‘See me for me’: An intersectional approach exploring sexual and gender minority medical students' experiences of role models

PHENOMENON: Sexual and/or gender minority-identifying (SGM) medical students report lower levels of belonging and heightened discrimination in medical schools, especially among those who hold intersecting identities that are underrepresented in medicine (URM). Role modelling has been identified as a tool to combat this phenomenon. We used an intersectional approach to explore how interacting URM identities in relation to SGM identity mediate the experience of role models to influence feelings of belonging. APPROACH: We employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore nuanced and heterogeneous role modelling experiences. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 medical students from six medical schools in the United Kingdom. FINDINGS: Participants described how cisheteronormativity often led to loss of identity control, fragmentation and accompanying self-inauthenticity to protect their sense of belonging. Intersecting URM identities heightened feelings of otherness, and mediating multiple URM identities was cognitively taxing to many participants, even within traditionally inclusive spaces. Role models empowered participants to reclaim control over their narratives, engage in activism and enact disruptive visibility that challenged hierarchical norms. Participants valued role models who shared their intersecting identities, although many also emphasised that anyone who visibly respected SGM and URM identities could equally effectively foster belonging. Hierarchy and power imbalances prioritised by medicine limited the positive effects of role modelling and perpetuated identity fragmentation and inauthenticity. Accordingly, role models were consistently most visible and positive when in positions of influence. Overall, when positive and available, role modelling relationships provided practical pathways for students to integrate fractured identity threads into a more coherent, authentic self. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: This study is the first to apply an intersectional lens to role modelling experiences of SGM medical students with multiple URM identities in the UK. We offer some practical steps for medical schools to cultivate inclusive role modelling.