Negotiating Cultural Contexts: An Exploratory Investigation of Black Gay Male Strategy Employment

Abstract

Black gay men encounter environments that have a profound impact on their lived experience and psycho-socio-emotional development. There is a paucity of research on the strategies black gay men employ to negotiate their relationship with the black, gay, and male communities. This investigation seeks to understand the interpersonal experiences and the strategies employed by black gay males to negotiate these environments. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with two undergraduate black gay men. The findings suggest significant cultural conflicts among their different contexts, and that they employ strategies to exist among oppressive environments. These contextual experiences and navigational strategies are presented and discussed.