Two Sides of the Same Coin: Revising Analyses of Lesbian Sexuality and Family Formation Through the Study of Black Women

Abstract

The present work analyzes results from a three-year, mixed-methods sociological study of Black lesbian–headed families. It identifies four points of departure Black women make from what the existing literature has assumed about lesbian families and lesbian practice. It links these ideologies and behaviors to the experiences of African-American women growing up in Black heterosexual families and communities, particularly the mother-centered quality of many Black households and the history of female labor force participation and economic contributions to the household.