“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
TL;DR: The authors examined descriptions and experiences of intersectionality in individual interviews with 12 U.S. Black self-identified gay and bisexual men in Washington, DC and highlighted the primacy of identities as Black and/or Black men first; challenges such as negative stereotypes, racial microaggressions in mainstream and White LGB communities, heterosexism in Black communities, and gender role pressures to act "masculine"; and perceived benefits such as psychological growth, liberation from traditional gender role or heteronormative expectations, and the freedom that being outsiders or "never being comfortable
Abstract: Although Black gay and bisexual men have written eloquently about the intersections of race, gender, and sexual identity in anthologies such as Brother to Brother and In the Life, empirical studies of intersectionality with men, and Black gay and bisexual men in particular are rare. This qualitative study examined descriptions and experiences of intersectionality in individual interviews with 12 U.S. Black self-identified gay (n = 9) and bisexual (n =3) men in Washington, DC. Participants ranged in age from 21 and 44 (M = 36.33) and were predominantly highly educated and middle income. Research questions were: (1) How do participants describe and experience intersections of race, gender, and sexual identity?; (2) How do social processes shape their social identities?; (3) What are their challenges due to intersections of race, gender, and sexual identity?; and (4) What are the perceived benefits of these intersections? Analyses highlighted four key themes: (1) explicit and implicit descriptions of intersectionality; (2) the primacy of identities as Black and/or Black men first; (3) challenges such as negative stereotypes, racial microaggressions in mainstream and White LGB communities, heterosexism in Black communities, and gender role pressures to act “masculine”; and (4) perceived benefits such as psychological growth, liberation from traditional gender role or heteronormative expectations, and the freedom that being outsiders or “never being comfortable” confers in terms of exploring new opportunities and experiences. These findings imply that intersectionality can be expanded to incorporate the strengths/assets of intersectional identities in addition to oppression based on interlocking social identities.
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TL;DR: The intersectionality theories, or the recognition of multiple interlocking identities, defined by relative sociocultural power and privilege, constitute a vital step forward in research across multiple domains of inquiry.
Abstract: Intersectionality theories, or the recognition of multiple interlocking identities, defined by relative sociocultural power and privilege, constitute a vital step forward in research across multiple domains of inquiry. This special issue, which extends Shields (2008) contribution in Sex Roles, provides an opportunity to reflect on past, present, and future promise in intersectionality scholarship. To provide a common ground for this work, each paper in this special issue addresses the intersections of gender; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT); and racial/ethnic identities and related experiences. In this introduction, we (1) provide an overview of definitions and conceptualizations of intersectionality, (2) discuss the various approaches utilized in this issue to conceptualize and assess gender, LGBT, and racial/ethnic identities, (3) describe how these conceptualizations and assessments were translated into analyses of intersectionality, and (4) close with a discussion of some additional approaches and considerations intended to advance intersectionality research.
292 citations
TL;DR: The current interest in intersectionality in psychology presents an opportunity to draw psychologists' attention more to structural-level issues and to make social justice and equity more central agendas to the field.
Abstract: Intersectionality is receiving increasing attention in many fields, including psychology. This theory or framework has its roots in the work of Black feminist scholar-activists, and it focuses on interlocking systems of oppression and the need to work toward structural-level changes to promote social justice and equity. Thus, the current interest in intersectionality in psychology presents an opportunity to draw psychologists' attention more to structural-level issues and to make social justice and equity more central agendas to the field. The large, ever-growing bodies of research demonstrating the wide-ranging adverse consequences of structural- and interpersonal-level oppression, inequality, and stigma for the health and well-being of many diverse groups of people support that these issues are central to the field of psychology. We as individual psychologists and the field as a whole can work to fully incorporate the insights of intersectionality and therefore contribute to making social justice and equity more central across the varied subfields and realms of our work. Specific ways that we can do this are to (a) engage and collaborate with communities, (b) address and critique societal structures, (c) work together/build coalitions, (d) attend to resistance in addition to resilience, and (e) teach social justice curricula. There are important examples both within and outside of psychology that can guide us in achieving these goals. These suggestions are meant to foster conversation and consideration by psychologists across all subfields and areas of focus. (PsycINFO Database Record
264 citations
Cites background from "“Once You’ve Blended the Cake, You ..."
...These studies (Bowleg, 2013; Bowleg et al., 2013) revealed complex dynamics involved with intersections of both oppressed and privileged identities, the connections of those identities to inequities and discrimination in societal structures, as well as ways that intersecting experiences of…...
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...As examples of the growing body of research focused on groups other than Black women that incorporates intersectionality, Bowleg (2013) and Bowleg, Teti, Malebranche, and Tschann (2013) conducted qualitative interviews to explore experiences of Black gay and bisexual men, and low-income Black…...
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...Each of these articles also spoke directly to the implications of study findings for strengthening clinical work (Bowleg, 2013) and HIV prevention efforts (Bowleg et al., 2013)....
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TL;DR: This review is the only known article to comprehensively analyze the literature on LGBTQ people and microaggressions, examining the strengths and weaknesses of past literature while encouraging future areas of theory, research, and practice.
Abstract: Microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination, often unconscious or unintentional, that communicate hostile or derogatory messages, particularly to and about members of historically marginali...
253 citations
Cites background from "“Once You’ve Blended the Cake, You ..."
...Similar to Follins (2014), Bowleg (2013) found that although participants endorsed multiple marginalized identities they often attributed microaggressions to only one identity....
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...Similarly, Bowleg (2013) interviewed 12 American gay and bisexual Black men in the Washington, DC, area....
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...Based on these findings, Bowleg (2013) positsed that, in addition to negative impacts, intersectionality theory can also explore positive strengths associated with multiple marginalized identities....
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TL;DR: These guidelines call for expanding the use of intersectionality toward fuller engagement with its roots in Black feminist thought, its current interdisciplinary richness and potential, and its central aims to challenge and transform structures and systems of power, privilege, and oppression.
Abstract: The increasing popularity of the concept of intersectionality in the social sciences, including in psychology, represents an opportunity to reflect on the state of stewardship of this concept, its roots, and its promise. In this context, the authors aim to promote responsible stewardship of intersectionality and to tip the momentum of intersectionality's flourishing toward fuller use and engagement of its roots and promise for understanding and challenging dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression. To this end, this article provides a set of guidelines for reflection and action. The authors organize these guidelines along 3 major formulations of intersectionality: intersectionality as a field of study, as analytic strategy or disposition, and as critical praxis for social justice. Ultimately, the authors call for expanding the use of intersectionality toward fuller engagement with its roots in Black feminist thought, its current interdisciplinary richness and potential, and its central aims to challenge and transform structures and systems of power, privilege, and oppression. (PsycINFO Database Record
249 citations
Cites background from "“Once You’ve Blended the Cake, You ..."
...Specifically, Bowleg (2008, 2013) asked Black sexual minority women and men to describe if and how they rank the importance of their race, gender, and sexual orientation....
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Abstract: ‘In Utilization-Focused Evaluation (Patton, 1978) I suggested that if one had to choose between implementation information and outcomes information because of limited evaluation resoures, there are many instances in which implementation information would be of greater value. A decision maker can use implementation information to make sure that a policy is being put into operation according to design – or to test the feasibility of the policy. Unless one knows that a program is operating according to design, there may be little reason to expect it to produce the desired outcomes. Furthermore, until the program is implemented and a ‘treatment’ is believed to be in operation, there may be little reason even to bother evaluating outcomes. Where outcomes are evaluated without knowledge of implementation, the resuts seldom provide a direction for action because the decision maker lacks information about what produced the observed outcomes (or lack of outcomes). ... It is important to study and evaluate program implementation in order to understand how and why programs deviate from initial plans and expectations. Such deviations are quite common and natural ...’ (Patton, 1980, p 69; 1990, p. 105; Patton, 2002, p. 161)
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