The Black Community and Its LGBT Members: The Role of the Behavioral Scientist

Standing in the intersection : using Photovoice to understand the lived experience of black gay college students attending predominantly white postsecondary institutions.

“…There is a deficit of BLG youth voices in the existing body of research on intersecting identities and less prevalent are contemporary explorations of the experiences of BLG youth in the college context (Christmas, 2013;Gibbs & Jones, 2013;Hill, 2013). An exploration of the experiences of young people requires both innovation and timeliness.…”

“…Much of what we know about the BLG experience is discussed in juxtaposition to the White LGBTQ experience, without specific regard for the influence of White racism or Black heterosexism (Gibbs & Jones, 2013;Hill, 2013). Say it Loud,…”

“…These kinds of contradictory behaviors in Black communities speak to the overall "ambivalence about sexuality, sex and attitudes toward homosexuality" (Hooks, 2001, p. 69). Hooks did not attempt to diminish the role religious beliefs and the church play in promoting heterosexism within the Black community; rather, she recognized that many "Christian black folks are taught in churches that it is a sin to be gay" (Hooks, 2001, p. 69;Gibbs & Jones, 2013). With that, Hooks suggested that it was the responsibility of theologians, scientists, activists, and others to examine the nature of heterosexism in the Black community without assumptions of degree or intensity (Collins, 2013, Hill, 2013Hooks, 2001).…”

“…However, even affirming Black churches may adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" standard for Black LGBTQ members, "taking full advantage of Black LGBTQ gifts and talents" while denying them the opportunity to participate fully in the church or the larger community (Barnes, 2013(Barnes, , p. 1424Chaney & Patrick, 2011;Gibbs & Jones, 2013;McQueeney, 2009). Distancing itself from certain actions and "lifestyles it considers to be immoral," the Black church has been called out for this hypocritical stance (Barnes, 2013(Barnes, , p. 1418.…”

“…Members of stigmatized groups, specifically Blacks, manage discredited identities and negotiate encounters with White society by "overemphasizing modesty, adopting a stance of sexual conservatism and traditional sex norms" (Barnes, 2013(Barnes, , p. 1412Chaney & Patrick, 2011;Collins, 2013). Within the Black church and by extension the Black community, discussions around sexuality and sexual minorities as well as other topics that might bring about community stigma are taboo (Barnes, 2013(Barnes, , p. 1412Gibbs & Jones, 2013). …”