- •
Young black gay and bisexual men (YBGBM) experience multiple inequities compared with their majority peers by virtue of their membership in multiple oppressed and marginalized groups.
- •
Intersectionality suggests that multiple social identities intersect at the individual or micro level of experience and reflects larger social–structural inequities experienced on the macro level.
- •
Intersecting identities predispose YBGBM to adverse health outcomes and health inequality, which are further modified by
The Intersection of Sociocultural Factors and Health-Related Behavior in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: Experiences Among Young Black Gay Males as an Example
Section snippets
Key points
Background
Intersectionality is a theoretic framework that suggests that multiple social identities—for example, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation—intersect at the individual or micro level of experience and reflects larger social–structural inequities experienced on the macro level.1, 2 This article uses an intersectionality framework to describe how multiple stigmatized social identities can create unique challenges for young black gay and bisexual men (YBGBM) as an example.
Adolescence is
Racial and sexual identities
One of the key tasks of adolescence is identity development,8 a stage where adolescents and emerging adults come to understand the specific ways in which they fit into society. This task involves developing one’s self-concept, which includes both personal identity or perception of self8 and group identities—that is, membership and identification with a group of people with shared characteristics salient to an individual’s self-concept.9 Racial or ethnic identity, for example, is a group
Masculinity
Normative and dominant masculinity in American culture has been described as antifeminine, homophobic, heterosexist, and misogynistic.26 Some have suggested that stereotypical male gender roles of hypermasculinity (ie, exaggeration of traditional masculine roles through behaviors such as sexual prowess, physical dominance, aggression, competition, and antifemininity) seen in some black men may be a way for black men disempowered by a social context of limited access to socioeconomic power,
Summary and recommendations
We have used an intersectionality framework to describe how occupying multiple stigmatized social identities can create unique challenges for YBGBM as an example. Such intersection can predispose YBGBM to risk and poor health outcomes. Young black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men must achieve the tasks of adolescence at the intersection of multiple social categories such as race, socioeconomic status, gender (and gender expression), religion, and sexuality. This experience is
References (98)
- et al.
HIV risk and perceptions of masculinity among young black men who have sex with men
J Adolesc Health
(2012) - et al.
Race/ethnicity, the social environment, and health
Soc Sci Med
(1996) - et al.
Explaining racial disparities in HIV incidence in black and white men who have sex with men in Atlanta, GA: a prospective observational cohort study
Ann Epidemiol
(2015) - et al.
Intersecting identities in black gay and bisexual young men: a potential framework for HIV risk
J Adolesc Health
(2015) - et al.
Internalized homophobia and internalizing mental health problems: A meta-analytic review
Clin Psychol Rev
(2010) - et al.
The role of virtual venues among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM): exploration of patterns of use from 2001-2011
J Adolesc Health
(2015) Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men's well-being: a theory of gender and health
Soc Sci Med
(2000)- et al.
The adolescent perception of invincibility and its influence on teen acceptance of health promotion strategies
J Pediatr Nurs
(2008) “Once you’ve blended the cake, you can’t take the parts back to the main ingredients”: Black gay and bisexual men’s descriptions and experiences of intersectionality
Sex Roles
(2013)Black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment
(1991)
Office-based care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth
Pediatrics
Operating without a safety net: gay male adolescents and emerging adults' experiences of marginalization and migration, and implications for theory of syndemic production of health disparities
Health Educ Behav
Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression related peer victimization in adolescence: A systematic review of associated psychosocial and health outcomes
J Sex Res
Sexual and ethnic identity development among gay–bisexual–questioning (GBQ) male ethnic minority adolescents
Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol
Growth and crises of the “healthy personality”
Social identity and intergroup relations. European studies in social psychology
Introduction: review of racial identity terminology
Ethnic identity exploration in emerging adulthood
When we talk about American Ethnic Groups, what do we mean?
Am Psychol
Different patterns of sexual identity development over time: implications for the psychological adjustment of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths
J Sex Res
Is coming out always a “good thing”? Exploring the relations of autonomy support, outness, and wellness for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals
Soc Psychol Personal Sci
Independent and interdependent self-construals, individualism, collectivism, and harmony control in African Americans
J Black Psychol
LGB of color and White individuals’ perceptions of heterosexist stigma, internalized homophobia, and outness: comparisons of levels and links
Couns Psychol
Masculine socialization and sexual risk behaviors among Black men who have sex with men: a qualitative exploration
Men Masc
The stages of Black identity development: nigrescence models
The psychology of nigrescence: revising the cross model
African American gay men and lesbians: examining the complexity of gay identity development
J Hum Behav Soc Environ
The “hustle”: socioeconomic deprivation, urban drug trafficking, and low-income, African-American male gender identity
Pediatrics
Concealable stigmas and positive self-perceptions: feeling better around similar others
J Pers Soc Psychol
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and young adults: social support in their own words
J Homosex
Resilience in community: a social ecological development model for young adult sexual minority women
Am J Community Psychol
Masculinities
Cool pose: the dilemmas of black manhood in America
Hidden voices of black men: the meaning, structure, and complexity of manhood
J Black Stud
Homophobia, self-esteem, and risk for HIV among African American men who have sex with men
AIDS Educ Prev
Homonegativity, religiosity, and the intersecting identities of young black men who have sex with men
AIDS Behav
Homophobia, hypermasculinity and the US black church
Cult Health Sex
“I always felt I had to prove my manhood”: homosexuality, masculinity, gender role strain, and HIV risk among young black men who have sex with men
Am J Public Health
Role flexing: how community, religion, and family shape the experiences of young black men who have sex with men
AIDS Patient Care STDS
Religiosity and mental health: a meta–analysis of recent studies
J Sci Study Relig
Religion and spirituality: linkages to physical health
Am Psychol
Religious affiliation, internalized homophobia, and mental health in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals
Am J Orthop
Minority stress and mental health in gay men
J Health Soc Behav
Demographic, psychological, and social characteristics of self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in a US probability sample
Sex Res Social Policy
The black church in the African American experience
Stigma as an obstacle to AIDS action: the case of the African American community
Am Behav Sci
Black and white differences in religious participation: a multisample comparison
J Sci Study Relig
Cited by (0)
R.A. Sanders disclosed that she was funded by NICHD K23 HD074470 award.