https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323211025249 Qualitative Health Research 1–17 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/10497323211025249 journals.sagepub.com/home/qhr Research Article Background Intersectionality is a way of understanding the world as being shaped by multiple factors in mutually influencing ways (Cole, 2009; Collins & Bilge, 2016; Crenshaw, 1995). Intersectionality has helped denote how socially constructed categories interact to shape multiple dimen- sions of lived experiences, particularly for women of color (Collins, 2000), through the convergence of gender, race, sexuality, class, and other social categories. Intersectionality can be conceptualized as a “matrix of domination” in which identities based on social group membership interact with one another, creating life situa- tions that are qualitatively different depending on one’s social position (Collins, 1990). Intersectional perspec- tives provide us with the possibility to focus not only on oppressed or dominated social groups and structures but also on the intersections of power and domination from an ethical and political standpoint (Śliwa et al., 2018). Intersectionality also connects positionality to the collec- tive project of social inclusion. Contemporary research has called for an expanded application of intersectionality (Villesèche et al., 2018) that goes beyond just the axes of race and gender to also examine relationships between other sources of oppres- sion. Intersectionality is increasingly being viewed as a critical paradigm for advancing heath equity and social justice efforts to deconstruct how power and privilege interplay socially (Hankivsky, 2012). The purpose of this study was to apply the conceptual framework of intersectionality to experiences of stigma and social exclusion of cisgender women of color. We utilize the social construct of intersectional stigma to explore the lived experiences of cisgender women of color in two contexts: Hyderabad, India and Chicago, the United States. Drawing from these two qualitative studies, we examine how intersectional stigma shapes cisgender women’s ability to access social supports and systems in their respective environments. By cisgender, we refer to those people who are “gender normals” (Schilt & Westbrook, 2009) in that they identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. Alternatively, “transgender” is an umbrella term used to refer to people who may not identify with the gender that they were 1025249QHR XX X 10.1177/10497323211025249Qualitative Health ResearchAzhar and Gunn research-article 2021 1 Fordham University, New York, New York, USA 2 University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA Corresponding Author: Sameena Azhar, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 113 W 60th St., New York, NY 10023, USA. Email: SAzhar@fordham.edu Navigating Intersectional Stigma: Strategies for Coping Among Cisgender Women of Color Sameena Azhar 1 and Alana J. Gunn 2 Abstract Intersectionality is a critical tool for understanding how socially constructed categories shape multiple dimensions of lived experience. In this study, we apply an intersectional lens to explore how women of color from two different contexts, Hyderabad, India and Chicago, Illinois, manage gendered forms of stigma and oppression as they converge with other devalued statuses, namely living with HIV or having a history of drug use or incarceration. Applying intersectional stigma as our conceptual framework, and drawing from transnational feminist perspectives, we identified two overarching themes. Women in both contexts combat stigma by employing strategies of concealment within their romantic and familial systems. Moreover, women’s roles as mothers were critical sources for managing their complex illnesses and for accessing support. Using these experiences of stigma against women of color as our analytic lens, we offer an intersectional framework for qualitative health research involving marginalized cisgender women of color in transnational contexts. Keywords intersectionality; stigma; HIV; criminal legal involvement; India; Chicago; qualitative; qualitative research; interviews; Hyderabad