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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?