Black Sexual Minority Research Articles

Erecting closets and outing ourselves: uncomfortable reflexivity and community‐based research

AbstractFeminist scholars and community psychologists have argued that reflexivity is a necessary component to conducting socially conscious research. Reflexivity, however, is rarely evident in community psychology. In this article, we share the uncomfortable realities that surfaced during a community‐based research project in which we adapted and implemented an HIV prevention intervention for young Black sexual minority women. We each describe how aspects of our identities, values, and socialization affected our engagement in the research and our interactions with and feelings towards participants. In doing so, we hope to call attention to the messiness of community‐based work, as well as to promote a community of scholars who are open to self‐appraisal and willing to share their least comfortable examples of conducting community‐based work in diverse communities. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identity and Agency

Young sexual minority women disproportionately experience pregnancy, repeat pregnancy, and become parents, when compared with their heterosexual peers. Black sexual minority women who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are a part of three demographic groups likely to experience adolescent pregnancy. A paucity of research has examined why these young women become pregnant. The authors begin to address this gap by examining the meaning of pregnancy from young women’s perspective. Modified grounded theory was used to analyze data from interviews with 14 young Black sexual minority women, aged 16–24. Pregnancies, intentional and unintentional, were common among the participants and within their sexual minority community. Pregnancy affirmed sexual identity and same-sex relationships as well as garnered sexual and reproductive agency. Participants’ pregnancy experiences contradicted the belief that young women sought or valued pregnancy because it provided access to heterosexual privilege. Although the main functions of intentional pregnancies did not differ drastically from those of young heterosexual women, we argue that these young women’s pregnancy and parenting desires may be magnified because of the particular realities they face as sexual minority women. Further, we situate our analysis within the context of a Black cultural environment and argue that pregnancy and motherhood may be adaptive subsistence strategies for women who are largely socially devalued.

Factors Influencing Depression and Anxiety among Black Sexual Minority Men

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationships between depression and anxiety, and ethnic and sexual identity development, and discrimination and harassment (DH) among Black sexual minority men. Additional aims were to determine whether an interaction effect existed between ethnic and sexual identity and whether coping skills level moderated these relationships. Using an observational cross-sectional design, 54 participants recruited through snowball sampling completed self-administered online surveys. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used. Sixty-four percent of the variance in depression scores and 53% of the variance in anxiety scores were explained by DH and internalized homonegativity together. Thirty percent of the sample had scale scores indicating likelihood of depression and anxiety. Experience of DH and internalized homonegativity explained a large portion of the variability in depression and anxiety among Black sexual minority men. The study showed high prevalence of mental distress among this sample.

ARTICULATING A POLITICS OF (MULTIPLE) IDENTITIES

AbstractThis work examines the strategies Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people use in Black environments to proclaim a gay identity that is simultaneous with a Black identity. It identifies three distinctive features of LGBT protest in Black communities. Black gay2protest takes on a particular form when individuals are also trying to maintain solidarity with the racial group despite the threat of distancing that occurs as a result of their sexual minority status. Black sexual minorities who see their self-interests as linked to those of other Blacks use cultural references to connect their struggles to historical efforts for Black equality and draw from nationalist symbols and language to frame their political work. They believe that increasing their visibility in Black spaces will promote a greater understanding of gay sexuality as an identity status that can exist alongside, rather than in competition with, race. The findings of this research have implications for larger discussions of identity, protest, and gay sexuality in intraracial contexts.

Lipstick or Timberlands? Meanings of Gender Presentation in Black Lesbian Communities

Mignon R. Moore Lipstick or Timberlands? Meanings of Gender Presentation in Black Lesbian Communities C onsider the ways in which the following women explain gender pre- sentation in one black lesbian community: Asa Bambir (age 34, executive assistant): 1 In New York I saw more of this butch-femme thing and I was a little floored by it, a little shocked, like why do people have to play these roles? . . . But at the same time I looked at it in awe because there was a part of my childhood when I really liked wearing boyish clothes, but I never did. . . . So, I was very intrigued by it, and I think over the years I’ve just been allowing that to surface. I really do like wearing boyish clothes. Were you drawn to women who were more feminine looking or less feminine looking? I was definitely drawn to women who were feminine looking, very feminine looking. Lynn Witherspoon (age 33, corporate attorney): When I first started to come out . . . it was interesting because I had this type that I was attracted to, and yet when I was going out I was always attracting the more butch looking women. And I was like, “Oh, I’m carrying this purse,” and all of these other things, you know, all these things you do in the straight community. So I had to change the way I dressed, and I stopped carrying a purse, and I was able to find women who I was more attracted to, to go out with. When I first came out I was wearing makeup; I stopped wearing makeup. Data collection was supported by the Woodrow Wilson Junior Faculty Career Enhance- ment Fellowship, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, and the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University. The Russell Sage Foundation generously supported the writing of this manuscript. I thank Karolyn Tyson, Elaine Harley, Laurie Essig, two anonymous reviewers, and the current and former editors of Signs for their helpful comments. Pseudonyms are used to protect respondents’ anonymity. Following Kath Weston’s (2004) model, I assign surnames to this study’s participants to convey a sense of respect and adult status not always afforded sexual or racial minority group members. [Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2006, vol. 32, no. 1] ᭧ 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0097-9740/2006/3201-0009$10.00

Difficultés liées aux placements familiaux. Comment les utiliser. Rôle d'une equipe de travailleurs sociaux (educateurs de rue)

Although evidence indicates that Black gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men experience vast psychological and behavioral health inequities, most research has focused on individual rather than structural drivers of these inequities. This study examines the associations between structural racism and anti–lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer policies and the psychological and behavioral health of Black and White sexual minority men.Participants were an Internet-based U.S. national sample of 1,379 Black and 5,537 White sexual minority men during 2017–2018. Analysis occurred in 2019–2020. Structural equation modeling tested the associations from indicators of structural racism, anti‒lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer policies, and their interaction to anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, perceived burdensomeness, heavy drinking, and HIV testing frequency. Separate models for Black and White sexual minority men adjusted for contextual and individual covariates.For Black participants, structural racism was positively associated with anxiety symptoms (β=0.20, SE=0.10, p=0.04), perceived burdensomeness (β=0.42, SE=0.09, p<0.001), and heavy drinking (β=0.23, SE=0.10, p=0.01). Anti‒lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer policies were positively associated with anxiety symptoms (β=0.08, SE=0.04, p=0.03), perceived burdensomeness (β=0.20, SE=0.04, p<0.001), and heavy drinking (β=0.10, SE=0.04, p=0.01) and were negatively associated with HIV testing frequency (β= −0.14, SE=0.07, p=0.04). Results showed significant interaction effects, such that the positive associations between structural racism and both perceived burdensomeness (β=0.38, SE=0.08, p≤0.001) and heavy drinking (β=0.22, SE=0.07, p=0.003) were stronger for individuals living in states with high levels of anti‒lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer policies. Neither of the oppression variables nor their interaction was significantly associated with outcomes for White sexual minority men.Results highlight the intersectional nature of structural oppression and suggest that racist and anti–lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer policies must be repealed to rectify health inequities facing Black sexual minority men.

Student health

<h3>Introduction</h3> HIV care engagement is lower among black sexual-minority men relative to other racial/ethnic groups of sexual-minority men. Being in a primary relationship is generally associated with more successful HIV care engagement across various populations. However, among black sexual-minority men, the association between primary relationship status and HIV-related outcomes is inconsistent across the HIV care continuum. Given the ubiquity of mobile technology access and use among racial/ethnic minority communities, leveraging mobile technology for HIV care engagement appears a promising intervention strategy. This paper outlines the protocol of the LetSync study, a pilot randomised controlled trial of a mobile health app intervention developed using the Framework of Dyadic HIV Care Engagement to improve care-engagement outcomes among black sexual-minority male couples living with HIV. <h3>Methods and analysis</h3> Eighty black sexual-minority men in couples (n=160) will be enrolled to pilot test the <i>LetSync</i> app. At least one member of each dyad must be both HIV-positive and self-identify as black/African-American. Couples will be randomised to either a waitlist-control arm or an intervention that uses relationship-based approach to improve HIV care engagement. We will assess feasibility and acceptability of trial procedures and intervention protocols based on predefined metrics of feasibility and acceptability. Execution of the study will yield the opportunity to conduct analyses to test the measurement and analysis protocol on antiretroviral therapy adherence by comparing the intervention and waitlist-control arms on self-reported and biological (hair sample) measures of adherence. <h3>Ethics and dissemination</h3> Study staff will obtain electronic consent from all participants. This study has been approved by the University of California (UCSF) Institutional Review Board. Study staff will work with the Community Advisory Board at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Board to disseminate results to participants and the community via open discussions, presentations, journal publications and/or social media. <h3>Trial registration number</h3> NCT04951544.