Reframing the Power of Lesbian Daughters' Relationships With Mothers Through Black Feminist Thought

African-American Lesbian Identity Management and Identity Development in the Context of Family and Community

“…For example, African-American mothers often equip daughters with essential skills for navigating through gender and racial barriers (Collins, 1990(Collins, , 2004. Moreover, it is possible that for many lesbians, coming out may not be as important as preserving family ties deemed crucial for maintaining a sense of pride and cultural connectedness in a society hostile to their racial identity (Miller & Parker, 2009). …”

Intimate Partner Abuse among African American Lesbians: Prevalence, Risk Factors, Theory, and Resilience

“…The barriers that African American lesbian IPA survivors face when attempting to access help are largely a function of the intersecting impacts of multiple oppressed minority statuses, which leave them susceptible to simultaneous and interacting experiences of racism, sexism, and heterosexism (Balsam 2001;Bowleg 2008;Miller and Astra Parker 2009;Purdie-Vaughns and Eibach 2008;Tigert 2001). Not only do they contend with oppression from the mainstream society, but they also experience forms of oppression within their various sociocultural identity groups.…”

“…Not only do they contend with oppression from the mainstream society, but they also experience forms of oppression within their various sociocultural identity groups. For example, racism is a concern within the general LGB population, as Caucasian sexual minorities often inadvertently marginalize their ethnic minority counterparts (Miller and Astra Parker 2009). Although institutionalized racism and other forms of discrimination continue to present major problems for ethnic minority groups, there are even further divisions within these groups that result in intragroup marginalization, such as class and color divisions (Harris 2009;Parks et al 2001).…”

“…Various forms of oppression (outside the circle) place external pressure on the relationship, while the effects of poverty, traumatic history, mental health symptoms, and internalized forms of oppression (inside the circle) represent internal risk factors. The inner triangle depicts abusers' behavioral tactics during the tension, abusive, and reconciliation phases help, since she is far less likely than her Caucasian heterosexual counterpart to be considered a victim in need of protection, and more likely to be seen as the cause of her own problems (Miller and Astra Parker 2009;Parks et al 2001;Tillet 2002;West 1995West , 2002. The following paragraphs describe some examples of the barriers that African American lesbian IPA survivors face as they compare with barriers faced by their ethnic and sexual majority counterparts.…”

“…However, the closeted African American lesbian IPA survivor, who is likely already experiencing oppression in the workplace based on racialized sexism, may be even more deeply threatened by the possibility of being "outed" (Robinson 2002). This threat is magnified for the African American lesbian, not only because of the numerous and intersecting adversities that the sudden exposure of her "triple-minority" status will produce within mainstream society, but also because of the unique brand of heterosexism she may encounter within the African American community or the family of origin, which may be highly religious and less accepting of sexual minorities (Harris 2009;Miller and Astra Parker 2009).…”