A Qualitative Investigation of Coming Out for African American Gay Men
[Thesis]
Charles, Princess S.
Turner, Daniel;Kavar, Louis
Capella University
2020
140
Psy.D.
Capella University
2020
The purpose of this dissertation research was to investigate the experience of African American gay men who openly acknowledged their sexual orientation (commonly referred to as coming out) in a community that did not accept their gay identity or condone their behavior. Researchers have noted that same-gender sexual behavior is considered a taboo subject, especially among African Americans. The African American cultural community has had a difficult time accepting same-gender sexual behavior and gay identities because of the culture's links to Afrocentrism and the Christian church. Although the African American church offers a sense of empowerment to the community, it is considered by some to be a homophobic institution. Theoretical frameworks used in this qualitative case study were Cass's identity developmental model and Cross's nigrescence model. Cass's identity developmental model was used to understand the men's transition when they no longer hid their identities. Cross's model was applied to understand the African American cultural experience. The study included eight participants whose semi-structured interviews provided data. Inductive thematic analysis allowed for an instrumental case study with a qualitative research design that was employed for coding and analysis. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) dual identity, (b) lack of acceptance from the African American community, (c) African American men were offended by the actions of the African American church, (d) telling mom was important, and (e) coming out was liberating. Study findings suggested that African American gay men with a dual identity face challenges and oppression in the United States. The participants felt rejected and unaccepted by the African American community and were offended by the actions of the African American church. Of utmost importance was coming out with their sexual identity to their moms, which was a liberating experience.