Claiming Racial Insider Status while LGB: Same-Sex Marriage and Racialized Politics of Respectability

• In Event: 1480 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Sexuality, Intersectionality, and Identities

Abstract

Although support for the legalization of same-sex marriage was widely shared among the LGB community, the reasons for that support among LGB individuals from different socio-demographic backgrounds are poorly understood. Focusing on the perceived impact of same-sex marriage legalization on respondents’ lives, I employ the concept of “politics of respectability” to investigate the relationship between race and favorable perceptions of same-sex marriage legalization among LGB racial minorities. Drawing form the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality survey, two major findings emerge: First, respondents’ perception of homophobia in their respective racial communities is the most significant predictor of their perceived impact of same-sex marriage legalization. Second, LGB racial minorities employ racially-specific frameworks of “politics of respectability” as a stigma management strategy to overcome their marginalization as sexual minorities and claim racial insider statuses, and this shapes their perception of same-sex marriage legalization. This study contributes to our understanding of intersectional stigmas and the social construction of race.

Author

• Jess Lee, University of California-Irvine