. They may experience limited access to mentors who share their racial and gender identity. Workplace cultures may not be designed with their experiences in mind. When sexual orientation adds another dimension to this intersection, the challenges compound further, as they may navigate heteronormative assumptions within both the profession and their racial community. These challenges can affect job satisfaction, professional development, and retention.
Organizations can take concrete steps including reviewing hiring and promotion practices for implicit biases, creating mentorship programs that connect practitioners with mentors who understand their identity experiences, establishing affinity groups where practitioners with shared identities can find community, conducting regular assessments of workplace culture, providing ongoing diversity and inclusion training, including intersectional representation in leadership and decision-making, and creating policies that explicitly protect against discrimination based on intersecting identities. Importantly, these efforts must be sustained and genuine rather than performative.
The therapeutic relationship is influenced by the identities of both the practitioner and the client. When identity differences exist, particularly along axes of race, gender, or sexual orientation, they can affect trust, communication, and the power dynamics of the relationship. Clients and families may have experiences with systems that have marginalized them, affecting their willingness to engage with practitioners from different identity groups. Practitioners who are aware of these dynamics and who actively work to build trust across identity differences create stronger therapeutic relationships. This awareness also helps practitioners recognize when identity-related factors may be contributing to client behavior.
Effective allyship includes educating yourself about the experiences of colleagues with intersecting marginalized identities rather than expecting them to educate you. It means speaking up when you witness discrimination or exclusion, using your influence to advocate for inclusive policies and practices, amplifying marginalized voices in professional settings, and examining your own biases and privileges honestly. It also means being willing to make mistakes, accept feedback, and continue learning. Allyship is an ongoing practice, not a one-time declaration. The most impactful allies take concrete actions that create structural change rather than offering only verbal support.
Supervisors should create supervisory environments where supervisees feel safe discussing how their identities affect their professional experiences. This means actively inviting these conversations, listening without defensiveness, and taking action to address concerns that arise. Supervisors should educate themselves about the challenges faced by individuals with their supervisees' identity profiles rather than relying on supervisees to educate them. They should advocate for their supervisees within the organization, connect them with mentorship opportunities, and be attentive to signs of identity-related stress or burnout. When supervisors do not share their supervisees' identities, they should acknowledge this honestly and commit to learning.
Yes. Intersectionality can expand the scope of functional assessment by prompting practitioners to consider identity-related environmental factors that may function as establishing operations, discriminative stimuli, or consequences. For a client navigating multiple marginalized identities, experiences of discrimination, exclusion, or identity-related stress may be functionally related to challenging behavior. An intersectional approach to FBA considers these factors alongside traditional variables, producing a more complete understanding of the environmental context that shapes behavior. This expanded analysis can lead to more effective and culturally appropriate intervention strategies.
Mentorship is critical for professionals navigating intersecting marginalized identities because it provides guidance, support, and connection in a profession where representation may be limited. Effective mentors help mentees navigate workplace challenges, develop professional identity, access career advancement opportunities, and maintain wellbeing. For individuals at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, finding mentors who share some of those identities can be particularly valuable because they can offer perspective from lived experience. However, mentors who do not share those identities can also be effective if they approach the relationship with humility, genuine interest, and a commitment to learning.
Advocacy for systemic change can take many forms: supporting and participating in professional organizations that center diversity and equity, contributing to research on diversity within the profession, mentoring practitioners from underrepresented groups, advocating for inclusive policies within your organization, speaking up in professional forums about the importance of intersectional awareness, supporting the development of training curricula that address intersectionality, and using your professional influence to elevate diverse voices and perspectives. Systemic change requires sustained effort from many individuals working at multiple levels of the profession.
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.