The Rainbow’s Other Side: Black Gay Men in Higher Education

Darris Means, Elon University

Dr. Tony Cawthon, Clemson University

Southern Association for College Student Affairs

Agenda

• Racial Identity Development

• Gay Identity Development

• Intersectionality Framework

• Review of Literature on Black Gay Men

• Case Study

• Closing and Implications

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will be able to identify the primary literature on Black gay male college students.

• Participants will be able to acknowledge that intersection of identities shape the identity development of college students, specifically the identity development of Black gay men.

• Participants will be able to discuss the implications of the literature on Black gay male college students on the Student Affairs profession.

Dialogue

What are the conversations around supporting LGBT students on your campus? What are the

conversations around supporting LGBT students of color on your campus, specifically

Black gay men?

The Cross Model of Psychological Nigrescence (1995)

• Stage 1: Preencounter

• Stage 2: Encounter

• Stage 3: Immersion-Emersion

• Stage 4: Internalization

• Stage 5: Internalization-Commitment

Phinney’s Model of Ethnic Identity Development (1990)

• Stage 1: Diffusion-Foreclosure

• Stage 2: Moratorium

• Stage 3: Identity Achievement

Cass’s Model of Homosexual Identity Formation (1979)

• Stage 1: Identity Confusion

• Stage 2: Identity Comparison

• Stage 3: Identity Tolerance

• Stage 4: Identity Acceptance

• Stage 5: Identity Pride

• Stage 6: Identity Synthesis

D’Augelli’s Identity Development Process (1994)

• Exiting heterosexual identity

• Developing a personal lesbian/gay/bisexual identity

• Developing a lesbian/gay/bisexual social identity

• Becoming a lesbian/gay/bisexual offspring

• Developing a lesbian/gay/bisexual intimacy status

• Entering a lesbian/gay/bisexual community

Fassinger’s Model of Gay and Lesbian Identity Development

Individual Sexual Identity Development

Group Membership Identity Development

Phase I Awareness Awareness

Phase II Exploration Exploration

Phase III Deepening/Commitment Deepening/Commitment

Phase IV Internalization/Synthesis Internalization/Synthesis

Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1994)

Production of

Oppression

Baking the Various

Forms of Oppression

Digesting the Intersection

of Oppression

Crawford, Allison, Zamboni, & Soto Sexual Orientation and Racial-Ethnic

Identification (2002) • Low sexual orientation identification, low

racial-ethnic identification

• Low sexual orientation identification, high racial-ethnic identification

• High sexual orientation identification, low racial-ethnic identification

• High sexual orientation identification, high racial-ethnic identification

Dialogue

How do you feel about the intersectionality framework? Do you use this approach in programming, advising, and in general

practice? Why or why not?

Literature on Black Gay Men in Higher Education: The Labeling Issue

• Black gender ideology (Collins, 2005)

• Gay and queer as White, Middle Class terms (Goode-Cross & Good, 2009; Patton, 2011; Washington & Wall, 2010).

• Same-Gender loving (Goode-Cross & Good, 2009)

Literature on Black Gay Men in Higher Education: Support Networks

• Supportive network of faculty, staff, and administrators (Washington & Wall, 2010)

• Supportive peer network (Goode-Cross & Good, 2008;

Goode-Cross & Good, 2009; Washington & Wall, 2010)

Literature on Black Gay Men in Higher Education: Ramifications

• Psychological ramifications (Crawford, Allison, Zamboni,

& Soto, 2002; Goode-Cross & Good, 2008; Goode-Cross & Good, 2009)

• Future ramifications (Patton, 2011)

Literature Review on Black Gay Men in Higher Education: PWIs

• Double minority (Washington & Wall, 2010)

• Lack of safe spaces on campus (Goode-Cross & Good, 2009; Rhoads, 1994)

• Race as the salient identity (Goode-Cross & Good, 2008; Goode-Cross & Good, 2009)

• Lack of opportunities to discuss spirituality (Goode-Cross & Good, 2009; Washington & Wall, 2010)

Literature Review on Black Gay Men in Higher Education: HBCUs

• Conservatism at HBCUs (Harper & Gasman, 2008; Washington & Wall, 2010)

• Lack of LGBT student organizations (Washington & Wall, 2010)

• Positive experiences at HBCUs (Patton, 2011)

• Avoiding stereotypes (Patton, 2011)

Case Studies

Implications

• Intersectionality approach to advising, mentoring, and programming

• Beyond LGBT student organizations to offer support

• Safe spaces on campus

• Positive mentors

• We need to challenge ourselves and students to expand and deconstruct this notion of who belongs in certain organizations.

• We must challenge ourselves and our students to deconstruct this

idea of binaries, heterosexism, homogeneity in higher education.

Questions?