The Development and Improvement of Instructions
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RECLAIMING BLACKNESS: (COUNTER) NARRATIVES OF RACIAL KINSHIP IN BLACK GAY MEN‘S SEXUAL STORIES A Dissertation by CHRISTOPHER SCOTT CHAMBERS Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2011 Major Subject: Sociology RECLAIMING BLACKNESS: (COUNTER) NARRATIVES OF RACIAL KINSHIP IN BLACK GAY MEN‘S SEXUAL STORIES A Dissertation by CHRISTOPHER SCOTT CHAMBERS Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Joe R. Feagin Committee Members, Ashley Currier Wendy Leo Moore Joseph O. Jewell Head of Department, Mark Fossett May 2011 Major Subject: Sociology iii ABSTRACT Reclaiming Blackness: (Counter) Narratives of Racial Kinship in Black Gay Men‘s Sexual Stories. (May 2011) Christopher Scott Chambers, B.A., Drew University; M.A., University of Maryland – College Park; M.A., University of Florida Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joe R. Feagin Black gay male identities and their place within the social hierarchy are organized by interlocking systems of race, sexuality, gender and class. This produces the social marginality of black gay men in seemingly neutral ways. Prominent features of this systemic oppression are stock stories of black gay life that construct black gay men as pathological, dangerous, conflicted, inauthentically black, emasculated, and heretical within public and academic discourses. In order to better understand these dynamics and add to the empirical literature on race/sexuality intersections, fifty-two men identifying themselves as black/African American and as having relationships with other men, participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews which explored their accounts of the structural arrangements, social interactions, and cultural meaning systems that defined the experience of being both black and gay in America. These interviews revealed that black gay men construct rich and complex counter narratives which not only expose the complex structural arrangements, cultural practices and racial ideologies iv that produce their marginality, but also remediate black gay manhood as part of the black diaspora. These narrative challenges illuminated discursive, performative and cultural practices, as well as social interactions occurring in three areas of the men‘s lives. First, were strategic uses of a hegemonic masculine form I call the "Super Black Man‖ (SBM) by which the men counteract the heteronormative, and hypermasculine prerequisites of respectable black masculinity, and represent themselves as racially-conscious and respectable black men. Participants also constructed narrative challenges to those cultural repertoires produced by the black church which organize the dominant scripts of black, Christian identity. These accounts were distinguished by the academic resources they utilized to re-theorize the relationship between Christian faith and the black body, confront the white racial framing and heteronormative assumptions embedded in church doctrine, and transform their outsider status within these communities. Finally participants‘ narratives also illustrate multiple dimensions by which a black racial framing organizes their experiences as black gay men, and their connection to black communities. These negotiations suggest the need to theorize race/sexuality intersections as having both structural and interpretative dimensions and to see the intersection of race and culture as complicating the manifestation of racial inequality. v DEDICATION To mom and dad who taught me to value where an education could take me. For all those black gay men eager to have their story told. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is a project that could not have been possible without the support of many important individuals and groups. First, I give thanks to my parents who taught me to value education and to use it as a tool to make change happen in the world. I did this as much for them as I did for myself. While I miss them terribly, I am confident that they and the ancestors are celebrating this accomplishment along with me. Over the years, I have encountered many faculty members who believed in me, told me that I had ―potential‖ to do intellectual work (even if I did not see it in myself) and ultimately inspired me to attempt a Ph.D. While I owe a debt of gratitude to each of them – Bill Messmer, Doug Simon, Marylu McEwen, Susan Komives, Dee Royster and Deborah King – I wish to especially single out, Dee Royster and Deborah King whose constant support, mentoring and friendship during my years of graduate study made it possible for me to see this effort through to completion. I wish to thank my committee members, Dr. Currier, Dr. Moore, and Dr. Jewell (and Dr. Gatson for agreeing to sit in on my defense at the last minute), for their support and guidance as I completed this project. I am grateful that you were willing to hang in there with me despite the time it took to complete this project, and that you were willing to work hurriedly to help me meet my deadlines. In direct and indirect ways, each of you has had an important influence on the final project in ways that required me to stretch intellectually; ultimately making this a better work than it would have been otherwise. vii I owe a special and perhaps my greatest debt of gratitude to my committee chair, Joe Feagin. Despite the many times I gave up on myself while trying to complete this project (and nearly gave up on it), you never gave up on me. Thank you for continuing to believe in me and for being my intellectual guide and mentor over these many years. If I can one day make half the mark on the discipline that you have, that would barely begin to honor you for everything that you have given me over the years. Even still, I will always strive to make you proud of me. To the rest of the ―Feagin Five‖ who journeyed with me from Florida to Texas – Glenn, Kristen, Jenni and Ruth – I am often reflective about the special bond and connection we share. You have each been a significant part of my personal and intellectual journey, and I hope that we will continue to sharpen and support one another in our various intellectual and personal endeavors for many years to come. As painful as the experience was, I am grateful to the reviewers who read and commented on the manuscript I submitted to Gender & Society in October of 2008 which was based on Chapter V of this dissertation. While I would have preferred the opportunity to have been published in that journal, their comments did ultimately inspire me to go deeper, and to push the work further both empirically and theoretically. I could also not have completed this project without the support of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University and particularly the chair – Steve Vallas. Despite the fact that I needed additional time to complete this project and imposed upon your seemingly boundless patience, you continued to believe in me, support me, and provide me with a place to work. Ultimately, your support over viii these past two years taught me many things about the process of producing a thoughtful and well-written manuscript. I am grateful to you for all of your efforts. I want to thank my partner, Dr. Jacob van den Berg, for his patience and support these past four years while I tried to find my voice, my confidence and the tenacity to complete this project. I could not have completed this work without my biggest cheerleader, sounding board, and proofreader! Finally, I wish to thank all of the men who agreed to be interviewed for this project. I hope that the final work has fulfilled their expectations and provides the voice and visibility they so richly deserve. Mostly, I hope that I have accurately conveyed some portion of the story these men wished to share with the world. Soon, my brothers, we won‘t have to live in silence anymore. ix NOMENCLATURE AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome AME African Methodist Episcopal church CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CME Christian Methodist Episcopal church DL Down Low GLBT Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus MCC Metropolitan Community Church MSM Men Who Have Sex with Men NCBLG National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays SBM Super Black Man SGL Same Gender Loving STDs Sexually Transmitted Diseases The Forum National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum TVC Traditional Values Coalition x TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... vi NOMENCLATURE .................................................................................................. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: PATHOLOGICAL TALES ABOUT BLACK GAY MEN AND THE NEED FOR NEW EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ......................................................................................... 1 On The Down Low (DL): Popular Discourses of the Black (Gay) Male