Intersectionality does not equal intersectional stigma: reply to Lett (2022)

We appreciate the opportunity to reply to Lett’s (2022) passionate letter on our approach to measuring intersectional stigma (Kalichman et al., 2022a, 2022b). Unfortunately, Lett fundamentally misunderstood the conceptualization of our scale development. Lett misinterpreted our research as being grounded in intersectionality, perhaps because of the imprecision and ambiguity of the term intersectionality itself (Davis, 2008). Although we acknowledge the rich tradition of the Black feminist framework of intersectionality and we understand that there is a significant amount of phenomenological work on intersectionality in social justice movements, our aim is not to test or articulate theories and philosophies of intersectionality. While the notion of intersectionality has influenced our thinking, intersectional stigma and intersectionality are not the same. Our research is actually grounded in theories of stigma (Goffman, 1963), particularly contemporary frameworks of HIV stigma (Earnshaw & Chaudoir, 2009; Earnshaw & Kalichman, 2013; Turan et al., 2017, 2019). …