HIV Prevention in Gay Family and House Networks: Fostering Self-Determination and Sexual Safety

Levitt, Heidi M.; Horne, Sharon G.; Freeman-Coppadge, Darren J.; Roberts, Tangela

doi:10.1007/s10461-017-1774-x

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Our research with members of gay families and houses strengthened our understanding of gender as an interpersonal structure and demonstrated how familiar gender relations could be reformulated within a community (e.g., Levitt, Horne, et al, 2017;Levitt et al, 2015). A son and mother within a house or gay family could be positioned to make claims upon each other that were similar (but not identical) to those of a family of origin.…”

Section: Psychological Function: Gender As a Search For Greater Authementioning

confidence: 56%

“…My colleague (Sharon Horne) and I, in 2010, conducted qualitative research on family/house gender identities both in the Memphis (Horne et al, 2014;Levitt et al, 2015) and the Boston metro regions (Levitt, Horne, Freeman-Coppadge, & Roberts, 2017). The former was almost exclusively African American and was organized in family units.…”

Section: Historically Situating Lgbtqþ Gendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across our research, participants described the subversiveness and deep gratification of developing sets of signs in a community that accepted and prized parts of themselves that historically had been shamed. Former perceived weaknesses were transformed into social power; that which was internalized as a site of rejection became a source of pride (e.g., Levitt, Horne, et al, 2017;Levitt et al, 2018).…”

Section: Sexual Function: Gender As the Erotic Embodiment Of Prior Shmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures

Levitt

2019

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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In this invited article, I present an inclusive theory of gender that clarifies its interconnections with gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. To support this functionalist theory, I summarize findings from an extensive body of mixed methods research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) genders in the United States. I use a feminist-intersectional lens to empirically base and historically situate a theory of gender that is grounded in research of LGBTQ+ communities (butch, femme, bear, leathermen, transgender, drag queens, and family/house systems). I define genders as either sets of personal qualities within a culture associated with physiological sex or sets of qualities that evolve in reaction to limitations of existing genders. The evolution of genders functions to meet needs in four domains: (1) psychological: an experience of fit between a core aspect of self and a gender construct; (2) cultural: the creation of an LGBTQ+ culture that asserts sets of gender characteristics, which were denied and stigmatized within preexisting cultural norms; (3) interpersonal: the communicating of affiliation and status to enhance safety; and (4) sexual: an erotic embodiment of signifiers of these needs via an aesthetic that structures sexual attraction. I detail how each function affects identity, security, belonging, and personal and social values. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index

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Section: Psychological Function: Gender As a Search For Greater Authementioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Historically Situating Lgbtqþ Gendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sexual Function: Gender As the Erotic Embodiment Of Prior Shmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures

Levitt

2019

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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“…House families are referred to by adopted surnames that are often names of well-known fashion designers or icons [41,42]. Alternatively, gay families also have parents who act as mentors and parents, but these families are not affiliated with ball culture [34,36,[38][39][40][42][43][44][45][46]. Members of gay families also often adopt family names which may act to further legitimize family membership and status, although gay families are not always associated with a family name.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network Properties Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Vary by Race

Zarwell

Robinson

2019

AIDS Behav

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The HIV burden among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) may be related to variations in network characteristics of the individual's social and sexual network. This study investigates variations in network properties among 188 Black and 295 White GBM recruited in New Orleans during the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance in 2014. Participants described up to five people who provided social support and five sex partners in the past three months. Network properties and network dissimilarity indicators were aggregated to the participant level as means or proportions and examined using PROC GLM. White participants reported larger networks (p=0.0027), had known network members longer (p=0.0033), and reported more substance use (p<.0001) within networks. Black participants reported networks with fewer men (p=0.0056) and younger members (p =0.0110) than those of White GBM. Network properties among GBM differ by race in New Orleans which may inform prevention interventions.

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“…While studies have examined HIV risk and prevention opportunities within the house and ball community in large cities, few studies have explored the larger context of constructed families, social connectivity to resources, and social capital [15]. While many studies have explored social support provided by constructed family membership[14,18,19], to date no studies have explored social capital attributed to membership in constructed families for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a social capital scale for constructed families of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

Zarwell

Robinson

2018

PLoS ONE

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Despite previous empirical studies which have linked social capital to a number of health outcomes, few studies have investigated sub-group specific social capital among populations at increased risk for HIV infection such as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). Many GBM of color belong to constructed families in which friends refer to each other with kinship terms such as parents and children. No studies have measured social capital provisions within constructed family networks. This study developed a preliminary instrument for assessing social capital among constructed families. The network level social capital scale incorporated the following theoretical domains hypothesized to define social capital derived from network membership: social influence, multiplex ties, heterogeneity, social cohesion, trust, quality of support, and compositional quality. A cross-sectional survey administered an eight-item scale to 131 GBM who belonged to constructed families. The factor structure and confirmatory factor analysis were assessed. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha to measure internal consistency. A final single factor solution was obtained which was comprised of six items with high factor loadings. The resulting measures were highly correlated with an alpha of 0.84 and each factor loading was well above 0.3. This study assessed the psychometric properties of a preliminary network level social capital instrument among GBM in constructed families. Future studies may utilize or adopt this scale to measure network-level social capital within other populations.

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HIV Prevention in Gay Family and House Networks: Fostering Self-Determination and Sexual Safety

Cited by 18 publications

References 35 publications

A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures

A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures

Network Properties Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Vary by Race

Development of a social capital scale for constructed families of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

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