Black Gay Male College Students’ Relationships With Male Peers on a Predominantly White Campus

• In Event: Anxiety and Agency at the Intersections: The Educational Plights and Possibilities of Black Queer Males

Abstract

Objectives

This paper explores how six Black gay men made meaning of their relationships with other male counterparts at a predominantly White university. Though some participants conformed to traditional modes of gay invisibility and silence to avoid marginalization, others transcended these traditional modes and endorsed a more agentive Black gay male status.


Framework

Existing theories exploring the experiences of gay men in college are often criticized for not capturing the intersectionality of multiple socially constructed identity dimensions (Strayhorn, Blakewood, & Devita, 2008). As a result, Crawford, Allison, Zamboni, and Soto’s (2002) dual identity development framework is employed in this study to illustrate how Black gay men conceal salient aspects of their collective identity as a result of their interactions with other men. Crawford et al. created four identity status responses to the intersection of racial and sexual identities: assimilation (high racial identification and low sexual identification), separation (low racial identification and high sexual identification), integration (both forms of identification were high), and marginalization (both forms of identification were low). These identity statuses are considered in this study.


Methods & Data Sources

This paper is based on findings from a larger constructivist grounded theory study which sought to understand how a diverse group of Black men developed interpersonal relationships with other men on a predominantly White college campus in the Midwestern region of the United States. Data collection included a semi-structured interview (Patton, 2002) and a photo-elicitation interview (Harper, 2002) with 17 Black men. Using the interview transcripts, the data were analyzed using three levels of coding: open, axial, and selective coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).


Results

Findings that emerged during data analysis included:
1. Interpersonal Challenges: All six Black gay men in the study described challenges they faced when developing interpersonal relationships with other men on the campus. Challenges included: negotiating racial identity conflicts, exhibiting “down low” behaviors to gain peer acceptance, challenging previously held religious beliefs, and experiencing negative interactions with homophobic male peers.
2. Agents of Change: Although these six men described complex challenges they face on the campus, three of them possessed a more agentive Black male status. These men embraced their gay identity and expressed a commitment to advancing other Black gay men in addition to mentoring them on the campus. Men at this stage expressed being tired of adhering to societal pressures to remain in the closet and were moving closer to being their authentic selves.


Scholarly Significance

Scholarly literature has a tendency to treat Black males as a monolithic group (Harper & Nichols, 2008). This study counters this discourse by illustrating within-group diversity not only among Black men, but also among Black gay men more specifically. Furthermore, the attention to how intersecting identities mediated peer male relationships sheds new light on these relationships as a crucial site for further study in the educational experiences of Black gay males.

Author

• Brian Lamont McGowan, Indiana State University