It's a Non-binary World (After All): The Effect of Intersectionality on Transgender Consumers Experiencing Vulnerability

Abstract

Minorities may experience increased vulnerability due to overlapping marginalizations at the individual and institutional levels. Intersectionality is crucial in understanding how additional triggering factors promoting higher vulnerability levels can alter individuals’ life trajectories. Through in-depth interviews with 25 participants, we explore how intersecting identities—such as gender, socioeconomic status, education, and race—create vulnerability. We contribute to the literature on consumer vulnerability by introducing the duality of consumer responses, distinguishing between positive actions that reduce vulnerability and negative ones that perpetuate harm, and identifying how intersectionality accelerates vulnerability.