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Maake TB, Rugunanan P, Smuts L. Negotiating and Managing Gay Identities in Multiple Heteronormative Spaces: The Experiences of Black Gay Mineworkers in South Africa. J Homosex 2023; 70:1138-1161. [PMID: 34915828 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2021.2015954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sexual diversity is a contentious topic in South Africa because many people still hold the perception that sexual identity can only be understood in heteronormative terms. This article adopts a feminist research approach to investigate how black gay male identities are constructed and managed at home, within friendships and in mining workplaces, drawing on data collected from five black gay male mineworkers. It opens up discussion on gay mineworkers' experiences in a country where diversity is upheld and celebrated through a democratic constitution, yet gay men must often negotiate and manage their sexual identities to fit in with the dominant heteronormative discourses present in different spaces in society, including adopting false heterosexual identities in particular spaces, which limits their freedoms. The study argues that experiences of constructing and managing black gay identities in heteronormative spaces is guided by the level of acceptance and tolerance perceived by gay people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tshepo B Maake
- Department of Sociology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - P Rugunanan
- Department of Sociology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - L Smuts
- Department of Sociology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Abstract
This article focuses upon the social psychological aspects of identity development among gay men. Key stage-based models of, and contemporary empirical research into, gay identity development are outlined. Three levels of sexual identity development are examined: the psychological, the interpersonal and the collective. It is argued that, in order to develop an effective theory of gay identity development, empirical research should focus upon these levels of analysis, acknowledging that there is a dynamic interplay between them; the multiplicity of identity itself (consisting of sometimes competing elements); and the motives that underpin the construction, management and protection of identity (principally self-esteem, self-efficacy, continuity, positive distinctiveness and belongingness). Identity process theory is proposed as a useful theoretical framework for doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusi Jaspal
- Vice-Chancellor's Office, University of Brighton, United Kingdom.
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Owen M, Long C. Outside Looking in: Gay Male Psychotherapists Making Meaning at the Intersection of Identity. J Homosex 2022; 71:1-22. [PMID: 36190772 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2022.2122362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A gay identity offers a perspective outside heteronormative narratives characterized by exclusion as well as a radical position of difference. Being a psychotherapist, too, holds complex implications for identity. This paper explores the lived experience of gay male psychotherapists, a group whose voice is seldom heard. Based on interviews with six White South African gay male psychotherapists, a narrative analysis explores their experience of identity and voice. This paper highlights the ways in which the journey to occupying oneself as gay and the journey of becoming a therapist are intertwined. The complex power relations evoked in this experience are explored, and the position of the gay male therapist as "outside looking in" is interrogated as a position of marginality that both excludes and provides a unique vantage point from which to challenge exclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Owen
- Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carol Long
- Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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4
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Abstract
Strong gay identity among white men who have sex with men (MSM) has been associated with decreased HIV risk, but data for black and Latino MSM (BLMSM) are inconclusive. We examined gay identity and HIV risk among BLMSM to inform social and structural HIV intervention strategies. BLMSM were administered a computerized survey as part of an HIV research study during 2011-2012 conducted in New York City. We used a brief scale of Gay Identity Questionnaire. After data analysis, Stage I (not fully accepting) and Stage II (fully accepting) gay identity were determined based on participant responses. We used logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between gay identity with HIV risk and social determinant factors. Among 111 self-identified BLMSM (median age = 32 years, 68.4% with some college or higher education), 34.2 reported receptive anal sex without condoms in the previous three months. Gay Identity Questionnaire Scale assessment indicated that 22 (19.8%) were Stage I, and 85 (76.6%) were Stage II in this BLMSM sample. Stage II gay identity was more likely seen among BLMSM with high involvement in the gay community (aOR 3.2; CI 1.00, 10.26) and less likely among BLMSM who exchanged sex for food or shelter (aOR 0.15; CI 0.02, 0.98). Fully accepting gay identity may be protective for BLMSM as it relates to transactional sex; these factors warrant further research and consideration as part of HIV prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk D. Henny
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-45, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Jose Nanin
- Community Health Program at Kingsborough Community College, City University York, New York City, NY, USA
| | | | - Ashley Murray
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-45, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Madeline Y. Sutton
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-45, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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5
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Ussher JM, Perz J, Rose D, Dowsett GW, Chambers S, Williams S, Davis I, Latini D. Threat of Sexual Disqualification: The Consequences of Erectile Dysfunction and Other Sexual Changes for Gay and Bisexual Men With Prostate Cancer. Arch Sex Behav 2017; 46:2043-2057. [PMID: 27102603 PMCID: PMC5547193 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-016-0728-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Gay and bisexual (GB) men with prostate cancer (PCa) have been described as an "invisible diversity" in PCa research due to their lack of visibility, and absence of identification of their needs. This study examined the meaning and consequences of erectile dysfunction (ED) and other sexual changes in 124 GB men with PCa and 21 male partners, through an on-line survey. A sub-sample of 46 men with PCa and seven partners also took part in a one-to-one interview. ED was reported by 72 % of survey respondents, associated with reports of emotional distress, negative impact on gay identities, and feelings of sexual disqualification. Other sexual concerns included loss of libido, climacturia, loss of sensitivity or pain during anal sex, non-ejaculatory orgasms, and reduced penis size. Many of these changes have particular significance in the context of gay sex and gay identities, and can result in feelings of exclusion from a sexual community central to GB men's lives. However, a number of men were reconciled to sexual changes, did not experience a challenge to identity, and engaged in sexual re-negotiation. The nature of GB relationships, wherein many men are single, engage in casual sex, or have concurrent partners, influenced experiences of distress, identity, and renegotiation. It is concluded that researchers and clinicians need to be aware of the meaning and consequences of sexual changes for GB men when designing studies to examine the impact of PCa on men's sexuality, advising GB men of the sexual consequences of PCa, and providing information and support to ameliorate sexual changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Ussher
- Centre for Health Research, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia.
| | - Janette Perz
- Centre for Health Research, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Duncan Rose
- Centre for Health Research, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Gary W Dowsett
- Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Suzanne Chambers
- Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
- Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Scott Williams
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Ian Davis
- Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - David Latini
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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Abstract
Young (aged 18-30) Black and Latino men who have sex with men are at a higher risk of contracting HIV than their White counterparts. In order to better understand the unique nature of sexual risk-taking, we examined the extent to which ethnic group, ethnic identity, and sexual pride predicted condomless anal sex with casual partners among 161 young men who have sex with men (YMSM) who identify as Black or Latino. Negative binomial regressions were conducted using a cross-sectional design. Sexual pride was a negative predictor of condomless anal sex across all participants, but this effect was moderated by ethnic exploration and ethnic group; the relationship between sexual pride and condomless anal sex was strengthened by greater ethnic exploration among Latino YMSM, and weakened by greater ethnic exploration among Black YMSM. Implications for intersectional identity, identity conflict, and HIV prevention among young gay men of color are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lynn C Miller
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Paul R Appleby
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Godoy
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephen J Read
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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